NATCHEZ &8212; Learning why some rural communities are more successful than others can be useful for cities seeking new avenues of economic development.

Speaker Phil Hardwick told members of the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce at a quarterly membership luncheon that author John M. Schultz makes suggestions worth noting in his book &8220;Boomtown USA.&8221;

&8220;He found that a lot of rural communities in the country are doing just fine,&8221; said Hardwick, coordinator of Capacity Development Initiative at the John C. Stennis Institute of Mississippi State University. &8220;He looked at why they are doing well.&8221;

Successful cities have can-do attitudes. They shape their own vision. They leverage their resources. And they raise up strong leaders, Hardwick pointed out.

They encourage the entrepreneurial approach, maintain local control and build their own brands.

&8220;Natchez has some obvious resources. You have history like no other place in Mississippi,&8221; he said.

In another book, Richard Florida&8217;s &8220;Rise of the Creative Class,&8221; Hardwick has discovered other useful tips for economic development.

&8220;We are no longer factory workers,&8221; he pointed out, using Florida&8217;s outline for understanding the new economy.

The creative class of workers includes musicians, artists, scientists and teachers, among others. &8220;Over 30 percent of the workforce are in this category,&8221; he said.

Many of them are in the baby boomer generation. They can move and take their creativity with them. And they are doing that. &8220;They can choose where they want to live,&8221; he said.

One of the new buzz words in economic development is &8220;cool community&8221; or &8220;cool community college.&8221;

He offered headlines from some recent Natchez Democrat business articles to illustrate ways the community shows its creativity &8212; businesses touted for successes and creative ways of accomplishing what they do.

Community colleges also are rethinking economic development, looking for ways to be distinctive as institutions of higher learning.

They are educating and supporting artisans, adding to the community&8217;s amenities, Hardwick said.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the goal of manufacturers was to make things cheaper.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the goal was to make things better.

In the 2000s, the goal is making better things &8212; things with design, innovation and uniqueness, Hardwick said.

Perhaps most important, he said, is for a community to know how not to be cool.

In a word, he said, &8220;turfism.&8221; Success will come when leaders are united to do what is best for the community and not for their own special interests, Hardwick said.