'Boomtown' author to address Moses Lake

Schultz named town one of top 100 'agurbs'

Welcome to agurbia.

As was previously reported, Moses Lake was named one of the top 100 agurbs in the book "Boomtown USA: The 7 1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns," written by Jack Schultz.

"An agurb is a growing community outside of a metropolitan statistical area, with some type of tie to agriculture that exhibits qualities as being a great community of the 21st Century," Schultz told the Columbia Basin Herald at the time.

Now, Schultz is coming to town. He will speak in a presentation at the Best Western Hallmark Inn in Moses Lake June 22 from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Schultz said that information about Moses Lake came out in his research as they were looking for some of the best agurbs in the United States. He said that he heard good things about the town, and wrote about the community's recovery from the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980.

"(Moses Lake not only) made our list, but it made our top 100 list," Schultz said. "That kind of makes it a little more special."

"When I learned that the book was published and ordered a copy of it, I called and asked if he would be available to come out here and speak," said Terry Brewer, executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council. "Once I read the book, I was interested in what he had to say, and thought others would be. I think he has some great information on how and why some small towns and small communities are successful at growing and sustaining their economies."

Brewer said that he personally hopes the Schultz presentation will get a number of people from other communities around Grant County to come and listen.

"Hopefully, it will give others insight into what they might be able to do a little differently and additional things they can grasp onto to help improve their communities," he said.

Schultz said that his presentation will be about the research that he looked at in communities all over the country, and he will give examples of what communities like Leavenworth, Wash., have done to make themselves special places to live in.

"From 2001 to 2004, one out of three jobs have been added in 397 towns around the country like Moses Lake," Schultz said. "Because it's scattered, nobody knows great things are happening in those towns. I hope that (the audience) will walk away with a vision of what it's possible to do in small towns, and be inspired to use the knowledge in the book to be able to make their community a better place to live in."

"It's not very often that we receive national recognition for being the type of community that we are," said Karen Wagner, manager of the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce. "'Boomtown USA' does mention Moses Lake several times as the type of positive community that we like to be associated with. Mr. Schultz is introducing us, through his book, as a type of community that businesses would like to be involved in."

Tickets to Schultz's presentation are $15 per person, including lunch, and must be purchased in advance from the GCEDC (764-6579) and the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce (765-7888).