THE RURBAN FRINGE

The Rurban Gay Rodeo

It’s official … the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association (ARGRA) is stepping out of the urban closet to bring gay rodeo to Calgary’s eastern rural-urban fringe.
Excerpt from the Calgary Herald …
“Gay rodeo in Strathmore?
It seems out of character for a town that just might typify the rural Alberta stereotype.  Agriculture, oil and gas are its main [...]

The 10 Steps of Entrepreneurial Development

Successful entrepreneurial initiatives need strong local champions.
Entrepreneurship initiatives require long-term investment.
Successful projects must be flexible and entrepreneurial in terms of their goals.
Partnerships and collaborations are a must.
Include youth … they can often be a catalyst for change and will create a future pipeline of entrepreneurs.
Leverage resources … financial, human, etc.
Maintain momentum by celebrating successes.
Implement a [...]

Making a Case for Entrepreneurship

For the past two days, I’ve been introduced to – and pleasantly overwhelmed with – the range and depth of entrepreneurship information presented by Deb Markley and Karen Dabson of the RUPRI Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship.
The Energizing Entrepreneurs Institute - an in-depth program designed to provide more communities with essential tools and resources to work towards [...]

Training Family Farmers to Manage Like Executives

From the Financial Post … 
“It has opened my eyes to new opportunities.  This is big business now, and doing things because my dad and grandfather did just doesn’t cut it.  It has given me the tools to see what the value-drivers are in my business and to do proper evaluation of opportunities.”
- Craig Lindholm, third-generation [...]

The Little House

The suburb has become the dominant form of urban growth around the world. 
Yet suburban development must also be sustainable; there’s no point in creating communities which will wither and die on the vine.
The challenge is not simply about managing population growth … but how the region provides quality jobs, develops the infrastructure to get these [...]

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