July 8, 2026 — Small Nation founder and CEO Jason Duff will serve as a keynote speaker at the 2026 Ohio Conference on Travel, taking place October 7-9 at Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio. The Ohio Conference on Travel is the state’s premier gathering of tourism professionals, bringing together destination marketing organizations, […]
June 8, 2026 – Small Nation is proud to co-host the National Rural Economic Developers Association (NREDA) Regional Event on June 16-17, 2026, welcoming rural economic development professionals from across the country to Union and Logan counties for two days of learning, collaboration, and […]
January 6, 2026 – BUILD Cowork + Space and COMSTOR Self-Storage, community-driven brands operated under the Small Nation umbrella, are pleased to welcome Carol Hayward to the team. Carol brings a diverse professional background rooted in customer service excellence, real estate, office management, and self-storage operations – experience that […]
November 17, 2025 – Downtown Bellefontaine has a new story to tell. The Next Chapter Bookstore, a locally owned and family-operated shop specializing in used books, has officially opened its doors inside the Main Street Marketplace at 130 S. Main Street, Suite B103.
Founded by […]
October 28, 2025 – Downtown Bellefontaine has welcomed a new addition to its growing beauty and wellness scene. Glam & Glow Beauty Bar, owned by local entrepreneur and licensed cosmetologist Yaxaira Hisey, opened Saturday at 118 W. Chillicothe Ave. in Rainbow Row Bellefontaine. The new salon joins a dynamic collection of locally […]
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 […]
October 17, 2025 – Downtown Bellefontaine recently welcomed a new kind of healthcare provider. New Age Medical Services, a locally owned business founded by Nurse Practitioner Mackenzie Hurley, officially opened on Monday, October 6, inside the Main Street Marketplace at 130 […]
October 13, 2025 – Downtown Bellefontaine is welcoming a new addition to its growing mix of health and beauty services. Megs the Esthi, a custom lash and beauty studio founded by licensed esthetician Meg Patrick, is opening in the Historic Opera Block. The new salon will offer clients a personalized, relaxing experience […]
Small Nation Founder Jason Duff with Teska’s Eric Cigliano and Andrew Dunham
October 10, 2025 – The City of Mount Sterling’s Long Range Strategic Plan was honored with the “Make No Little Plans Award” at the 2025 Illinois Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-IL) Project Awards, presented Wednesday during the APA-IL State […]
Brittany Saxton competes at the World Pizza Games at the 2024 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, NV.
September 25, 2025 – The International Pizza Expo, the leading trade show for pizzeria and Italian restaurant owners, is coming to the Midwest for the first time with Pizza Expo Columbus, set for October […]