Sep 27, 2014

Main Street Events Boost Business in HoldingfordBy Kevin AllenspachSCTimes.com

Holdingford, MN – Most small towns, especially around Central Minnesota, have a festival of some sort. Usually, they’re during the summer, last for a few days and provide some good food, entertainment and a chance for the surrounding community to come together.

Each July, Holdingford Daze is a good example. But the business elements of this town of about 700 people that claims to be “The Gateway to Lake Wobegon” have gone further. For the past couple of months, Holdingford Hometown Thursdays has been embraced by store owners, politicians and residents alike in a way to generate economic activity and, simply, revive Main Street.

The idea sparked in the mind of Kyle Ackerman, founder of Xtratyme Technologies, which provides Internet service to rural areas in much of Minnesota. While his company is based in Hutchinson, it has a satellite office in Holdingford, where six years ago he rented space on the water tower to advertise Xtratyme.

Read complete article »