From a pool of 12,000 nominations, the city of Searcy has just won a $500,000 “marketing and business transformation” from Hulu reality TV show “Small Business Revolution – Main Street,” a project of the Deluxe Corporation. The White County town of 24,000 will be featured on the show’s fourth season, to air this fall on Hulu, Youtube and at smallbusinessrevolution.org. Amanda Brinkman and home improvement reality TV star (“Trading Spaces,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”) Ty Pennington co-host.
With a self-described “mission to revitalize small towns, one small business at a time,” the show selects one American city for each season by way of a voting process. After being named a finalist for the cash boost and television spotlight, Searcy beat out Camas, Wash.; Canon City, Colo.; Corsicana, Texas; Durant, Okla.; and Washington, N.C. for the grand prize.
Searcy’s pitch, viewable here:
Located a 45-minute drive from Little Rock, Searcy is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas. Home to more than 23,000 residents, Searcy prides itself on being a town “where thousands live as millions wish they could.” With an economy that continues to grow, a public education system ranked at the top of the state, and an array of medical staff, facilities and services at its disposal, Searcy boasts a high quality of life. Despite its positive attributes, the town is still having trouble finding a cohesive brand and story to help tell the rest of the world what makes it so special.
The Little Red River and White Sulphur Springs are both a part of Searcy’s beginning, attracting visitors with their healing properties. Today Searcy is a college town, attracting students from around the country to Harding University. With about 40 current small business owners, town leaders are hoping to move more toward the downtown area and rebrand to bring people closer together in this small town. Residents hope that the Small Business Revolution can help do just that, along with beautifying the downtown area and its businesses.