PITTSFIELD, Ill. — In the past two weeks, Jack Schultz logged 10,000 miles on the road from Minnesota to Texas, Montana to Washington, D.C., and points in between. "I'm having a ball traveling around the country sharing stories," Schultz said. The stories come both from his book, "Boomtown USA, 7 1/2 Keys to Big Town Success in Small Towns," and his travels, which brought him to Pittsfield for Tuesday's forum on community development. Schultz, the keynote speaker, shared his three years of research on small towns across the country. "I've toured almost 200 communities and share experiences of what communities can do to revive themselves," he said. A first step, and the most important of the 7 1/2, calls for communities to adopt a can-do attitude to spur activity and overcome obstacles. "It's not rocket science. It's common-sense things we have observed all over the country, things every community can do, simple steps that people can take to help turn around a community and make it a better place than what it is," Schultz said. Schultz is the chief executive officer of Agracel Inc., an Effingham-based industrial development firm specializing in "agurban markets," a term he coined for small towns in rural America with great opportunities for success with business, jobs and lifestyle. "Jack's message resonated with us. We all know that without a shared common vision and sound economic base, health and human services diminish, as does the overall economic viability of the community," said Patricia McIntosh, executive director of the Illini Community Health Care Foundation. The foundation, Farmers State Bank and the City of Pittsfield Economic Development office sponsored the forum as a way to spur big city success in Pike County. "We're hoping out of this to spur some people to become involved in some economic development activities in the county," said Bill McCartney, Pittsfield's economic development consultant. McCartney and Pittsfield Mayor John Hayden toured Schultz through the county, taking in sites ranging from Big River Fish in Pearl to the Rockport Off-Road Park. They also toured a vineyard part of the growth of the grape and wine industry, not only in Illinois but in the county. "When you start listing things happening in this county, a lot of it is entrepreneurs who started things without a lot of government assistance. There's an amazing number of things we have in Pike County," McCartney said. "We have a great beginning with the outdoor recreation and the Lincoln connection, and we now need to work together as a community to make bigger things happen," Pikeland Superintendent Paula Hawley said after hearing Schultz speak. "We need to give people a reason to come here and be part of what we have to offer. But it is up to us to make that happen." ——— Making a Point Jack Schultz uses the following towns as examples of success: * Leavenworth, Wash., a community with dwindling population that reinvented itself as a Bavarian village, even though it had no Bavarian heritage, and has been so successful that 40 families have moved there from Bavaria. * Sedan, Kan., a community that lost its local bank and several businesses before launching an effort to build a yellow brick road that turned into a major tourist attraction. ——— By Deborah Gertz Husar
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