AVOCA, Iowa (KMTV) — Small businesses are the heart of small towns, and business owners from several rural Pottawattamie County communities are working together to support each other and their neighbors through a new networking initiative.
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On a rainy day at Brewed Awakening, an Avoca coffee shop that's been open for about a year, customers were seeking that extra caffeine boost.
"It's busy, there's never a dull moment," said Bella Canada, who manages the family business.
Brewed Awakening is a member of the Western Iowa Development Association (WIDA), an organization advocating for rural Pottawattamie County businesses. Stacie Kinney serves as WIDA's executive director and describes her job as being "the face" of rural, small business.
"So, we're all just like, coming together and growing and making more awareness in our rural communities of how many great things are happening," Kinney said.
WIDA is launching a quarterly networking event this month called Backroads Business Connectors, which kicks off in Carson in two weeks.
"Just to keep our county thriving and, like, the awareness of what's happening, I think that's really important," Kinney said.
"Stacie does great work," Canada said. "Anytime she comes in here, any time she has an idea, she's very quick to try and make it happen for us."
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 644,100 Iowans — approximately 46% of the state's workers — are employed by small businesses.
Makinzee Marsh, who does marketing for her family's businesses, sees the value in the networking opportunity.
"I'm actually having all the small businesses that I do marketing for come to that event. And so that will help them understand what WIDA does," she said.
The networking events provides an opportunity for businesses to support each other and collaborate in ways that might not otherwise be possible.
"Otherwise, some of these small businesses might not be able to pay for promotions on a higher level," Kinney said.
Backroads Business Connectors kicks off on September 17. Details are available at widaiowa.org.
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