REV Spotlight: Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop
Whispers of a Renaissance in Rural Minnesota (Shout…It’s Not a Secret)
By Michael Looft, Winthrop City Administrator
Fairfax Gibbon Winthrop REV logo
In the heart of southern Minnesota, the 17 Mile Economic Development Corridor (17MiEDC) is breathing new life into three communities – Gibbon, Fairfax, and Winthrop – where neighbors are friends, where fields stretch endlessly, and the trains keep rolling. This corridor is not just a geographic space; it’s a shared spirit among the communities that see hope, growth, and a bright future where once there were only doubts.
A School Built on Community Dreams
Flashback to 1992: the communities of Gibbon, Fairfax, and Winthrop took a bold step, merging into one school district to uphold their shared values and dreams. Recently, as the school faced the pinch of economic and geographic hurdles, residents once again banded together, voting to establish a unified PreK-12 school in the heart of the district. It’s a symbol of their resilience, their hope, and their shared future. But now, it’s not just the school that’s evolving – the communities are coming alive with an electric buzz of entrepreneurship.
Enter REV: A Spark for Rural Entrepreneurs
Thanks to Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, these cities earned a coveted spot in the REV (Rural Entrepreneurial Venture) program. Kicking off in January 2024, this three-year initiative is designed to reignite entrepreneurial spirits across the three towns. Local leaders, new city administrators, and an inspiring Core Team gather monthly, guided by a REV Coach, to fan the flames of community potential. With help from the University of Minnesota, they’ve mapped assets and analyzed a Development Opportunity Profile for each community, using it to address roadblocks and amplify the strengths that make their towns special.
GFW REV
It’s No Fairy Tale (But It’s Close)
If you’ve been to a rural Minnesota town, you know the pride that residents carry – in their towns, their schools, and their histories. Change here isn’t a light switch; it’s a dance of ideas, disagreements, and, ultimately, determination. Over the past year, community members have felt an energy shift – there’s a rallying cry to dream bigger. Sure, there are naysayers. But the sound of new businesses opening, kids playing on sidewalks near restored downtowns, and locals supporting each other remind everyone why they’re working toward a brighter tomorrow.
Celebrating Small Wins and Big Dreams
With nearly a year under their belts, the 17 Mile EDC program has already ignited growth. Imagine a once-empty grocery store bustling with a new business incubator or the City of Winthrop gleaming with an $8 million downtown renovation with the addition of 4 new businesses. Gibbon, with its friendliest bars and the community hotspot Whit Worth Brewing Co., is also preparing for the school’s 2026 opening and redeveloping land for new homes. Fairfax, rallying after a recent fire, is bustling with development plans and big dreams for the future.
Revitalizing Community, One Business at a Time
How is this happening? What’s in the magic sauce? REV equips its Core Team with knowledge, training, and the support they need to work collaboratively and creatively. The school district is getting involved, too, with entrepreneurial classes and internships for students, encouraging the next generation of community leaders. Looking forward, the plan includes bringing in an eNavigator – a business coach who can guide budding entrepreneurs and expand outreach efforts. And who knows? Perhaps these communities will inspire a whole new wave of rural innovators. Next the Core Team will add eOutreach, or residents with a natural curiosity. They’ll interview business owners, find hurdles for businesses and ultimately add value to data that the Core Team will use to increase resources for our biggest pinch points. One of the bigger challenges with stringing together three communities is information -where do they get information? And how do we get information for our young entrepreneurs? The Core Team is in the process of developing a website that will bring all EDA programs, financing opportunities, scheduling eNavigator business review times, and more. They hope to be live in February of 2025.
So, Why All This Work?
Sure, it might be easier to woo big factories and hand out tax breaks, but that’s not the spirit of Gibbon, Fairfax, and Winthrop. As the visionary Don Macke says, “costs, taxes, and regulation may not define the kind of ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs.” Instead, a thriving, diverse economy needs heart, local business, and resilience. And that’s exactly what this initiative aims to build – a shared, prosperous future for everyone, from the local baker to the budding entrepreneur just setting out.
Stay tuned, because this is only the beginning for these three communities. In the 17MiEDC, every new venture, every new idea, and every act of collaboration adds color to the tapestry they’re weaving together – a vibrant, hopeful, and resilient future for all.
The communities of Gibbon, Fairfax and Withrop started participating in SMIF’s Rural Entrepreneurial Venture (REV) program in 2024. REV is a proven entrepreneurial development program designed to advance small town economies through a targeted business approach. REV provides coaching, resources and connections throughout the visioning and implementation process as each community explores what economic development means for their town.
