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Jack is the founder and CEO of Agracel, Inc., an industrial development firm majoring in rural America. Agracel began in 1986 and birthed its first development project in 1993. Since then Agracel has completed projects in 14 states owning over six million square feet of industrial space, which has facilitated over 5,000 jobs. Agracel also owns fifteen business parks and a short line railroad.
Schultz’s book, Boomtown USA: The 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns, was published in early 2004. The Boomtown USA project took more than 3 years of intense research beginning with 15,800 small towns across the country. The list was narrowed to an outstanding group of 397 towns, that Jack affectionately calls AGURBS®.
Jack’s research has been featured in USA Today, Forbes, and Business Week, among numerous other publications. Jack has been a guest on many radio and television programs including Bloomberg Business Television.
The Boomtown Speaking Tour began shortly after the book was published. Since February 2004, Jack has spoken to over 400 communities in 44 states, traveling over 200,000 miles. Jack became known as a national expert in economic development and was a sought-after speaker on the topics of building up town economics, revitalizing towns, and on the keys to becoming a Boomtown.
Jack has since semi-retired from the speaking tour, accepting a imited number of speaking engagements each year, but Boomtown USA continues to be highly recommended tool for communities seeking to become a Boomtown.
In 2005, Jack was named Ernst and Young’s Illinois Entrepreneur of the Year. Recently, Jack received the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion for Entrepreneurship.
Jack has an MBA from Harvard, is married and a father of twin sons.
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