Horse-drawn buggy in rural Holmes County (Wikipedia photo) |
By some measures, Holmes should be struggling, but instead, it's becoming an economic hub. "Economists and local business leaders believe much of the progress stems from entrepreneurial growth fueled by cooperation and innovation, all buttressed by tight family and community ties," Calvert explains. "Mark Partridge, an Ohio State University economist who has studied Holmes County, points to an 'extreme networking effect,' where companies — and cousins — routinely help each other out."
Location of Holmes County in Ohio (Wikipedia photo) |
Sharing -- even with business competitors -- is a key ingredient in this community's success. Calvert writes, "Steve Miller, 31, started Grand Design Roofing in his 20s with a partner. Their Covid-era boom is over, he said, but business is still robust enough to sometimes overextend him and his six workers." Miller told Calvert, "If we’ve got plenty of jobs, I just go to my competitor and I give him a couple jobs. . . . I’m here so my employees can make a good, honest living. . . . I’m not here to collect all the wealth I can absolutely collect.”
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