For most of rural America our past success was rooted in natural resources and location. Farming, fisheries, timber, energy, mining, transportation nodes and corridors and access to tourism assets have brought us into the 21
st
Century. While these economic forces and sectors are likely to remain important to many rural regions, they are now insufficient to ensure the prosperity of all rural communities.
A sweet spot for rural economic development now lies with "rooted corporations." What do we mean by this
term? Our newest thought paper explains why rooted corporations are
so important to community development and how we can support them through focused entrepreneurial ecosystem building. We also touch on the risk and threat associated with external ownership of ventures in today’s climate.