News

Jobs created by small businesses may save small-town main streets

Naperville, Ill. Melbourne Beach, Fla. Tacoma, Wash.

The package slips lists locations from coast to coast. Stamped and stacked, ready to ship, each cardboard box holds an assortment of one of this town’s biggest exports: soy candles.

Soy Basics started four years ago with six employees who hand made about 200 candles a day. The company has since grown to 50 employees and more than 20,000 candles daily. It is the largest soy candle manufacturer in the nation.

"I thought there was something that could be done with this on a large scale," co-owner Jon Nicoliasen said, "and if a guy was entrepreneurial enough, we’d be able to turn it into a viable business."

An emerging school of thought among economic developers suggests nurturing small entrepreneurial startup companies like Soy Basics might be the answer for building long-term stability in rural and small-town economies.

By DAN HAUGEN, Courier Staff Writer

Full Story: http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2005/04/24/news/regional/7e2fb500906b066f86256fed000f7ed4.txt

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About the Center for the Study of Rural America http://www.kc.frb.org/RuralCenter/about.htm

Can Rural America Support a Knowledge Economy? http://www.kc.frb.org/PUBLICAT/ECONREV/PDF/3Q04hend.pdf

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