Is Small-Town Innovation Still “Cool”?

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Camden, Maine

Is small-town innovation still “cool”?

The American Dream has become a bit of a controversial subject recently.  As the achievement gap between income and ethnic groups widens, underemployment remains high, and college tuition soars, many have said that the idea of “work hard and play by the rules and you will succeed” has gone the way of prohibition.

At the opening plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative America 2013 meeting, Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya (yes, the yogurt magnate) shared his American Dream story.  From young immigrant to a man now recognized by Forbes magazine as the “Steve Jobs of yogurt”, Ulukaya’s story is one that many young Americans look to as proof that the American Dream does still exist and happens every day.  But as Ulukaya emphasized, his dream didn’t come true in New York City, Chicago, or San Francisco, but in a small town in upstate New York.

What the U.S. needs today, Ulukaya said, is to make small town start-ups “cool again”.  When start-ups open their doors in small towns, not only do they create jobs under their own roof, but restaurants, stores, and homes spring up and as the business grows, so does the community.

So why do young people flock to large cities and pay $2500 a month to start their businesses?  Why are tech and design start-ups drawn to the coasts where they must compete with hundreds of other firms for a limited market?  Because it is “cool”.  Young entrepreneurs still believe in the American Dream, but today’s dream does not include small towns and intimate communities.  It is a loft apartment, studio space, and creative sessions on the High Line.  Expensive?  Yes.  Unrealistic?  Probably.  But cool.

What young entrepreneurs, innovators, and creatives need to realize is that small towns are undeniably just as cool.  What we lack in size and diversity we certainly make up for in opportunity, community, and character.  There may not be gastropubs or night clubs, but there are coffee shops, tea rooms, bistros, and farmers markets.  There may not be studio space with a view of Bay, but there are quality schools, affordable housing, and room for growth.  But most importantly, the support structure you develop in a small town just can’t be matched in a large city.  When you call a small town home, 10,000 of your friends and neighbors lean in to help you succeed.  And what could be cooler than that?

Lindsay Woodruff is a Tipp City blogger and recently attended the Clinton Global Initiative Summit in Chicago, IL