Against the Grain : What Motivates Entrepreneurs to Locate in Pennsylvania's Non-Metropolitan Cities and Boroughs

ISBN-13: 9783639151404 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 144 str.

Michael Fortunato

Opis

It is becoming clear to researchers why entrepreneurschoose to locate in large metropolitan areas. Deepbusiness networks, an abundance of diverse capitalsources, and a lifestyle that attracts youngknowledge workers contribute to the robustentrepreneurial environment of global cities. Butwhat of less-populated places? Often the site ofeconomic decline, smaller cities and boroughs boast amore leisurely lifestyle, low start-up and operationscosts, and plenty of under-served customers for manyproducts and services. Yet, entrepreneurship isoften sluggish in these smaller places, wherenational chains have forced many "Main Street"businesses into bankruptcy. Despite these urbantrends, some entrepreneurs still choose to locate inless-populated areas. AGAINST THE GRAIN investigatesthe motivations of over forty entrepreneurs todetermine what motivated them to locate theirbusiness in a small town. Set in rural Pennsylvania,a diverse economy impacted by the disappearance ofmany small town businesses, this monograph examinesindividual and ecological motivations for choosing alocation, and proposes ways to encourage moreentrepreneurs to locate in small-town America.

O autorze

Michael W-P Fortunato, M.S.: Graduate Research Assistant and
Instructor of Community Economic Development and Rural Sociology
at The Pennsylvania State University. Specialist in place-based
entrepreneurship and its effects on local development and
revitalization in rural and small urban areas.