Could Hopkinsville become a destination for out-of-towners whose interest would significantly boost the local economy and help independent business owners who are part of the city’s downtown revival?
That’s the aim of an invitation from Planters Bank and the Downtown Renaissance District for several local business owners to apply for participation in a Destination Business Bootcamp this spring in Longmont, Colorado. It’s put on by The Schallert Group, whose owner Jon Schallert specializes in teaching businesses how to become consumer destinations.
Planters Bank will provide six scholarships to cover the $1,700 bootcamp tuition. The participants will cover their own travel and lodging expenses for the workshop, which is from March 31 to April 2.
“We think this is really a great opportunity for us to grow as a downtown,” Renaissance Director Holly Boggess said at an informational meeting this week with Planters Bank employee Jennifer Maddux to outline the program to business owners.
Maddux, the bank’s community reinvestment act officer, said the goal will be for the boot camp participants to share what they learn with other business owners and community leaders.
Applications will be mailed to downtown business owners Friday, Nov. 22, and will be due back by Friday, Dec. 13. The six business owners selected for the scholarships will be announced the following week.
After the boot camp in Colorado, The Schallert Group will conduct monthly conference calls and webinars with participants from April through July. In addition, Schallert will visit Hopkinsville in May to conduct a small business seminar and consult with the six boot camp participants.
Three business owners — Joey Medeiros of Hopkinsville Brewing, Kiley Killebrew of J. Schrecker Jewelry, and Griffin Moore of Griffin’s Studio — attended the informational meeting. Boggess said several others are interested in the program but couldn’t attend the meeting.
“We are very appreciative to Planters Bank” for offering scholarships to the boot camp, said Boggess. She added that the Local Development Corp. might be able to help business owners with a portion of their travel expenses.
The bank plans to provide one scholarship for each of six businesses; however, if a business wants to send more than one representative to the boot camp, they would have the option to pay the tuition for a second person.
Schallert, according to his website, “speaks to thousands annually on his proprietary 14-step ‘Destination Business’ process. His methodology has been used extensively by towns, cities, villages, downtowns, seasonal tourist locations, shopping centers, retail chains, franchises, and independent small business owners.”
Other communities that have participated in Schallert’s program include Jonesborough, Tennessee, Hutchinson, Kansas, Rio Blanco County, Colorado, Waxahachie, Texas, Scott City, Kansas, Central Point, Oregon, Sandusky County, Ohio, Los Alamos, New Mexico, Baker City, Oregon, Norwalk, Ohio, and Puyallup, Washington.
Additional information about the program and local scholarships is available by contacting Maddux at 270-887-6981 or jennifer.maddux@plantersbankonline.com.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
