October 21, 2025 – The Small Nation team attended the 2025 Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) Annual Summit in downtown Akron last week, where they were recognized as a finalist for the Excellence in Place-Based Development Award. The Summit brought together more than 500 economic development professionals from across the state for three days of learning, networking, and celebrating the best in Ohio’s communities.

The Excellence in Place-Based Development Award honors projects that leverage the unique assets, character, and identity of a community to drive sustainable economic growth. It celebrates efforts rooted in collaboration and place-based strategies such as downtown revitalization, community development, infrastructure improvements, planning and zoning, and tourism initiatives. Projects considered for this recognition must demonstrate measurable progress within the past two years.

“Being named a finalist for this award is a meaningful recognition of the work our team is doing in small towns across Ohio,” said Jason Duff, Founder and CEO of Small Nation. “We’ve seen firsthand how focusing on place – revitalizing downtowns, reimagining historic buildings, and empowering local entrepreneurs – creates long-term economic and community success.”

Among the highlights of the Summit was the keynote presentation by Edward Erfurt, Chief Technical Advisor for Strong Towns and a native of Lima, Ohio. Erfurt, a passionate urbanist and advocate for resilient community development, discussed how towns can leverage existing infrastructure to address housing challenges through incremental, small-scale development. His examples focused on supporting local developers, encouraging adaptive reuse, and promoting form-based zoning that prioritizes the physical character of neighborhoods over rigid land-use segregation.

Erfurt also introduced the Strong Towns Housing Ready Toolkit, a new resource designed to help communities prepare for more diverse and attainable housing options. The toolkit outlines key policy recommendations including:

  1. Allowing single-family homes to convert to duplexes or triplexes by right
  2. Permitting backyard cottages in all residential zones
  3. Legalizing starter homes in all residential zones
  4. Eliminating minimum lot size requirements in existing neighborhoods
  5. Repealing parking mandates for housing
  6. Streamlining the approval process

Communities can download the full toolkit and explore these policies at strongtowns.org/housingready.

“Our mission at Small Nation aligns closely with the Strong Towns approach,” Duff added. “It’s about investing in existing assets, supporting local entrepreneurs, and making policy decisions that strengthen the places people already love to live.”

About Small Nation:

Small Nation develops places, spaces, and dreams for small towns and entrepreneurs across the country. Based in Bellefontaine, Ohio, the team invests in real estate, creates business solutions, and provides resources for small-town success. Small Nation has been recognized nationally for its work in downtown revitalization, business incubation, and rural economic development.

To learn more about Small Nation, visit www.smallnation.com or follow them on social media at @smallnationstrong.