Civic pride can be an overwhelming emotion, especially when you bring to the table all of the great things your community is and stands for. Nobody knows that better than Deluxe, the people who manufacture checks for payroll, accounts payable and lots of other resources across America.
Deluxe has been a proud champion of small business since 1915. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015, creating the Small Business Revolution as a way to celebrate the small businesses that drive the economy and bring communities together, and create a movement of support. As a leading provider of marketing services and products for small businesses, Deluxe Corporation believes that small businesses are the future of the American economy.
Along the way, they learned that nowhere are small businesses more under siege than in small towns across America. So, they created the Small Business Revolution – Main Street to help those small businesses, and in turn, those small towns, reignite the spark that drives them and keeps people coming back. Each season, they search for one lucky town – and six of its small businesses – to win a $500,000 boost from Deluxe, and document the transformations in an original series.
Season 1 featured Wabash, Indiana, here in the heart of the Midwest. Season 2 featured historic East Coast river town, Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania. Season 3 featured Alton, Illinois, a beautiful town on the Mississippi River, just outside of St. Louis. Now, the final days of public voting are underway for Season 4’s winning community.
By happenstance, none of the six finalists are anywhere close to us geographically…but one has a very strong tie in the form of a friend who is asking for a little boost from her original hometown area to help out her current hometown of Searcy, Arkansas. Since we’re all about small business and the communities that support them here at Moody on the Market, I thought…let’s see what we can do.
Debbie Carter Elgen, who grew up in Coloma, is asking for a boost for her town of Searcy…here’s what she sent to me today:
Good morning, Pat
I enjoy reading the posts of “Moody on the Market.” I grew up in Coloma, graduated from CHS in the early 1980s, and after moving to Kalamazoo, central California, and the Chicago area, landed in central Arkansas, and this is where I have raised my family – children and grandchildren.
My memories of Coloma are fond ones – my grandparents owned Geresy Hardware on the main street. It is where my parents met (my Dad was with a smaller mfg group in BH — later with Whirlpool– and my Mom worked the counter at her Dad’s store). My aunts and uncles owned small businesses in Coloma, Sister Lakes, Bangor and South Haven. My cousins still own small businesses in South Haven and Bangor.
Living so far from “home,” I appreciate your page, and the information that you share. I enjoy reading the stories about small businesses thriving and sometimes get to read a story about a familiar name from the past.
Being particularly homesick after a move to Bald Knob, Arkansas from the Chicago area, I went into a family owned gas station/convenience store to pay for my gas purchase. As I thanked the clerk for her assistance, she stopped and smiled. “Michigan?” she asked, in an all-too-familiar accent, “Are you from Michigan?” I smiled with grateful tears, and said yes. After a quick conversation, I discovered that not only was she from Michigan, she was my bus driver for a brief time when I was a kid, and remembered “those sweet Carter girls,” but her mother owned the restaurant across from my grandparents’ store in Coloma, and she knew my grandparents, my parents, and my aunts and uncles!!! We have enjoyed a friendship for the past almost 25 years.
I currently work in Searcy, Arkansas. We’re a small community of approximately 25,000 people just north east of Little Rock. We are one of the finalists for the Hulu series, “The Small Business Revolution,” and are competing against 5 other cities across the U.S. for a chance to have 8 episodes of Season 4 filmed in our town. Ty Pennington and Amanda Brinkman (from The Deluxe Corporation), bring their crew, and resources, and partner with 5 local business owners to help them revitalize their small businesses (it is a $500,000 investment in our community). Even if we aren’t selected as the winner, the SBR will return to our community with a seminar that is open to any small business, and provide them with the “tools” that they share with the season winners, that will help them in this ever changing small business environment.
This is my ask — there are 2 days remaining of voting. Today, Monday, February 18th and tomorrow, Tuesday, February 19th. We are reaching out across the US and asking for support! I would love to have this opportunity in my community, and see what it could do for our small businesses (many are dear friends) and for our community. We have rallied for the challenge. Would you please share the attached flyer on your business page, and ask your readers to support #MySearcy? Voting is EASY – simply follow the link to www.GoSearcy.com, place your vote for Searcy, Arkansas. You can vote once per day, per email, per device (per browser).
I appreciate your consideration, and again, am thankful for your Moody on the Market page! It keeps me connected to “home.”
With sincere appreciation.
Debbie Carter Elgen
So…whatya say, folks? If you’re willing to help out a small business supporter who still has a passion for Michigan’s Great Southwest, simply click the link below and cast your ballot today and again tomorrow, and do it on each of your devices, too. Let’s put a friend in the winner’s circle! Here’s the link:
In case you’re wondering, the other finalists include Camas, Washington…Canon City, Colorado…Corsicana, Texas…Durant, Oklahoma…and Washington, North Carolina.
Here, too, is a link to Deluxe’s Small Business Revolution page, where you can learn more learn more about the show and check out full episodes:
