Small Nation

Small Nation is looking forward to being in East Palestine, Ohio, tomorrow to help the community as they look for new redevelopment strategies to grow and revitalize their downtown. We are appreciative of JobsOhio and Lake to River Ohio for the partnership and opportunity to visit with the amazing folks in East Palestine. https://lnkd.in/eUXhSq7z

This past Wednesday, the Small Nation team visited Ripley, Ohio, along the Ohio River. Our visit began with a community meeting where we listened to residents share what makes Ripley special and their vision for its future. The passion and pride for their town were clear, as was their excitement for the opportunities ahead. Ripley’s recent award of a multimillion-dollar Appalachian Community Grant from the State of Ohio has the potential to transform downtown infrastructure, creating a foundation for Ripley to thrive for generations to come. The town’s historic charm, combined with its location on the river, offers unique opportunities to enhance tourism, grow new businesses, and strengthen the local economy. We look forward to working with them and seeing Ripley’s plans come to life.

We were excited to celebrate the official ribbon cutting of Smoothie Life - Piqua today with the Piqua Area Chamber of Commerce and Mainstreet Piqua, Inc.! Smoothie Life brings healthy, delicious food options and good energy to downtown Piqua. Congratulations to owner Julie, manager Kaci, and their amazing staff!

?? Episode 92 welcomes housing develop Bart Barok to the Small Nation Podcast. Residential real estate development is no easy task and can take a very long time to see through. This is why communities need people like Bart A. Barok to help navigate the space and bring more housing with intentionality. What are the key ingredients to making a housing development work, and how do we overcome the obstacles that often kill these types of projects? We discuss this and more in this episode of the Small Nation Podcast. Check out the preview below and click here to listen: https://lnkd.in/gxZPyf3U You can also find the Small Nation Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. ?? Watch at: https://lnkd.in/gsXduQTh The Small Nation Podcast is brought to you by CoverLink Insurance.

The Small Nation team would like to extend our congratulations to Ohio's newly elected Senator, Bernie Moreno. A few weeks ago, Bernie visited with our team in Downtown Bellefontaine to learn more about our work in the downtown and the importance of supporting Main Street and small business policies. We look forward to working with him to advocate for and promote pro-business and small town policies on the federal level such as revitalization tax credits and the expansion of rural opportunity zones. Congratulations, Bernie!

Small Nation was honored by the Logan County Chamber of Commerce and Logan County Visitors Bureau on Wednesday with the Max Evans Tourism Award at their annual Stars in Business event. A dedication to tourism is at the core of our mission, working to making Downtown Bellefontaine and Logan County a best-in-state destination for visitors from around Ohio. Hear why Small Nation was recognized with this award: https://lnkd.in/emE--Zet Thank you to the Logan County Chamber and Visitors Bureau for this recognition, and congratulations to all of the amazing award recipients!

Our own Rolando Matias was recently featured on the Small Nation podcast! In this episode, Rolando dives into the complexities of affordable housing development—addressing common misconceptions and explaining the steps needed to bring these essential projects to life. Tune in to hear Rolando’s insights on how we can navigate the challenges and make affordable housing a reality for more communities. Watch the full episode here - https://loom.ly/Ggy2xjQ #AffordableHousing #SmallNationStrong

Small Nation Founder Jason Duff joined a dynamic panel discussion alongside Jamie Greene and planning NEXT at the Together Knox community open house in Mt. Vernon last week. Held at the historic Woodward Theatre, the event brought together local leaders as they work on Mt. Vernon’s comprehensive community plan. Jason shared insights gained from our experiences in Downtown Bellefontaine and our work with small communities across Ohio. It’s inspiring to see so many communities like Mt. Vernon looking to enhance their downtown spaces, support local businesses, and create a vision for sustainable growth. https://lnkd.in/ekv586Yc

?? Episode 91 welcomes Rolando Matias, affordable housing expert, to the Small Nation Podcast. The need for affordable housing is continuing to grow, as the nation has been in a housing crisis for decades. Unfortunately, building affordable homes comes with some challenges. On this episode, Rolando Matias, Market Lead and Design Strategist for affordable housing at MA Design, joins us to debunk a few misnomers around the topic and shed light on what the process looks like to get a project done. Check out the preview below and click here to listen: https://lnkd.in/eEPv8C_j You can also find the Small Nation Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. ?? Watch at: https://lnkd.in/eFfnmVk4 The Small Nation Podcast is brought to you by CoverLink Insurance.

Yesterday, Small Nation and Wilson Reiser of Winans Coffee & Chocolate presented to the Piqua Area Chamber of Commerce to share about the ongoing progress on our joint project, Piqua Station. We were excited to talk about the recent opening of Smoothie Life - Piqua, the upcoming BUILD Cowork + Space Piqua, and opportunities still available for those looking to start or expand their business. Thank you to the Piqua Chamber for having us!