Boomtown USA: The 7-1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns (Paperback)

by Jack Schultz (Author) "Big cities hum with vibrancy, as they declare themselves distinct through their commerce and art, their culture and resources, their landmarks and heritage, their climate..." (more)
Key Phrases: successful small towns, economic development group, economic developer, Cape Girardeau, United States, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
It's definitely a 21st century book and it shouldn't be missed. -- Ken Blanchard, co-author, The One-Minute Manager

The best book I've seen for identifying the small towns with the greatest opportunities for business, jobs and lifestyle. -- Harry S. Dent, author, The Roaring 2000s

What causes some communities to boom even as others slowly die? Jack Schultz knows the answers. -- Rich Karlgaard, publisher, Forbes Magazine

Product Description
This book examines how small towns best prosper by leveraging their resources and working with local and state officials to break through the "one-company town" mindset to attract industry and new business relocations. In the book, Jack Schultz identifies seven and one-half factors that small towns must employ to attract new business relocations or spur new business start-ups, including a collective vision, local support and an entrepreneurial spirit.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: National Association of Industrial and Office (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097189552X
• ISBN-13: 978-0971895522
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #340,736 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A small town is yours to shape, May 15, 2004

By	J. Grimaldi (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a useful book on an interesting topic I have not seen discussed elsewhere. Don't buy it for an enthralling read. Instead, buy it if you have an interest in the future of a small town.

Like millions of others, I entertain the notion of buying rural property. One would like to make a choice that would be pleasing for decades to come. This book has substantially raised my probability of attaining a favorable outcome. Before reading it I viewed the future prosperity of small towns as something like a crap shoot--buy and hope. My purchasing decision would have been based primarily on the look and feel of a town. Schultz teaches, however, that the success or failure of small towns is not random, nor is it purely a function of capricious tastes among future potential settlers. Rather, the success of a small town is much like the success of anything else: a function of dynamism, vision, and efforts of its own citizens, particularly its most active and determined citizens.

This is a useful notion for one who would like to speculate in real estate. Even more so, however, Schultz's book is something of a how-to and inspirational guide for those who live in a small community and who would like to brighten its future. Schultz's most inspiring message is that, if you are such a person, you need not wait for fait to run its course. Nor must you await the arrival of a born leader. You yourself can shape the destiny of your small town, and Schultz has useful suggestions for how to do it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The future is here, October 16, 2004

By	Charles Grantham (Prescott, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Subtitled "7 1/2keys to big success in small towns," Schultz's book focuses on just what small and medium-sized towns and cities must do to share in the economic good times.
Schultz coins the term "agurbs" as a label for a new kind of economic development. "Agurbs" are those areas outside the major influence of metropolitan areas that have historically been agricultural in nature. But that is changing, he argues, as more and people seek a good life in these outlying areas. The population is moving and economic development is sure to follow. However, Schultz cautions that not every community will prosper. If they are to compete successfully in this new kind of development market, Schultz suggests that cities must:
1. Adopt a "can do" attitude;
2. Shape their vision;
3. Leverage their resources;
4. Raise up strong leaders;
5. Encourage an entrepreneurial approach;
6. Maintain local control;
7. Build their brand; and
7½. Embrace the teeter-totter factor.
We won't steal Schultz's thunder here; rather, we encourage you to buy the book to find out more about his seven and one-half keys to success. The "teeter-totter" factor is especially interesting.
But there are some really interesting facts in the book. Consider these:
From 1990 to 2000 metro areas produced 10% of the population growth and 9% of jobs in the United States. In contrast, "agurbs" produced 20% of the population growth and a stunning 24% of employment growth! Well, what about high-tech areas like Silicon Valley, Austin, TX, and those other creative-class Mecca's?
Here's the real kicker. High-tech areas (much like metro areas) gave the United States another 10% of population growth but just 12% of employment gains. The Top 100 agurbs (in terms of growth rates) showed a 28% increase in population and 32% of job gains. That means that one in three new jobs in the United States over the last decade came from the top 100 agurb areas.
No wonder we are so hot on those "micropolitan" areas we discussed last month (see this month's feature article, above). There is a very high positive correlation between Schultz's "agurbs" and the Census Bureau micropolitan areas.
Where are these agurb areas? In terms of density per state the highest number of them are found in Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia. Hmm, interesting political implications here. Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, and other mid-western states also rank high on the index.
The implications seem rather obvious for economic development professionals. Look to areas that are characterized by high-quality communities; don't focus on low wage rates and tax incentives.
We are particularly intrigued by Schultz's work because he seems to say that real job creation is occurring exactly where we would predict: in areas that have high quality of life and clean environments, and that tend to be non-urban. Duh! Not only are people moving to these areas (according to the US Census), but they are becoming centers of job creation and, hence, wealth. We think Schultz is definitely on to something here.
What this book does is provide a primer for community leaders in these areas. His message is simple: get with the program or be left behind. When we look at Schultz's seven (and one half) factors we see qualities that separate successful developing areas from those that are not successful. And to loop back to our lead article, it is precisely these factors that make a difference between micropolitan areas that flounder (almost 50% of them) from those that are growing at tremendous rates.
Boomtown is another must-read if you are at all concerned about building social capital in your community. And Jack Schultz's checklist of keys to success may lead community leaders to an honest evaluation about whether they are positioned to succeed in tomorrow's economic reality.
And if I'm a corporate real estate executive or relocation specialist, guess what my first seven (and one half) questions will be about when the Mayor and Chamber of Commerce hosts me for dinner in West By God, Anystate, USA?

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Absolute Beginners in Community-Building, April 16, 2006

By	Neil Cotiaux (North Canton, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Rating: 4 Stars for those just getting started in their quest to reinvent a community; 3 Stars for all others. "Boomtown" is written in very broad strokes, and much of it is common sense; yet, it is the type of common sense worth reiterating to fledgling community-builders.

Perhaps the biggest single contribution this book makes is to demonstrate through hard data that there may very well be a positive payoff to all the visioning, strategic planning, consensus-building and financial investing that a community must engage in while attempting to redefine itself. The comparative data presented justifies the journey. And Schultz's admonition not to pin an agurb's hope on a single white knight - especially a large corporate outsider - is the single best piece of advice that he offers.

As a "starter kit", this book does not discuss the many facets of the municipal growth process that must inevitably be addressed if a strategic plan is to succeed, such as the roles of, and relationships with, a variety of potential planning and funding partners such as a state Main Street organization, USDA, state department of economic development, LISC, etc.; how to find sources of and apply for grants; how best to present initial growth concepts to elected officials and when; how to work with a project developer, etc. It is beyond the scope of "Boomtown" to delve into these matters in any detail, so the reader should be prepared to find answers elsewhere.

The single biggest take-away from "Boomtown" is that the leaders of numerous older communities like yours have dug deep and found sufficient inspiration to create a novel approach to limited growth or stagnation. The author offers numerous examples and anecdotes to make that point. Two or three may strike just the right chord with you and spark a lively discussion in your own backyard.