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The Rural Towns Project PodcastAuthor: Dax Jacobson
In the Rural Towns Project Podcast, Dax Jacobson combines his day job as a business professor with his love for the rural American West he grew up in. He talks to the people who are actually trying to make a living in - and to the researchers, artists, and others inspired by - the rural towns of the American West. He hopes to help himself and others understand the past, appreciate the present, and positively impact the future of rural towns and the American West. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Places & Travel, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Running an arts, architecture, and rural investment nonprofit (Epicenter), building homes, and avoiding booms and busts in Green River (UT) with Maria Sykes
Episode 46
Sunday, 9 November, 2025
In this episode, I talk to Maria Sykes, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Epicenter (https://ruralandproud.org/) in Green River, UT. Maria shares with me how and why she came to Green River from the Deep South 16 years ago and why she stays. We talk about the nonprofit Maria co-founded and leads, Epicenter, and its focus on art, affordable housing, and rural investment in Green River. Maria describes art residencies and events, like Green River Rocks, and housing design and development through programs like Fix-it First, Frontier House and Canal Commons. We talk about development that takes time and avoids booms and busts and Maria gives a great playbook for communities to follow to develop their own Epicenter as well as advice that all funding agencies should follow. We end, as always, with the Road Trip Music Quesion.Podcast music: “A Happy Day” by codemusic, http://www.jamendo.com, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/








