JENGA: Playing Games With The Local Economy

Oct 09

JENGA: Playing Games With The Local Economy

Have you ever played the game JENGA? It’s a fun-yet-terrifying game, the one with the small rectangular blocks of wood that are stacked in perpendicular rows to create a large tower while your job is to take turns at removing blocks from the lower tower in order to stack them on top to create an even taller tower. Of course, the fun (stress) of the game comes...

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Turning Guilt and Anger Into Hope and Success

Feb 12

Turning Guilt and Anger Into Hope and Success

I’m not the typical character in your average modern business success story. I don’t have an MBA from a fancy school, I don’t come from an influential family, and I don’t have a resume filled with Fortune 500 companies. In fact, I’m a high school drop-out...

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Thankful For Everything Local

Nov 25

Thankful For Everything Local

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I found myself needing to take a moment to reflect on my own thankfulness for the amazing past year! Our Partners: We have the amazing honor and privilege to be partnered with hundreds of like-minded individuals across the country who are devoting their lives to rebuilding their local economies in order to help their communities...

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Take Back Thanksgiving

Nov 19

Take Back Thanksgiving

What do big box retailers like Macy’s, Target, Staples, and Toys ‘R Us all have in common? This year they will be open on Thanksgiving Day. Why? Because consumers demand it and holiday sales projections are down, sending retailers to scramble to bring in every consumer and every dollar they can get through their doors before they have spent their cash...

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Honoring Veterans, Past and Present

Nov 11

Honoring Veterans, Past and Present

One of the lingering guilts that haunts me every time I see a soldier in uniform is that I never stood beside these brave men and women to serve our country. My absence wasn’t out of cowardice, just complacency. Growing up in a small town in Central Oregon, we were pretty isolated from the nearest military presence, an Air National Guard station 130 miles away...

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What The $20 Shift Means To Our Community

Oct 30

What The $20 Shift Means To Our Community

Over a hundred miles outside of LA, on the edge of the Mojave Desert, a scenario has played out that is mirrored in communities around the United States. As an exurb (a large community lying well outside of the suburbs of a major city) the High Desert is kind of forgotten by big businesses, not quite rich enough in natural resources (except sun and wind!) for major...

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