Season Three opens with a bang, featuring a profile of Independence, Virginia, and an introduction to the town of Cleveland. Jim Brooks of the National League of Cities offers up an expert tip for town leaders, while we hear about the work of Virginia Tech faculty member Stephen Schoenholtz, the director of the Virginia Water… Continue Reading Season 3, Episode 1
Tag Archives: natural resources
Season 2, Episode 8
Our final episode takes us to Norton, where city leaders turned a coal mining mess into an asset, while we hear about a bevy of businesses that have opened in Pearisburg. For our expert tip, Kitty Barker of the Virginia Tourism Corporation emphasizes the importance of having a staff member dedicated to tourism. We focus… Continue Reading Season 2, Episode 8
Season 2, Special Edition: The Flint Crisis
We take a brief departure from Appalachia with this special episode from Flint, Michigan, where its water crisis could provide important lessons for leaders in small towns.
Season Two, Episode 7
The town of Haysi is featured in this month’s Example of Awesome, as the community came together to market its envious natural landscape, while our Pearisburg update shows how the town turned trash from the New River into artwork. Belinda Sheridan of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center provides an expert tip on how town leaders… Continue Reading Season Two, Episode 7
Season Two, Episode 5
This episode of Save Our Towns will take you on a trip back to the Ice Age as we visit the town of Saltville, Virginia. We also don our hiking boots to join Robert Dickerson, mayor of Pearisburg, Virginia, on a hike up a mountain. Our expert tip comes from the University of Virginia’s Susanne… Continue Reading Season Two, Episode 5
Season Two, Episode 3
In our third episode of the season, we see how Pocahontas, Virginia–a town of less than 400 residents–is using an exhibition coal mine to reclaim its place in coal mining history. We hear more from Pearisburg mayor Robert Dickerson about the importance of the town’s Farmers’ Market, while Tarah Kesterson of Virginia’s Department of Mines,… Continue Reading Season Two, Episode 3
Episode 9
We wrap up the first season of Save Our Towns with a look at Buchanan, Virginia, and its Hokie connections. The town is now renowned as one of the best places in the United States to buy antiques, but once had a less-than-stellar reputation. The team reached out to Virginia Tech’s Community Design Assistance Center for… Continue Reading Episode 9
Episode 8
In this month’s Example of Awesome segment, broadband leads to industry in Lebanon, Virginia, and we ask three questions of mayor Tony Dodi, who praises the virtues of technology in his tiny town. Our look at St. Paul brings sad news with the passing of young business owner Brock Funk. Funk and his wife, Terri,… Continue Reading Episode 8
Episode 4
This month, we see how Carroll and Grayson County are growing niche products–pumpkins and Christmas trees–in order to grow their economies, and our expert tip comes from Wayne Waldrop, lending manager for Virginia Community Capital, which offers loans to companies involved in the fresh-food industry. We return to St. Paul, where mayor Kyle Fletcher extols… Continue Reading Episode 4
Episode 2
In this episode, we see how leaders in Galax and the Twin Counties have worked towards job creation and training in their communities, while in St. Paul, mayor Kyle Fletcher talks about the importance of building tourism in his town, while Carroll County administrator Gary Larrowe offers an expert tip about the lessons that can… Continue Reading Episode 2
