Connecting community assets to market demand to build lasting livelihoods.
Capitalizing on assets. The small city of Lewistown is situated near the geographic center of Montana, a picturesque community that lies along the banks of Big Spring Creek surrounded by five mountain ranges. Its location has inspired the town to embrace the slogan “Find Your Center” as part of its tourism promotion efforts. Therefore, it’s only fitting that Lewiston is also at the center of exciting economic and community development initiatives underway in the heart of central Montana.
The county seat of Fergus County, Lewistown is home to around 6,000 residents who have a long history of embracing a collaborative and “can do” spirit to support local projects and community development. Still, like many small towns across the country, Lewistown is facing challenges due to changing economics, shifting demographics, and outmigration of young people to larger population centers. The community, led by a variety of issue-driven committees inspired by the WealthWorks approach to rural economic development, is tackling these challenges head-on by exploring opportunities to build on local assets and improve the town from within by making it an attractive place to raise a family, own a business, and visit on vacation.
Goal: making Lewistown an attractive place to raise a family and own a business.
Photo courtesy of RCAC.
In October 2015, the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) and the Snowy Mountain Development Corporation (SMDC) organized and facilitated workshops that first introduced the WealthWorks model to Lewistown. Called “Recharge Our Community” (ROC) workshops, these events created the space for local residents, business owners, and leaders to think in new ways about economic development through the WealthWorks model and look closely at multiple forms of wealth and build value chains to root wealth locally.
ROC workshops are part of RCAC’s Building Rural Economies program, which promotes the WealthWorks model and entrepreneurship education. “Folks were interested in seeing change and what could be done differently in terms of economic development in Lewistown,” says RCAC’s Carol Cohen, who serves as value chain coach for Lewistown. “These meetings looked at the gaps and opportunities that existed locally and looked at what businesses could be developed and expanded. It encouraged folks to look at what they have, not what they don’t.”
RCAC and SMDC were natural partners to collaborate in organizing and delivering these trainings as each organization brings its own strengths and expertise. RCAC is a nonprofit that has worked for four decades with rural communities in the West to build local capacity through technical assistance and training. SMDC serves a six-county region in Central Montana and is both a U.S. Economic Development Administration-designated Economic Development District and Certified Regional Development Corporation from the Montana Department of Commerce. Turnout was high at these initial meetings which was a positive early sign for the progress and enthusiasm to come. “There is a real sense of community here, so having 60 people at meetings is not a surprise in Lewistown,” says SMDC Executive Director Kathie Bailey. “The key is to build and maintain a culture of engagement.”
Part of the ROC trainings provided a forum to support entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs in the community by introducing them to the WealthWorks model, in particular by exploring the eight forms of wealth and focusing on demand. Over 60 participants graduated from the ROC training, including Tammy Eckhardt, who now owns and operates Sew Pieceful, a quilt and fabric shop located on Lewistown’s Main Street that opened in the fall of 2016. Eckhardt is a first-time small business owner who credits participating in the training with giving her the knowledge and confidence to open her business, which she did about a year after attending the workshop. “It was valuable to network and find other people who were like-minded and driving business downtown,” she says. “Everyone was willing to share their successful ideas and help brainstorm problems. I also learned to not just open a business to do what you want to do, but to listen to your customers and bring in what they are looking for.”
A fundamental aspect of WealthWorks is to identify demand, and Eckhardt knew that such a demand existed for a store like Sew Pieceful in Lewistown, noting that some quilters would often travel up to 130 miles throughout rural Montana to get the supplies they needed for their craft. The store lifts up many of the forms of wealth that Eckhardt and others learned about through the ROC training, including promoting individual, intellectual, cultural, social, financial, and built capital. Sew Pieceful’s location on historic Main Street also helps position the city as a regional destination for shopping and retail. Since opening, the store has already expanded its size and inventory and is part of a growing downtown business district which recently saw two new businesses fill vacant storefronts in recent months. “What is happening in Lewistown is exciting. We are moving forward,” Eckhardt says.
Another major outcome of the ROC workshops was the development of six working committees rooted in the concept of value chains and wealth creation that were established to look at a variety of key issues in the community. They are focusing on nature tourism, youth engagement, downtown redevelopment, housing, workforce, and finance. These committees, led by a cross section of local leaders, business owners, residents, and others invested in the future of Lewistown and the surrounding region, are identifying opportunities for local community and economic development efforts and are forging new connections and possibilities. RCAC, the city of Lewistown, Fergus County, and SMDC have contributed funds to support a community coordinator position to provide assistance to these committees and to track successes and challenges.
Two of the committees in particular are making strong progress in meeting these goals. These are the Youth Engagement Committee (now called the Creekside Committee) and the Nature Tourism Committee.
Hospitality businesses such as restaurants, lodging, and breweries provide other economic expansion possibilities.
Photo courtesy Creekside Committee
Lewistown is eagerly awaiting the beginning of construction on the Creekside Marketplace and Pavilion, a transformative project planned to redevelop a blighted industrial site on East Main Street. Once completed, the Marketplace and Pavilion will be a public gathering destination consisting of green space and gardens, picnic areas, trails, and restrooms, all centered on a pavilion that will be used for live music and other performances. It will sit along the Big Spring Creek that winds through town.
The ROC Youth Engagement Committee, now referred to as the Creekside Committee, emerged from the ROC trainings and took ownership of this effort. The general idea for such a project had existed in previous forms, including as part of the visioning and planning of two cohorts of participants from the Leadership Central Montana program, an initiative managed by SMDC. The downtown master plan in 2005 also mentioned this area as a potential site for such a project. As part of its initial planning and outreach efforts to gauge demand and interest, the committee conducted a survey and heard back that young families in the area were looking for more community amenities, an enhanced quality of place, and space to meet, relax, and celebrate. The Creekside Marketplace and Pavilion will meet this need, and its prime location on Main Street demonstrates the desire to enhance downtown and create a gathering place for residents and visitors alike. The Marketplace and Pavilion will likely be a focal point in the city’s annual Chokecherry Festival, held every year on the first Saturday after Labor Day, which can bring up to 5,000 people to Main Street for food, music, games, and more to celebrate one of Montana’s famous local fruits.
Committee members have been responsible for outreach, fundraising, and generating overall support for this project, anticipated to cost around $1.4 million. A mix of funding sources are making Creekside a reality, including support from the city, state, local businesses, community organizations, and private contributions from local residents through the Central Montana Foundation. Project funding of $850,000 is being collected from local contributions, and at the time of writing that goal is in sight. “People in this community are willing to step up and donate to projects like this,” says SMDC’s Kathie Bailey. For all the progress made in moving this project towards reality, SMDC, in partnership with the City of Lewistown, ROC Youth Engagement Committee, and Friends of the Trails, was recognized in 2018 with an Innovation Award from the Montana Economic Developers Association.
The enthusiasm generated for the Creekside Marketplace and Pavilion also led to Lewistown’s first local brewery—Big Spring Brewing—opening in an abandoned historic building adjacent to the Creekside location, along with Central Feed Grilling Company, a locally owned restaurant. The initial survey and community conversations had recognized a demand for a brewery in Lewistown and the work of the ROC committee created a positive environment for opening such a business on Main Street. In a letter to SMDC, the restaurant/brewery owners wrote, “The beauty of our building remodel, steady patrons through the doors, and excitement surrounding the park have given other projects in town momentum. We can see a renewed pride in our community and people with confidence to invest in themselves and our town.”
Committee members have been responsible for outreach, fundraising, and generating overall support for this project.
Photo courtesy MEDA.
The Nature Tourism Committee is also making progress in building up Lewistown and the surrounding area as an outdoor recreation destination, all while boosting the eight forms of wealth for the area. From hiking and biking trails to sport fishing to hunting, Lewistown and the wider region are part of Montana’s $7 billion a year outdoor recreation industry. Committee members, many of whom work in the industry, assessed visitor demand and needs through a SWOT analysis, forms of wealth exercises, and questionnaires.
The committee was responsible for the creation of a City of Lewistown and Fergus County map to better inform visitors during their time in the region by highlighting points of interest, trails, visitor amenities, and other outdoor attractions. This map is available at the visitor center and at motels, restaurants, and local businesses. The regional tourism office also shares it at outdoor recreation trade shows throughout the country. Additionally, customer service workshops were also designed for local businesses and their employees to learn how to better serve guests and make Lewistown an even more welcoming place for visitors.
Another key focus of the Nature Tourism Committee identified through discussions and asset mapping exercises was the need for expanded wayfinding in Lewistown and the surrounding areas to assist visitors and create a sense of place. Wayfinding expansion was already underway in Lewistown and will continue, but a specific need was identified to improve signage and information to market those attractions outside the city. The committee continues to explore options and funding mechanisms to support this initiative.
The Nature Tourism Committee is also making progress in building up Lewistown and the surrounding area as an outdoor recreation destination.
Photo courtesy Enoy Lewistown.
“The WealthWorks model brings people together to develop relationships. It changes mindsets and allows people to start to see things differently,” says RCAC’s Carol Cohen. Framing the conversation around the eight forms of wealth and looking at demand and value chains provided a solid foundation and common language for committee members to help build support for these locally driven efforts that have gained momentum with each passing year.
“The WealthWorks model of looking at the different forms of wealth was really useful here because we often don’t think about economic development like this,” notes Kathie Bailey from SMDC. Just as critical has been creating the space to lift up local leaders and partners who have a vision and belief in the potential of these projects. Says Bailey, “You have to have a champion or multiple champions. This process has been able to give those champions a leg up and additional support. It also gives them a voice where maybe that hadn’t had a strong voice before.”
From supporting entrepreneurs with their business planning to guiding transformative community development projects through engaged committees, the economic and community development initiatives in Lewistown anchored in WealthWorks are better positioning the city for success as a desirable place to raise a family, start a business, or spend time on vacation. By focusing on quality of place, creating good jobs, and building on local assets, Lewistown will continue to be at “the center of it all” in Central Montana for many years to come.
Information sources:
Personal communication with Kathie Bailey (SMDC), Carol Cohen (RCAC), Tammy Eckhardt (Sew Pieceful), and Pam Higgins (RCAC).
This case study was produced under contract to the Region Five Development Commission through a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of USDA. This case study was authored primarily by NADO Associate Director Brett Schwartz. Thanks are extended to SMDC, RCAC, and Sew Pieceful staff and others who provided information, editorial guidance, and images.
Specialties: Local Food, Placemaking, Renewable Energy
States served: Minnesota
Additional details: Enhancing the vitality and quality of life in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties is the mission of Region Five Development Commission. Resiliency, inclusion and collaboration are guiding concepts in achieving mutually shared goals that continue to evolve with local municipalities, state, federal, philanthropic, non-profit and social advocacy agencies.
Contact: Cheryal Lee Hills, 218-894-3233
Mailing address:
200 1st Street NE, Suite 2
Staples, MN 56479
Alternative contact: Dawn Espe, 218-894-3233
Website: http://www.regionfive.org
Specialties: Food, Forestry/wood products, Tourism
States served: Idaho, Oregon, Washington
Additional details: RDI was formed in 1991 in response to the timber industry crisis facing the Pacific Northwest. Our nationally recognized programs and services help communities help themselves with effective and results-oriented training and resources necessary for individuals living in rural communities to build and sustain a better future in their communities. Our work is based upon our genuine commitment to build rural capacity through Leadership Development programs and strengthen Rural Economic Vitality through moving capacity into action.
Contact: Amy Hause, (541) 255-9590
Mailing address:
Rural Development Initiatives
91017 S Willamette St
Coburg, Oregon 97408
Alternative contact: Heidi Khokhar, (541) 684-9077 ext. 7011
Website: http://www.rdiinc.org/
Specialties: Food, Forestry/wood products, Housing, Tourism
States served: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Region details: RCAC serves 13 western states including: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. We also work in the U.S. territories of the Marianas Islands, Marshall Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Additional details: RCAC Value Chains, economic development and Wealth Works are embedded in RCAC’s Building Rural Economies program. With over 10 years of experience in these arenas we technically assist communities who wish to envision and create their future.
Contact:
Carol Cohen, 435-671-7068
Mailing address:
3120 Freeboard Drive
Suite 201
West Sacramento, CA 95691
Alternative contact: Ellen Drew, (575) 421-0261
Website: http://www.rcac.org/community-economic-development/wealthworks-west
Specialties: Energy efficiency
States served: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Additional details: Midwest Assistance Program (MAP) has been helping communities and tribal nations find solutions to their infrastructure and development needs through information, resource management, expertise, and technical assistance since 1979.
Contact: Chris Fierrros, 660-562-2575
Mailing address:
303 N Market Street, Suite 2
Maryville, MO 64468
Website: http://www.map-inc.org
Specialties: Bio-energy, Food
States served: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas
Region details: Communities Unlimited serves seven southern states: Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee. Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Alabama. This is an area that includes 60% of this country’s persistently poor counties, including large percentages of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.
Additional details: Communities Unlimited has 40 years of community economic development experience in the South. It seeks to move rural and under-resourced places toward prosperity by identifying a community’s assets and the market demand for the products or services created from those. We then build value chain collaboratives based on WealthWorks principles to create new economic opportunities. Since 2013, we are demonstrating the success of this approach through a farm-to-fuel value chain in the Arkansas Delta.
Primary Contact:
Martha Claire Bullen, 479-443-2700
Alternative Contact:
Ines Polonius
Mailing address:
3 East Colt Square Drive
Fayetteville, AR 72703
Alternative contact: Debbie Luther, 870-509-1331
Website: https://www.communitiesu.org
Specialties: Arts, Food, Forestry/wood products, Tourism
States served: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
Additional details: Community Roots, LLC is a Vermont firm specializing in rural community and economic development consulting. Melissa Levy of Community Roots, LLC has been working with the WealthWorks framework over the past several years. She’s been a trainer, coach, workshop facilitator, and presenter in the WealthWorks community.
Contact: Melissa Levy, 802-318-1720
Location: Hinesburg, VT
Specialties: Arts, Energy efficiency, Food, Forestry/wood products, Manufacturing, Tourism
States served: Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
Additional details: The Central Appalachian Network is a regional network of six anchor organizations that pursue collective sustainable economic development strategies across the Appalachian region of Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. CAN builds regional partnerships and also works deeply at the sub-regional level around sectors and opportunities including local food value chains, forestry, new energy, small business development, social enterprise, recycling/upcycling, implementation-focused research, advocacy, and organizational capacity-building. CAN’s members are Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet), Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), Coalfield Development Corporation, Community Farm Alliance (CFA), Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF), and Rural Action.
Contact: Leslie Schaller, 740-592-3854
Mailing address:
1456 C Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28806
Website: https://www.cannetwork.org
