SBIR-STTR Award

The economic recovery and development of rural America is lagging that of its metropolitan counterparts. While metropolitan areas fully replaced the job losses from the 2008-2009 Great Recession by the third quarter of 2013 rural America has yet to replace those job losses fully five years later. While many of the economic forces are beyond the control of rural communities (globalization natural resource policy personal preferences on location) the solution lies in helping rural communities to help themselves by creating and implementing economic development strategic plans that create jobs and improve local quality of life. Perhaps as much as any company in the United States Building Communities Inc. has conducted this work. Since 2011 70 rural communities in 10 states have completed such strategic plans utilizing the eight-session 12-hour strategic planning methodology which is objective comprehensive expeditious self-directed and action-oriented. Without exception the communities and planning participants have been very satisfied with their planning experience and yet the results from such efforts have been hit-and-miss. Recognizing that unlike their urban counterparts rural communities do not generally have professionals dedicated to economic development the successful development and implementation of such plans therefore requires harnessing the volunteer energy and limited professional expertise within rural communities. Advances in technology make it possible to streamline this process’ lowering cost to communities and increasing access to the tools needed by smaller rural communities. One step in this process is especially difficult for rural communities’ Session Six Assigning Action Steps. This step mobilizes the community after strategies and initiatives have been identified and defined. Building Communities has developed a variety of low-tech approaches to assist communities to assign action steps for plan implementation with limited results. This SBIR Phase I proposal is designed to solve this problem by using technology to guide the volunteers and professional planners. The Phase I technological innovations will lead to improved efficiency and effectiveness by rural planning participants in helping their communities overcome well-documented rural economic challenges. The risks of this project have been lowered by using a proven strategic planning approach and carefully identifying technology solutions. The activities in Phase I of this project should prove the feasibility of using the technological approach to solve the process bottleneck. During Phase II the complete technology solution will be implemented and tested offering significant commercialization opportunities for Building Communities.