The Equitable Economic Systems for regional prosperity initiative seeks to dislodge the cultural
inertia and increase the public courage to be welcoming. It further seeks to increase welcoming
community advocacy groups to help build welcoming communities. These actions lay the necessary
social groundwork for a modernized approach to rural community and economic development – an
approach based on welcoming diversity and building value chains/interconnections of all kinds to
foster economic innovation and equitably grow vibrant, inclusive communities.