Minnesota Rural Summit

Summit History 2001 Summit 2002 Summit 2003 Summit 2004 Summit 2005 Summit

Tools

BizPathways - a one-stop-shop for business owners to access information, interactive business plan templates, and resources in their area. (Download our Tips for Using BizPathways - for businesses and service providers.)

Finance Avenue - answer 7 questions and we'll help your business find your most likely funding, investor, and loan options.

Freeman Forum - lectures that inspire thoughtful dialog and civic engagement

MEG - connects you with on-line and on-the-ground resources you need to start and grow your business.

Rural Policy Forum - a tool that will help your constituents to communicate online before, during, or after an on-site conference. We provide online tools that can help conference attendees to offer their opinions and comments and then we can help you compile the results.

Rural Summit - an annual convening of people, organizations and businesses interested in supporting and promoting rural areas

Publications

Entrepreneurial Community Champion Playbook (2005) - A guidebook of assessment tools, worksheets, and templates to help you implement a community-wide economic development plan. (The Playbook is available for purchase.)

Summary of Growing with GIgaiits Conference Responses (2005) - A summary of attendees' repsonses to Blandin's Broadband Vision for the state.

Energizing Entrepreneurs Surveys (2005) - Ideas, opinions, and evaluations from the series of workshops held on getting communities to encourage entrepreneurship as a strategy for economic development. (The presentation from the workshops is also available online.)

Innovation Inventory (2004) - A directory of innovation projects happening around Minnesota - gathered for the 2004 Minnesota Rural Summit

Minnesota Rural Entrepreneurship Academy Report (2000) - The Academy examined Minnesota’s strategies in this arena to see if the state has the culture that supports a “cycle of entrepreneurship.” Their conclusions pointed towards a need to better focus resources around four critical areas: capital, technical assistance, physical infrastructure, and culture and education. In particular there was a need to help people define the ladder of stages for entrepreneurs and small businesses and target help accordingly.