Iowa Retail Initiative
Program unites Extension professionals, researchers, faculty, students, and community partners to assess business/community needs and provide targeted assistance in diverse retail areas.
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Topic: Business Development 
Business development includes business recruitment, retention, and attraction. It can range from arts and entertainment to retail, restaurants, and services. Specific topics such as entrepreneurship, co-op businesses, farmers markets, and buy-local programs are included.
Entrepreneurial Communities
It is a place for us to share what we have learned about creating entrepreneurial communities and to celebrate what the pilot communities in western Illinois have accomplished to date.
Read More...Two Degrees Northwest
The projects of the Two Degrees Northwest Program involve supporting and creating opportunities for heritage, art and food-based economic development and cooperatively marketing the region’s arts and fine crafts along with other locally made products such as foods, wines, unique sites, services, and experiences.
Read More...Retail Market Study
A key component of a community’s revitalization plan is a retail market study to gain a better understanding of the types of goods and services area residents would like to have available.
Read More...Open for Business: An Entrepreneurship Training Program
“Open for Business” is a small business training program structured as a mixed format series that can be offered in three-hour blocks once a week over a 4 – 6 week period or may be truncated to 10 hours over the course of a weekend.
Read More...Farmer’s Markets
Farmers markets provide direct marketing channels for small farmers and gathering places for the social life of communities.
Read More...Business Retention & Expansion Strategies Program
The program establishes an economic development plan for the community through a broad-based community coalition to sustain long term business retention and expansion efforts.
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