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How Chambers Can Become Hubs for eEcosystem Building
Community or regional entrepreneur-led development and entrepreneurial ecosystem building requires host organizations. Historically local chambers of commerce have played this role of supporting local businesses and growing a supportive business climate. Download this month's white paper – Chambers of Commerce and Entrepreneurship , which explores how today’s chambers of commerce can become the hub for entrepreneur-focused development and entrepreneur ecosystem building.

Did you miss last month's white paper, Lessons from Sam Walton and Wal-Mart Stores: Keys to Wal-Mart Stores' Success? You can still download it for insights on how to help communities become more competitive.

Field News
Explore the interactive maps in the following stories:

Long-term Population Loss. New research from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire finds that a third of rural counties in the United States have experienced protracted and significant population loss over the last century.

The Geography of America's Distressed Communities. This article by Visual Capitalist shows the states and major metro areas that are struggling the most. Locate your distressed communities index by zooming in on your zip code on the interactive map.

Richest and Poorest Counties in the U.S. Find your state's counties and how they rank based upon median household income on this map created by Visual Capitalist.
Upcoming Events
State of Entrepreneurship 2019 Address
Join the 10th annual address on entrepreneurship hosted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Feb. 27 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. More Info
Advancing 2Gen Strategies in Rural America
Learn how to design and support "whole family" or 2Gen efforts in rural places during this in-person (Washington D.C.) or free livestream event hosted by the Aspen Institute, Feb. 28 noon - 1 p.m. ET. More Info
Rural Opportunity Map Design Workshop
Rural stakeholders will have an opportunity to preview and interact with prototype versions of the Rural Opportunity Map in Washington, D.C.,March 8 . The workshop is hosted by New America Public Interest Technology team and the Center for Rural Innovation . Register
Economic Gardening Training/Certification
Economic Gardening spring training (class #22) will be held this year at the historic Boulderado Hotel in Boulder, Colorado April 8 - 10. More Info
Growth From Within - Economic Gardening Summit
Don Macke will be the keynote speaker for this summit in Kansas City, MO on April 11. More Info
Save the Dates
Kauffman Foundation Eship Summit
May 21-23, 2019
Kansas City, Missouri
More info call (816) 932-1000
Annual Rural Rise Entrepreneurship Gathering
Sept. 16-19, 2019
Pine Bluff, Arkansas