Sandy Allison is the executive director at the Marshall-Saline Development Corporation. The corporation’s goal is to recruit new industries and businesses into the counties and strengthen existing business. As part of Missouri Business Alert’s Outstate project, KBIA's Seth Bodine spoke with Allison about her ideas on how to revitalize small towns like Marshall, Missouri.

Like many small towns, the heart of Marshall, Missouri is the town square -- home to several long-time and new businesses. But as urbanization to larger cities increases, small town businesses have had to find new ways to stay relevant. This week of Business Beat looks at the businesses in Marshall, Missouri. It’s part of a Missouri Business Alert special project called Outstate , a project that looks at entrepreneurship in small towns in missouri.

Karen Miller woke up and saw a flashing lights out the window of her home in Arrow Rock, Missouri. Miller works as the general manager of the J. Huston Tavern, which is the oldest continuously serving restaurant west of the Mississippi River. This wasn’t something someone would typically see in the small town of Arrow Rock, which has a population of 56, Miller said. So, she decided to investigate. Initially, she said she thought the lights were from the highway patrol. As she walked down the

Ever since the first goat yoga class opened in 2016, the experience has become a national business trend for goat and yoga enthusiasts alike. The idea is simple: It’s a yoga class, except there are miniature goats roaming around that people can interact with.

Braid artists in Missouri used to have to obtain a cosmetology license to practice legally — but cosmetology training didn’t include instruction on hair braiding. Now, thanks to a bill that was signed into law last year and survived a legal fight that advanced to the U.S. Supreme Court , people desiring to braid hair in the state can apply for a hair braider’s license. It costs $20 and takes four to six hours of instructional video with a board’s assessment, rather than the 1,500 hours

Kristen Williams, CEO and creative director of Hempsley, achieved what she considers a big accomplishment — she convinced her grandparents in Alabama to try CBD oil. They’re even recommending her business to their friends. Williams’ ever-evolving company sells CBD and aims to educate the public about cannabinoids like CBD. And for her, getting her reluctant grandparents to try CBD was a big deal. Williams considers herself an advocate of cannabis — the name of a plant that refers to both

After more than 40 years with the same company, Rick Means will retire from his position as president and chief executive officer of Shelter Insurance in August. Matt Moore, currently executive vice president, will be the company’s next CEO. Means has spent nearly all of his adult life with Shelter, starting as a claims adjuster and working his way up the corporate ladder to claims supervisor, manager, vice president and eventually to his role as the leader of a nearly 2,000-employee insurance

In the visitors room of the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center in Vandalia, nine women stand dressed in bright blue caps and gowns. They’re the first to graduate from ASPIRE MO, a program designed to teach inmates the entrepreneurial skills to start a business once they leave prison. The 20-week program teaches them various skills like market projections, advertising and feasibility studies. By the end of the course, they make a comprehensive business plan. Kellie

Beth Snyder turned her hobby of printmaking into a career when she started 1canoe2, a print and illustration studio. Her passion for creating prints began when her husband, then-fiancé, bought her a press for about $700 on eBay, for Christmas in 2007. She had wanted to print her wedding invitations using a traditional method.

Senior Airman Drew Forster joined the military as a way to pay for college. He returned from active duty in 2014 and says his time in the Air Force taught him skills he still uses today, like resilience, working under pressure — and something a little unexpected.