Sept. 2014 “Published Monthly for SEAGO Member Entities, our Strategic Partners & everyone interested in Southeastern Arizona” Vol. 4, No. 9

Gearing up for Promise Zone designation By A’kos Kovach

The Promise Zones initiative began as a solution-oriented pro-gram designed to encourage geographic areas suffering from a va-riety of maladies. Every County in the SEAGO region is eligible for a variety of factors such as incomes levels that average below the national average, high-poverty, high unemployment, and areas feeling the effects of increased crime.

In the first round of applications Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments (SWNMCOG) was a finalist just behind the first five designees. Their story is compelling, their leadership is united and this year SWNMCOG has extended their hand across the bor-der to all four SEAGO Counties and incorporated cities and towns to join their application.

What would this mean? The simplest answer is preferential points and advantage on grants from the participating federal agencies. With each passing day federal grants have become in-creasingly competitive. Gaining an edge on grant applications will make the difference between receiving an award letter or not.

But first your County must be on board. Nogales cannot apply, as an example, unless Santa Cruz County requests the designation. Likewise, cities like Safford must first obtain support from Graham County; Bisbee, Benson, Douglas, Willcox, Tombstone, Sierra Vis-ta all need Cochise County to be on board before they can qualify. And finally Clifton and Duncan must first look to Greenlee County to submit an overview of why the Promise Zone designation should be awarded to their county.

Assistance in preparing a Promise Zone Designation letter from any county is available. This letter forms the foundation on which the cities and towns that wish to participate can build their vision of addressing and overcoming their common issues and even not-so-common issues.

Read more ...

Wealth Works – but how do you get there? By A’kos Kovach

Unless your brain waves resemble a flat line grasping the no-tion that having wealth, works is elementary. But beyond the play on words what does this 21st century twist on designing and building a value chain really mean? And what about the giant inclusion of the ‘pain proposi-tion’? Life, com- munity and economic de- velopment are already difficult, now we have to add pain as well?

First of all this overview is just that, a 30,000 foot view of an evolving process designed and dedicated to teach skills that can be applied to your specific city, town or county in cooperation with the local private sector.

Second we will briefly touch on how to design a ‘value chain’ ready for construction, including identifying assets, asset -based products, services while identifying existing and potential demand.

Third we will marginally cover how to identify and engage po-tential strategic partners and how to add/include non-traditional prospects as well to make your Wealth Works process a success.

And finally, a discussion on how to identify strategies to build and sus- tain a wide range of local assets neces-sary for growth and sustain-ability in your community.

Wealth Works belongs in each community and econom-ic development toolkit. And keep in mind that Wealth-Works is inclu- sive. By con-necting com- munity assets to meet market demand you create the framework that develops lasting livelihoods and upward mobility. And note that right from the beginning Wealth Works brings together Community Devel-opment as well as Economic Development practitioners.

Read more ...

The Turning Point Monthly September 2014, page 3

Mayor Garino promotes trade and commerce at AZ League of Cities and Towns Conference

Nogales Mayor Arturo Garino touted international trade and economic devel-opment in Nogales by participating in two panels at the Arizona League of Cities and Towns Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this past week.

Mayor Garino was invited to participate in the Arizona-Sonora Bi-National Mega Region Mayor’s Reactor Panel. The panel

discussed the importance of inter-regional collaboration and how the formation of the Ari-Son Mega Region is critical to the fu-ture socioeconomic development of both regions in the global economy.

“Being asked to participate in a panel that focuses on the Ari-Son Megaregion and the

Read more ...

Catholic Community Services (CCS) is gathering supplies for those in need. The staff is grateful for all the donations especially the members of St. John’s Epis-copal Church in Bisbee. CCS is and will be serving mothers and children as a way station between the bus station and their final destination with family. The needs are simple: food for bus trips, toi-letry items, baby and child care items, and shoelaces, hair ties, baseball hats and backpacks.

CCS is also asking for volunteers to help these people achieve self-sufficiency which is the backbone of the resettlement project. They need people to help with advocacy for the refugees. Volunteer for even one day a week. Call 520 623 0344 Ext. 1063, and ask what you can do to help.

This will be an ongoing problem as the people keep crossing and the holding centers are not moving processing fast enough. Or contact Mary Anne Somer-ville marysomerville@cox.net

Refugees

Benson’s mural project gains momentumMurals for museum, hospital and Hamilton building in the worksDANA COLE | HERALD/REVIEW

Plans are underway for a mural at the Benson Museum, adding to the collec-tion of historically-based murals scattered throughout the city.

With artist Doug Quarles working his magic, this mural will be splashed on the east wall of the Benson Museum facing Fifth and San Pedro streets.

“The proposed theme features an old steam train in the foreground with a But-terfield Stage disappearing in the sunset,” said Cindy Allen, a member of the Pony Express riders, a nonprofit organization raising money to sponsor the mural. “We want to depict the Butterfield Stage and its route through this area, while showing the train replacing the stage coach as the main source of transportation,” she said.

The Pony Express is currently in the pro-cess of organizing a yard sale to be held on Sept. 20 at the J-Six Equestrian Center, 3036 West Williams Road in Benson. The

yard sale will run in conjunction with gym-khana, with the sale from 7 a.m. until noon and the horse show from 8:30 a.m. until around 2 p.m.

“Right now, we’re in the process of ask-ing the community to donate items for the yard sale so we can start organizing what we have to work with,” said Allen. With the Pony Express sponsoring the painting at the museum, the mural will represent one of the latest additions to the Benson Clean and Beautiful citywide mural project, an

Read more ...

Face the FactsFACEBOOK SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR BUSINESS PLAN

by Amanda Baillie | Vitality Magazine

To Facebook or not to Facebook? That’s the question business owners are facing in this modern era of social media and aggres-sive marketing strategies.

If your target audience is women – often the financial and purchasing decision mak-ers of the house – then you should be post-ing, sharing and commenting two to three times a day, says Margaret Dillard, a Sierra Vista based marketing and social media consultant.

“There’s a social media conversation go-ing on with or without you,” she said. “And

if you own a business, you need to be part of that conversation.”

According to SocialMediaToday.com, 72 percent of female Internet users were on Facebook in 2013, compared to 62 percent of men. They have more friends than men, are more likely to share posts related to re-cent purchases or experiences with busi-nesses, and are more likely to leave a com-ment.

“The online community is the way of the future,” Margaret believes. “The majority of your customers are having some sort of conversation online, which includes where they eat, shop, stay and play.”

So what is Margaret’s best advice on launching your business on the world’s

Read more ...

The Turning Point Monthly September 2014, page 3

Empathy is a Marketer’s Most Important Traitby Sue Duris | MySuccessConsultant.com

Marketers, remember the old acronym that defined a marketer’s job? AIDA.

Our task was to generate awareness, cre-

ate interest, build desire, and cause a buyer to take action to purchase a product. Until recently, getting a prospect’s attention was kind of a crap shoot.

Marketers had to depend on their own

guesstimates of what the buyer wanted, purchase analyst reports to get a general idea of the market and competition, or rely on competitive and market intelligence from sales.

Social media enables us to reach out to the buyer to engage with them directly. But, with these tools comes responsibility. Cor-porate leaders expect marketing teams to deliver quality leads. To do this, marketers have to know the prospect and how to help them on a very intimate level.

Empathy Translates to Trust Let’s break it down. For a buyer to pur-

chase from us, they need to trust us. And trust comes from our buyer believing we understand them, get what their pains and needs are, and can help them. Having this understanding comes from empathy.

In fact, all marketing begins and ends with empathy. Empathy is what drives mar-keting and sales. Empathy is not only im-portant, it is vital to a company’s success. It is a marketer’s most important trait.

Read more ...

Rural Policy Forum Presentations Now Available OnlinePresentations from

the 2014 Rural Policy Forum sessions are now available for you to download at the AZ Rural Develop-ment Council website. Please click here to access the web page, then click the tab at the top of the page that says “Presentation Downloads.” You can then download any of

the presentations by clicking the “Down-load PDF” link on the right side of the page. Also, keep this page bookmarked as we have some great audio and video from the forum that will be added to this page in

the coming weeks.

TechConnect Magazine Launches in Digital Form

ince 2005, Ari-zona Technology Council mem-bers have turned to TechConnect magazine as their source for what’s happening in the state’s tech com-munity. Now, members will

be joined by thousands of other readers as TechConnect goes digital!

The Council has partnered with the Ari-

zona Commerce Authority to release the first digital issue. Each quarter the magazine will provide original content that will range from features on what’s trending now to the latest innovations from the state’s universi-ties as well as top research centers. A wide range of industry experts also will offer

Read more ...

Arizona Technology Council

6 Consumer Fees You Should Stop Paying

Every where we turn, we are constantly being hit with hidden fees for this and that. With a little planning, here are 5 fees every-one should be able to avoid:

Bank Fees: Last year, banks charged non-customers an average of $2.60 to use their ATMS, on top of the $1.53 charge already levied by the consumers’ own bank. To avoid these fees, consumers should use only in-network machines which can be located usually through the bank’s mobile app. Consumers can also switch to an on-line bank in which many of them will reim-burse ATM fees.

Airline booking fees: To avoid these fees, it is recommended to book your airfare on-

from Buster Johnson

is issued at the beginningof each month by the

SouthEastern ArizonaGovernments Organization

Economic Development District.

1403 W. Highway 92, Bisbee, AZ 85603(520) 432-2622, ext. 210

To subscribe, email:akovach@seago.org

A’kos Kovach, publisher and editorMargaret Dillard, copy/graphics editor

Items for publication are welcomed from SEAGO member entities and strategic partners. Copy must be submitted at

least 7 business days priorto the end of each month.

Regional Calendar of Events

The Turning Point Monthly, September 2014, page 4

GREENLEE COUNTYEVENTS

SEPT 2014 9/19 Jr. Rodeo @ Duncan Fairgrounds,Finals

9/20 and 9/21 Greenlee Co. Mud Drag Series and Powder Puff & Grudge Match

9/18-9/21/14 Greenlee County Fair

OCT 2014

10/18 Re-dedication of the Hal Empie Mural @ 2pm at the Duncan High School Cafeteria

10/31 Chase Creek Marketplace Artist reception 10/31 Morenci Halloween Fest 4-7 p.m

NOV 2014 11/1 & 2, Noon to 6 p.m.Juried Art Show and Wine Festival @Galleria Coronado, 253 Chase Creek Street, Chase Creek, Clifton

APRIL 2015 4/11 & 4/12 Spring Rampage

4/25 & 4/26 Greenlee Music Festival www.greenleemusicfestival.com

Sept. 5 - Business Planning for Cochise County Food Producers: A Cochise College SBDC Event, 9:00 am to 1:30 pm at Cochise College, 4190 W. Hwy. 80, Little Theatre, Douglas, AZ. FREE business planning class for Cochise County food producers and farmers market vendors! Register here or call (520) 515-5478.

Sept. 5 - Sierra Vista Elks Oktoberfest, 2:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Elks grounds at One Elks Lane off Wilcox Drive. For more infor-mation call 458-2065.

Sept. 5 - The Jose Canchola Memo-rial Golf Fiesta at Sewailo Golf Course. Sponsored by Tucson Hispanic Chamber Foundation. Benefitting “AZ Earn to Learn Scholarship Fund and Dreamer Scholraship Fund. For info: www.tucsonhispaniccham-ber.org/foundation or (520) 844-7071.

Sept. 8 - Greenlee County Birding Work-shop #4, beginning at 6:00 am. Meet at For-est Service Offices at the “3-way”.

Sept. 9 - ADOT Presentation, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, La Casita Restaurant & Can-tina. $20/SV Chamber members, $25/non-members. Lunch included. Register at www.sierravistachamber.org or call (520) 458-6940.

Sept. 12-14 - Bisbee Blues Festival, 11 am to 10:00 pm, City Park, Old Bisbee. Tickets

are $20, available at www.bisbeebluesfoun-dation.com

Sept. 12 - City of Sierra Vista Oktoberfest, 5:00 pm, Veterans Memorial Park, Sierra Vista. If you are interested in becoming a craft vendor (food vendor slots are full) for this event, please call 417-6980 or e-mail mailto:laura.killberg@sierravistaaz.gov

Sept. 13 - The Third Annual Kars for Kids, 10:00 am at the Cochise College Automo-tive Technology Center, 645 S. Highway 92 in Sierra Vista. Limited to 150 entries and is open to car, truck and motorcycle enthu-siasts. A $25 pre-registration is required. Contact Bob at 520-456-7798, or email him at enforcer25@cox.net.

Sept. 13 - 14th Annual Memorial Schol-arship Fund Golf Tournament, 8:30 am, at the Turquoise Valley Golf Course in Naco. $75 per person to play. For more informa-tion or to register, go to usawoa-silver-az.org/category/events/ or contact George Monken, 520-220-7150; John Blacklock, 520-226-5062 or Harry Bowen, 520-508-2685.

Sept. 17 - Lending Fair: A Cochise Col-lege SBDC Event, 9:00 am to 11:00 am, 901 N. Colombo Avenue, Rm. 900, Sierra Vista. This FREE access to capital event will be your opportunity to meet face to face with local banks who are doing business loans. Register Today! or call (520) 515-5478.

Sept. 18-21 - Greenlee County Fair, 1248 Fairgrounds Rd., Duncan, AZ (928) 358-2032 www.co.greenlee.az.us

Sept 19 - Jr. Rodeo Finals, Duncan Fair-grounds.

Sept. 20 - Greenlee County Mud Drag Series, 10:00 am. Rules and info: www.co.greenlee.az.us

Sept. 20 - Bisbee 1000 Ironman Ice Com-

petition, 9:00 am to Noon. Stand-Alone Event! Individual or 2-Person Teams. Cash Prizes! Extreme Sport! See video at Bis-bee1000.org/videos.htm then register to-day! Proceeds go to Cochise College Wom-en’s Basketball Registration: Bisbee1000.org

Sept. 20 & 21 - Creek Freaks Training Session, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at BLM Safford Field Office. For information please con-tact: Erin Johnson, Clean Water Fellow at ejohnson@iwla.org or call (928) 548-0150 x 229.

Sept. 21 - Greenlee County Fair Powder Puff & Grudge races, 10:00 am. Powder Puff: $20 entry fee, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophy. Registration 8:00 am to 9:00 am. Grudge Races: Registration/tec 8:00 am to 9:00 am$5 per run per vehicle

The Turning Point Monthly, September 2014, page 5

Keep updated on the latest policy and research, success stories, best practices, high-lights and event listings from the Economic Development Administration (EDA).

CLICK HERE to subscribe to the Innovate@EDA Monthly Update!

Add Your Organization to the U.S. Cluster Map

Have you visited the new Cluster Map-ping and Registry tool yet? Make sure you are taking full advantage of all the site has to offer and register yourself – and your organization – today:

Register for free on the website and sign in. Determine if your organization is already listed on the site. The easiest way is to search for your organization’s name in the search bar at the top right of every page.

OECD Looks at Small Business

Large companies may seem to define American culture worldwide, but it is the small business that represents the Ameri-can identity. Small business helped build this county and is still vitally important to the economy today.

The 2008 global economic crisis gen-erated a major shock to regional and na-tional economies, but the effects were particularly significant for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Even as the country begins to recover, SMEs coRead more ...Read more ...

Celebrating 50 Years ofEconomic Development Success

Place based development

Tucson’s Sunlink streetcar opened in July 25, linking University of Arizona and its Health Sciences Center to the Fourth Avenue cor-ridor, downtown, and a re-development district called Mercado.

Since the “modern streetcar” was an-nounced in 2006, more than $1.5 billion in investment has occurred along its route,

including housing, restau-rants, offices, and retail, ac-cording to the US Depart-ment of Transportation.

The Mercado District is of particular interest to ur-banists, including a new 14-acre neighborhood built

of southwest adobe homes with narrow, winding streets.

Read more ...

www.bettercities.net

Manufacturing - National : Arizona

MANUFACTURING57.1 July’s reading for the institute for

Supply Management’s Manufacturing in-dex. Anything above 50 signals manufac-turing is growing. (Source: USA Today, August 2, 2014).

Additional Arizona manufacturing sta-tistics:

Total manufacturing employment ex-ceeded 154,000 in 2012 (BLS, QCEW)

One manufacturing job in Arizona sup-ports an additional 1.29 jobs, which means that there are 198,660 additional jobs in Ar-izona that are supported by manufacturing

Over 80% of Arizona’s $18.4 billion in exports for 2012 were manufactured goods. The largest sectors for manufactured goods were: electrical machinery, aircraft, space-craft, machinery, and optics

There were a total of 4,666 establish-ments that manufactured in Arizona in 2012 (BLS, QCEW)

The average wages for a manufactur-ing position in 2012 was $68,964 (BLS, QCEW). This is more than 50% higher than the average wage for all positions in Arizona

Arizona’s total manufacturing output (contribution to State Gross Domestic Product (GDP)) in 2012 was $23.66 billion, which accounts for over 10% of Arizona’s Real GDP (BEA, RGDP)

(Source: Arizona Commerce Authority)

Become a Creek Freaks Program LeaderAttend a Workshop. Click here to Register!

September 20th and 21st 9am-5pmBLM Safford Field Office • Safford, AZ

No need to be an expert!

Workshops provide comprehensive training on curriculum, activities, and fun, safe, stream exploration.

For more information please contact: Erin Johnson, Clean Water Fellow Izaak Walton League, ejohnson@iwla.org • (301) 548-0150 x.229

The Turning Point Monthly, September 2014, page 6

LETTER TO THE EDITORInitiatives to Promote Gender Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean

The World Bank is pleased to announce the launch of the regional contest - Initia-tives To Promote Gender Equality in Latin

Read more...

Christina Almeida | Political/Economic/Public Diplomacy Officer | United States Consulate

Lending FairWednesday September 17, 2014

9:00 AM to 11:00 AMCochise College

901 N Colombo Ave. • Rm: 900Sierra Vista

This access to capital event willbe your opportunity to meet face to face with local banks who are

doing business loans. Register here or call

(520) 515-5478

America and the Caribbean.The Initiatives to Promote Gender Equality contest invites practitioners from the Latin America and the Caribbean region to submit profiles of innovative and effective approaches, pro-cesses, policies or programs that have led to improved outcomes in the target areas of:

1. teenage pregnancy2. gender-based violence, or3. women’s participation in decision-

making processes.Contest submissions should focus on

what has worked and on the lessons learned from efforts to overcome these gender equality challenges. Initiatives are those that include, but are not limited to:

· Promotion of change of social norms and practices that perpetuate gender inequalities

· Engagement of men and boys to provide long-term solutions

· Utilization of Internet and Com-

munications Technologies (ICTs)· Public awareness campaigns and/or

generation of new data· Promotion of national policies and

legislation to address gender equalities in target areas

The winners of this contest will be select-

ed by a multi-sectoral committee of World Bank experts, applying the following crite-ria:

Impact: Submissions must provide evi-

dence of progress or change within their target populations – be they be women, men or children. Some initiatives will have proven success at a small, local scale, while others on much larger, national scale.

Innovation: Applications must present a systematic and innovative approach to ad-dress one of the target areas of the contest.

Desert transforms during summer rains

The Turning Point Monthly,September 2014, page 7

Lincoln’s Body Guard

While far removed from the thick of the Civil War, some fighting and territorial con-quests extended here to present-

day Arizona, including the war’s western-most battle.

Sierra Vista-based Paranormal Intuitive Investigations recently stumbled across an interesting relic from this time during an historical investigation at the Pearce Ceme-tery – a sign and gravestones commemorat-ing both Union and Confederate soldiers, including George H. Platt, member of the Union Light Guard of Ohio and bodyguard of President Abraham Lincoln. Platt also reportedly served as a member of Tomb-stone’s Burnside Post, Grand Army of the Republic.Read more ...

Nogales Port expansionArizona Daily Star

The long-awaited renovation of Arizona’s largest port of entry will be completed by the end of the month, but concerns about staffing and potential bottlenecks on the Mexican side remain.

The Mariposa Port of Entry, built in 1973, is undergoing a nearly $200 million reno-vation that will substantially increase the number of inspections booths and spaces. The changes are expected to speed up the flow of traffic — especially important for the produce industry.

The Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority estimates that about 250 ad-ditional officers are needed to fully staff the Port of Nogales, which includes Mariposa and three additional points of entry.

Arizona’s Congressional delegation asked for 500 additional officers for all 10 Arizona ports, but the state will get 170 new posi-tions in fiscal year 2014. Most of the addi-tional officers — 120 — will be stationed at the four Nogales ports, but a Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said the agency does not share specific employment information for individual ports and would not say how many will be at Mariposa.

The new officers “are very welcome and much needed,” said Juan Padrés, economic development specialist for international trade at the City Manager’s Office in Tuc-son. However, he thinks more are needed — for both trade and for national security.

Read more ...

New ASRS Website & Interactive Guide

NADO Seeks Public-Private Partnership to Establish American Small Town Lead-ers Award Program Read more ...

FCC Announces $100 Million for Rural Broadband ProjectsPartnership for Sustainable Communities Releases Five Year Anniversary Report

If you haven’t visited the ASRS website recently, you should stop by! Based on your feedback, the ASRS launched a completely redesigned site this spring. With an easier-to-navigate format, more content, robust search engine and interactive tools, the ASRS website should be your first stop for any questions related to your member ac-count.

Take a tour of the new site today! We would appreciate it if you could take a mo-ment to give us feedback about the new site design by completing a brief survey.

American Dream

The new American Dream will trans-form cities and towns in the 21st Century. To understand it, we have to grasp a few

features of the previous American Dream, which created the metropolitan regions that we know today. That Dream is still op-erative — although it has faded a bit since the 2008 housing crash. A Pew study shows the country now evenly split between two visions of the good life.

There were many good parts to the 20th Century American Dream. It provided shelter for three generations of Americans. It delivered a house, a yard, and a car (later two or three cars) to most households. It also tended to separate society by income, reduce community connections through sprawl, and increase automobile and road costs.

The top tier of that American Dream was the McMansion. The front of the McMan-sion has what is called “curb appeal,” an ef-fect not unlike what the peacock achieves

Read more ...

By Robert Steuteville | www.bettercities.net

The Turning Point Monthly, September 2014, page 8

Elevating the discussion about transportationNogales International

Public transit use rose across Arizona as the number of miles driven dwindled, ac-cording to a new re-port that called for shifting funds from “unnecessary” highway projects to mass transit.

The report from the Arizona Public Inter-est Research Group said bus and rail ridership grew across the state from 2005 to 2010, largely driven by increases in Phoenix and Tucson. As mass transit grew, the number of miles driven by Arizonans per

Read more ...

3D Manufacturing:New Weapon For US Economy

Ad m i t t e d l y this vision for 2017 takes some leaps of opti-mism. Anybody familiar with 3D printing has

hoped for a version of such a future. Yet in 2014 we are not thinking seriously enough of how 3D printing, otherwise known as additive manufacturing, can bring such change to our economy -- because it can! If we are not thinking of ways to bring about US manufacturing independence with the aid of additive manufacturing, we are not thinking big enough.

Individual households making what they need is what I term “3D making.” Let’s face it, even 120 million home-printers cannot make the US self-sufficient in plastic prod-uct manufacturing. For a macro-economic change on a national scale, “3D manufac-turing” is the way to go.

Read more ...

Information Week

Introducing The New Arizona PrizeThe Arizona Community Foundation, in

partnership with Republic Media and Mor-rison Institute for Public Policy, is pleased to announce The New Arizona Prize. This philanthropic prize competition is aimed at creating the Arizona of tomorrow, a state where:

Innovation thrives. Ingenuity is supported.

The best thinking is harnessed to create long-term, positive solutions to persistent needs.

While ACF continues to award tradition-al grants, most recently we have committed to hosting philanthropic prize competi-tions designed to attract new thinking and innovation. Through these open, fair and transparent competitions, we can deploy a

portion of our philanthropic resources to generate innovative solutions to our state’s challenges.

WATER CONSCIOUSNESS CHALLENGEAfter months of research, we convened

experts representing political, policy, busi-ness, nonprofit, entrepreneurial, and aca-demic interests. Together, we agreed that a clear and alarming threat to Arizona’s water supply justifies broad attention and invest-ment.

Armed with this research and support, we are pleased to announce the first chal-lenge: the Water Consciousness Challenge. Offering a prize of $100,000, this challenge will reward a strategy to raise the public’s

Read the entire story.

San Carlos Apache Tribe

I recently sat down with an elder of the White Mountain Apache tribe, who granted me permis-sion to write about some of the more obscure aspects of Apache history

around the turn of the twentieth century.

Most of our conversations revolved around Geronimo, but we also discussed other famous Indians as wells.

One in particular caught my attention right away, because it contained all the ele-ments of a good story.

It was about an Apache medicine man and prophet named Nock-ay-det-klinne, also known as “the Dreamer.”

Read more ...

The Dream Factory: How Putting Kids to Work Helps Them Stay In School

Georgia-based Southwire staffed a plant with troubled teens, who proved that hard work can overcome hard knocks. In the process they pioneered a model for educa-tion reform nationwide.

There’s a lot of sadness within the 230 high school kids who work at one of South-wire’s factories in Carrollton, Ga. One girl has had to raise her own siblings after com-ing home one day to find both her parents dead. Another girl watched her folks get hauled off to prison on drug charges, then got pregnant at 16. Some of the kids sleep in cars or even tents. Nearly one in five al-ready has a child of his or her own. But no matter their circumstances, these kids now have hope, thanks to a unique experiment

at the intersection of industry and educa-tion that’s fast becoming a model for cities and towns nationwide.

Sierra Laster is 16 and has been working in the factory for two months. “It’s the best,” she says, while operating a machine that un-winds electrical wire from a big spool and cuts off lengths for her to seal into plastic packages. Her goal? “To finish high school and get my diploma and hopefully go to college and get my nursing career started.” Jesse Harris, 17, works in quality control. “I love working here,” he says. “I used to work in fast food. The pay is better here, and the atmosphere is much better, too.”

Read more ...

Christopher Helman, Staff Writer, Forbes

GroundReport | Author: Robert Tilford