Building Communities

Economic Development Speaker Brian Cole of Building Communities, Inc. Featured Nationally on Today in America

March, 2013

Boise, Idaho  |  When American communities look for assistance to determine the best direction for their future, increasingly they turn to one company: Building Communities.   Because of this, Terry Bradshaw's national television program, which features successful companies and communities in America selected Building Communities for a five-minute feature video.

The program, Today in America, highlights the work of Building Communities on two tribal reservations and one community.

The program explains how Brian Cole developed a new, comprehensive, objective and expeditious planning process based upon his 25 years of experience working in communities. 

In addition to the planning services, Brian speaks at state and national conferences around the country.   He has a series of subjects that he discusses based upon the needs of the conference or event.

One of his most popular messages explains the content of his 2009 book, Building Communities: 25 Strategies to Advance America.  In the book, Cole explains how communities have 25 strategic options to create jobs and improve their overall quality of life.

A second message features Cole's Four Stages of Civic Condition model, which predicts the success—or lack thereof—of communities to plan and implement their vision. 

"This is the part of community advancement that is totally ignored," explains Cole.  "There is an underlying civic motivation that enables or delays a community's ability to implement their strategic plan."\

A third message centers around Cole's extensive experience assisting communities to shape their fast-paced changes in the oil fields of western North Dakota.  Building Communities has completed over 20 local economic development strategic plans in communities affected by the Bakken Boom. 

Other messages offered by Cole relate to the capacity of communities to get their work done, how states can create better economic policy and what Cole calls the "View from the Moon", a comprehensive explanation of what economic issues communities can and cannot control.

A full explanation of the services of Building Communities can be found on Building Communities' website.

©2017 Building Communities, Inc.