S5:E25 - Rural Housing Data with Ben Winchester
Release Date: 11/04/2025
S6:E14 - Mental Health Awareness in Small Towns with Chris “Rhino” Swenson
The Growing Small Towns Show
We’re closing out Part 1 of Season 6 with an episode about something near and dear to our hearts, and oh-so-important in rural and ag communities: mental health. For Mental Health Awareness Month, Rebecca sits down with therapist Chris Swenson — owner of Rhino Wellness Center and host of the Rhino Resilience podcast — to reframe what strength really looks like in rural communities. (Yes, we know that May is technically Mental Health Awareness Month, but we recorded this episode in May, so it counts, right?) Chris breaks down his four-pillar Rhino Resilience framework, explains...
info_outline
S6:E13 - How to Harness Creativity to Create Value in Small Towns with Jordan DeGree
The Growing Small Towns Show
Some people are just wired to make things better–in their businesses, their communities, their small towns–even when it's hard, and nobody around them quite gets it. This episode is for those people. We get it. Today’s guest, Jordan DeGree, gets it. And he has created the Rural Ideas Network to connect you with other people who get it, too. Today’s episode is what support and connection can look like, and where you can find them. About Jordan: Jordan DeGree is an entrepreneur, social innovator, artist, and comedian. No, just kidding about the comedian part. He's experimented with...
info_outline
S6:E12- Recruiting and Retaining Teachers in Small Towns with Amy Jacobson
The Growing Small Towns Show
Amy Jacobson is the Director of UND's Special Education Resident Teacher Program, and on today’s episode, she breaks down two innovative pathways that have trained roughly 600 special education teachers for North Dakota schools since 1997, including one designed for people who don't even have an undergraduate degree yet. The programs combine paid, year-long internships with layered mentorship and heavily subsidized graduate education, creating a model with remarkable retention rates in rural communities. Whether you're in North Dakota or not, this episode is full of transferable ideas for...
info_outline
S6:E11 - How Thinking Like a Futurist Can Benefit Small Towns with Rebecca Ryan
The Growing Small Towns Show
Rebecca sits down with futurist Rebecca Ryan for a conversation about why and how small towns need to stop planning for the past and start envisioning multiple possible futures. They discuss the PHOEBE energy assessment, the three futures framework, and why traditional stakeholder-based visioning often fails. It's one of those episodes that both challenges how you think while also encouraging you to work in your strengths, build trust over polish, and remember that the future isn't something that just happens to us—we happen to it too. About Rebecca: Rebecca Ryan is a noted top 50...
info_outline
S6:E10 - Connecting Students and Employers with the Career Carousel
The Growing Small Towns Show
This episode is about Oakes, ND’s first-ever Career Carousel, a speed-dating-style event that connected 52 high school juniors and seniors with 14 local employers for four-minute rotational conversations. The goal was to give students a safe, constructive space to practice professional interactions, learn about local opportunities like tuition reimbursement or who’s hiring in Oakes, and help employers connect with future talent. The pilot was a hit, which we’re tickled about, and we’re so excited because reaching even one student makes these efforts worthwhile. In this episode, we...
info_outline
S6:E9 - Growing Entrepreneurs in Small Towns with Andrew Button
The Growing Small Towns Show
What actually moves a small town forward? It’s not a lack of ideas, it’s a lack of execution. This episode digs into the mindset shift from planning to ownership, showing how consistent action, local investment, and focusing on the people who show up can create real momentum over time. It’s a practical, experience-based take on how we make things happen on the ground. About Andrew: After a 15-year career working in rural North America with the various businesses and economic development organizations, Andrew founded Mashup Lab (www.mashuplab.ca); a for-more-than-profit company...
info_outline
S6:E8 - Wisdom From 30 Years of Economic Development with Bob Wurl
The Growing Small Towns Show
What actually drives economic development in small towns? In this episode, Bob Wurl shares how community banking, long-term thinking, and a willingness to act—not just plan—have shaped his own small town’s success. It’s a practical look at what happens when people stop waiting for change and start building it themselves About Bob: Bob Wurl grew up in Hankinson, ND. He holds a B.S.B.A. degree with a major in Accounting from University of North Dakota and completed the Graduate School of Banking Program at the University of Wisconsin in 1995. He has 45 years of banking...
info_outline
S6:E7- Vacant Properties in Small Towns with Liz Kozub
The Growing Small Towns Show
Vacant and deteriorating properties are a challenge facing communities across the country—but small towns are not powerless to address them. In this episode, Liz from the Center for Community Progress shares practical strategies communities can use to inventory vacant buildings, navigate ownership challenges, and turn neglected properties into opportunities for revitalization. The conversation explores how data, partnerships, and creative thinking can help small towns reclaim the spaces that shape their future. About Liz: Liz Kozub is an Associate Director for Technical Assistance at the...
info_outline
S6:E6 - Foodies, Families and Unexpected Paths with Shawn and Aiden Ulmer
The Growing Small Towns Show
This episode features a local Oakes father/son duo and we’re so excited to introduce them to you! Shawn and Aiden Ulmer of the Angry Beaver Lodge share the story of a third-generation restaurant business and the unexpected path that brought Aiden back to Oaks. They discuss generational transitions, evolving bar culture, and the role local businesses play in creating community. This is a conversation about what draws people back to small towns and the active role communities can play in facilitating it. About Shawn and Aiden: Shawn grew up in Valley City, ND. He fell in love with the...
info_outline
S6:E5 - How Lack of Accessible Transportation is Impacting Aging in Place in Rural Communities with Nicole Jones
The Growing Small Towns Show
Nicole Jones is the founder of Little Red Riding Hood, Inc., and today she joins us to talk about the hidden crisis of senior transportation in rural communities. Her story shows how one human moment can spark a solution that strengthens healthcare access, local economies, and community belonging. This episode is a testimony to how one moment and one person can inspire change, and a reminder to protect those who came before us so we can be stronger, more whole communities. About Nicole: I am a 35-year-old who has made it her life's mission to help seniors in rural areas after finding a...
info_outlineOne of our favorite guests is back! Ben Winchester is a rural researcher who digs into the intersection of housing, demographics, and community vitality. In this episode, we’re going over some of his latest research and the trends he’s seeing, and why now is the time to make plans for growing our small towns. There are tons of opportunities, but we have to go out and grab them!
Our favorite thing about Ben is that he provides context and action around data (even tough data!) and provides communities with real options for addressing some of their most pressing concerns, like housing and aging populations.
About Ben:
Benjamin Winchester is a Rural Sociologist with the University of Minnesota Extension, Department of Community Development
Ben has been working both in and for small towns across the Midwest for around 30 years. He lives in St. Cloud, Minnesota with his wife and two children. Ben is trained as a Rural Sociologist and works in the Extension Department of Community Development at the University of Minnesota. He conducts applied research on economic, social, and demographic topics surrounding a theme of “rewriting the rural narrative” and received the Rural Renewal Research Prize in 2021 for this work.
In this episode, we cover:
-
How “peak death” and the baby boomer generation are reshaping rural housing markets
-
Why the “policy of best intentions” to age in place often backfires, and how to plan around it
-
The economic power of housing as a growth engine, not just a community need
-
What Otter Tail County did to successfully grow its population through proactive housing investment
-
Why “the army of the willing” drives real community change.
Links + Resources Mentioned:
Ben’s “Brain Gain” landing page which contains articles, podcasts, and research papers. http://z.umn.edu/braingain
Rural Rebound Initiative overview video https://youtu.be/eC6BPMjKWIM
Economic Impact of Rural Housing https://extension.umn.edu/cd-exchange/economic-impact-rural-house-private-benefit-public-action
Cory Hepola - My Town episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIfukaV3yuM
Rewriting the Rural Narrative webinar (Jan 2023): https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/small-town-missouri-coffee-shop-goes-viral-with-tiktok-post
Sponsor Spotlight:
Want to get your business in front of our audience?
We are looking for podcast sponsors!
Each season, we feature a select group of Small Business Partners—brands that share our mission to celebrate small-town life and big ideas.
With a 4–6% average Facebook engagement rate (well above the industry average), 2,600+ loyal followers, and 45,000 monthly content views, we have an amazing, highly engaged audience of people who can’t wait to learn more about you.
When we feature you, your story, and your product/service, it’s like a friend’s recommendation, because it is. Want to know more? Reach out to us at hello@growingsmalltowns.org
This week’s Small-Town Shout-Out is:
Stratford, SD! Christy shares that her biggest source of pride in Stratford is the community theater. It pulls together people from all different parts of the community while doing something they love and celebrating art, and we love that people get to do that. Heck yeah, Stratford!
We Want to Hear From You!
We really, really do, and if you’ll let us, we’d love to feature your actual message just like we did with Terri’s during our last episode (with your permission, of course!)
Some of the best parts about radio shows and podcasts are listener call-ins, so we’ve decided to make those a part of the Growing Small Towns Podcast. We really, really want to hear from you! We’re have two “participation dance” elements of the show:
-
“Small town humblebrags”: Call in and tell us about something amazing you did in your small town so we can celebrate with you. No win is too small—we want to hear it all, and we will be excessively enthusiastic about whatever it is! You can call in for your friends, too, because giving shout-outs is one of our favorite things.
-
“Solving Your Small-Town People Challenges”: Have a tough issue in your community? We want to help. Call in and tell us about your problem, and we’ll solve it on an episode of the podcast. Want to remain anonymous? Totally cool, we can be all secretive and stuff. We’re suave like that.
If you’ve got a humblebrag or a tricky people problem, call 701-203-3337 and leave a message with the deets. We really can’t wait to hear from you!
Get In Touch
Have an idea for a future episode/guest, have feedback or a question, or just want to chat? Email us at hello@growingsmalltowns.org
Subscribe + Review
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Growing Small Towns Show! If the information in our conversations and interviews has helped you in your small town, head out to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver relevant, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more small-town trailblazers just like you!