For Calvert Cullen, working the soil is in his blood. “My family came here from Scotland in 1680, and, of course, we’ve been in agriculture the whole time,” says Cullen, co-owner along with Steve McCready of Northampton Growers Produce Sales, Inc. “I came to Northampton Growers in 1990, and Steve was at Northampton growers starting in 1980.”
2019
80 Years of Excellence in Farming
Eighty years of history is certainly something to brag about – especially since the VanSingel Farms business has been in the same area of Grant, Michigan since its inception. This third-generation, family-run leader in fresh produce has been a staple of quality for decades. This year has been exciting and full of healthy-looking crops, and we spoke with Cal VanSingel, one of the three brothers who own and run the company, to find out more.
SOMO Village
Creating a Place for Community to Thrive
Once upon a time, not so long ago and not in a land far away, towns were built around a central commercial core. People walked to work and school, knew their neighbors, shopped for local produce, and enjoyed community in the town square.
Montana West Economic Development
Open for Business
The rugged, romantic beauty of Montana has forged a special place in the heart of America. Now Flathead County, Montana, is forging a special place for America’s business in Montana, with its pioneer tradition of hard work and business support at every level.
Haywood County Economic Development Council
Business is Good and Life is Better in the Great Smoky Mountains
Put Haywood County, North Carolina on your radar – you might just want to move there. The county’s community leaders go to great lengths to bring in new business and celebrate the good living you’ll find in this beautiful part of the state’s Mountain Region.
Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce
Developing a Workforce for the Technology Sector
Forsyth County in the state of Georgia has a current population of approximately 235,000 people and is rapidly growing at an average of 4.27 percent every year. It is consistently among the top one hundred fastest-growing counties in the United States, and this is driven primarily by well-educated, affluent immigrants from India moving into the community to work in the advanced technology centers.
Weatherford Economic Development
Say Yes to Weatherford
People are indeed saying ‘Yes!’ to Weatherford, the fastest-growing city in the U.S., which according to the U.S. Census Bureau grew by 1.6 percent in 2017 alone. Weatherford, (population 11,832) is located in western Oklahoma’s Custer County, fifty miles from Oklahoma City on Interstate 40, with the famed Route 66 passing right through it. This is a safe community that offers small-town friendliness along with a pro-business attitude.
City of Lexington, KY
The Home of Advanced Agricultural Technology
Finding the perfect spot to relocate a business is not always an easy task, except when dealing with the City of Lexington in central Kentucky. This unique place is run by people who have secured a great future for this up-and-coming new technology hub of the south.
Butler County, PA
A Workforce that Works, a Setting that Enchants
In Butler County, Pennsylvania, the Community Development Corporation (CDC) has vowed to promote skilled trades and develop a great local workforce, promoting growth and providing new business and established industry with professional, skilled labor. It’s working already.
Craven County, NC
Ripe with Opportunity
Craven County, North Carolina, is a coastal Atlantic community rich in history, economically diverse and ripe with opportunity. The Craven 100 Alliance, uniting the public and private sectors, is working to build the community an economic development engine.
Skilled, Willing & Able
Meet the Perennials
We’ve heard about robotics and Artificial Intelligence taking over the workplace, but what about one of the fastest growing segment of all – senior workers?
How the Skilled Trades are Shoring Up Today’s Workforce
Blue Gold
North America is experiencing a significant skills shortage. In the past, those with a post-secondary education – a degree – had great leverage in terms of their employability. Recently, the situation has been largely reversed.
City of Kaukauna, WI
Keeping Utility Rates Low and Quality of Life High
Kaukauna’s location on a two-mile stretch of the Fox River with a fifty-foot drop and significant rapids means that the city can produce its own hydroelectric power and offer its residents as much as thirty-five percent savings on their monthly utility bill. To learn more, Business in Focus spoke with Mayor Tony Penterman, Director of Planning and Community Development Bob Jakel, and Kaukauna Utilities General Manager Jeff Feldt.
Shawnee Forward Business Alliance
New Name, Renewed Purpose
In 2017, Business in Focus spoke with Economic Development Director Tim Burg about Shawnee, the eastern gateway to Oklahoma City. A lot has happened since then, and amongst other things, the development organization name has changed from the Shawnee Economic Development Foundation to the Shawnee Forward Business Alliance. I had the privilege of speaking with one of the new people brought on board: President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Qualls.
St. Tammany Corporation
Where Business and Community Thrives
St. Tammany is a bustling parish in southern Louisiana. Set on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, an estuary separating the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico, this industrious place is known as one of the state’s finest – in part thanks to the hard work of the St. Tammany Corporation, its brand new economic development organization.
Madison County Community Development
Bringing Business to Illinois
Madison County, Illinois is rooted in history, having been named in 1812 for James Madison, fourth president of the United States and one of America’s founding fathers.
Greater Grenada Partnership
Growth and Success
Named after southern Spain’s province of Granada, Mississippi’s historic Grenada County is earning a reputation for its many business success stories, entrepreneurial growth, workforce training and development, available land and resources for development, and a great deal more.
Edenton Chowan Partnership
This Pretty Heritage Town is Set for a Bright Future
When you are named “One of America’s Prettiest Towns” by Forbes magazine, you know you have something special.
County of Franklin IDA
Investing in its Main Streets the Simplest Way – Through its People
In northern New York State, the County of Franklin Industrial Development Agency is small but mighty. Growing to a team of four, doubling in size, strength, resources and capacity, this organization knows the way to maximum impact is fostering entrepreneurship in its communities.
City of Tigard, OR
Smarter Development – Tigard, Oregon Delivers Growth and Care for its Citizens
The need for efficient land usage and affordable housing weighs heavy on urban development everywhere. From its incorporation in 1961, Tigard, Oregon has grown from a Portland suburb to a thriving urban center with a population of over 50,000. With strong development assistance programs already in progress and others in the works, the town is just getting started.
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