It was in Jefferson City --- the Show-Me state capital --- that we learned to appreciate a good Chamber of Commerce. It was our first trip, and we didn't really know what we were doing.  On a whim, I called the Jefferson City Chamber.  "Hello, my name is Scott Schaefer.  I'm a business professor at the University of Utah, and I'm calling with a somewhat unusual request..." In the years since, this plan --- starting each trip with calls to the local Chambers --- has become the standard operating procedure for Roadside MBA. Sometimes, this works great.  Matt Parker, head of the Dothan, … [Read more...]

Council Bluffs would appear to be just a nice, quiet suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, which sits on the other side of the Mississippi River. But Council Bluffs has a lot of charm and excitement of its own. Some people come for the casinos that sit along the river. Gambling has slowly become a larger part of the city’s economy since a dog racing park was established there in 1986. You can still catch some greyhound racing in town, but we went to the casino instead. When we visited, we spent our evening at an Italian restaurant, a casino, and watching baseball games back in our respective hotel … [Read more...]

Saint Joseph, Missouri sits on the Missouri River about 50 miles north of Kansas City.  The town was once the eastern terminus of the Pony Express, and was also the "jumping off point" for the Oregon Trail.  The town played an important role in the settlement of the American West. And the local residents haven't forgotten.  Pretty much everything, we found, is Wild-West-themed in Saint Joe; it's a bit like living on the set of Gunsmoke.  At right is  a photo from the evening's lodging, the Stoney Creek Inn.  Note the exposed wood beams and railings, the bear (?), and the Pony Express … [Read more...]