Blog

As the nation’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks concentrated in remote rural towns this fall, the geographic isolation once thought to shield them from the pandemic swiftly transitioned into a severe disadvantage. Rural communities and the small businesses and residents within them faced overlapping, systemic challenges entering this crisis. Rural residents—particularly Black, Native American, and Latino orRead more

Shoptimism is a term being used to describe purchases made from home during the pandemic. You are stuck at home and suddenly begin to see every flaw, paint chip and cluttered closet. So, you buy things to fix the situation—or you buy things to make you feel better about it. When consumers buy things theyRead more

The COVID small business crisis and prolonged and uneven, inflicting a disproportionate toll on microbusinesses in underserved communities that are the lifeblood of their local economies. While much attention has been paid to small business closures in urban communities across the country, the same dynamic is unfolding in underserved rural areas, with dire consequences. StillRead more

Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder recently appointed State Representative John Stefanski (District 42) to chair the influential House and Governmental Affairs Committee. This is the committee which oversees redistricting that will take place during 2021. Stefanski, a Crowley Republican and ally of the Speaker, will replace former State Representative Stephen Dwight, a Republican who wasRead more

Months of dispersion throughout the northeast and southern United States has finally seen the COVID outbreak concentrating in rural areas, surging in remote, sparsely populated towns and inflicting a toll on all communities within them. Alongside this rural surge comes doomsday queries: Will rural America be able to survive this storm? Can rural small businesses-theRead more

The word “rural” has been thrown around the past few years by everyone. As the word is used more and more frequently, misconceptions begin to grow about what it truly means. The current trend of what is used to define rural America is white, dependent on traditional industries, and characterized by stagnation, decline, and despair.Read more

Due to the pandemic, the way businesses have had to conduct themselves and their business has altered dramatically. The digital age has indeed come full force upon us, with Zoom conferences, online classes, and digital marketing being utilized by every industry. Yet even with this emphasis on digital means of connecting, local businesses still relyRead more

As businesses around the country prepare for the holiday shopping frenzy, it is important for communities to support their local small businesses. One way that they can do this is by participating in Small Business Saturday! Celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the day after Black Friday and before Cyber Monday, SBS is an importantRead more

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us begin to get in gear for one (if not THE) of the biggest shopping days of the year: Black Friday. Also, with the rise of ecommerce and the success of sites like Amazon and other online retailers, Cyber Monday has become a hot day of those internet-savvy individuals whoRead more

From Chad LaComb, J.D., Economic Development Planner for APC The Acadiana Planning Commission (APC) is excited to announce the publication and release of the new Church Point Opportunity Zone (OZ) Prospectus as part of the InvestAcadiana Opportunity Zone Initiative. InvestAcadiana is a joint initiative of the APC and One Acadiana to promote revitalization investment throughoutRead more