22 students in the Students saw the effects ofthe Small Business Revolution in the Searcy community. In spring 2019, Searcy won the Small Business Revolution. The nationwide contest focused on revitalizing and building town morale and infrastructure. Thousands oftowns across the United States entered the contest, but Searcy rose through the ranks as people around the country voted on each updated list of finalists. It was the voters' job to choose the town, but the Small Business Revolution team selected the businesses that received funds for improvement. Deluxe, the sponsor of the production, supplied the businesses with funds and various services that were included in the victory package. "Along the way, we learned that nowhere are small businesses more under siege than in our small towns," Deluxe explained on their website. "We created the Small Business Revolution --Main Street to help those small businesses, and in turn, those small towns, reignite the spark that drives them and keeps people coming back. Each season, we search for one lucky town and six of its small businesses to win a $500,000 boost from Deluxe and document the transformations in an original series." Past and present residents of Searcy; current Harding students, alumni, faculty and staff; and people who had relatives in Arkansas posted on every social media platform to spread the word: Vote for Searcy. Community leaders hoped to rebrand Searcy and make it friendlier to small businesses. Small business owners from around town got involved -- all hoping to be chosen as a finalist. Members of the community wanted to share what they loved about Searcy and convince a national corporation to fall in love with the town as well. Zion Climbing Center was one of the six small businesses selected to receive renovations. As of fall 2019, junior TK Geter, a student employee at Zion, said there were not any notable changes to the makeup of the building, but new marketing plans were implemented. Geter said the business would wait to announce renovations to the building until the show aired on Hulu. Many possibilities were considered for changes, but the company hoped to land on a plan that benefited the Zion community most. "There is a possibility of going to two different locations as of now," Geter said. "And of course, staying at our own building. All three are really big projects, as you can tell. We're just trying to very carefully decide what would be the best thing to do." Savor + Sip, located in downtown Searcy, was also chosen as a business to be assisted by Deluxe. "I expected to see a whole new business when I came back," junior Kassidy Barden, Savor +Sip employee, said. "But really, the only change you can notice is the walk-in fridge. I think a lot of the money went to behind-the-scenes things in the business realm." story by Everett Kirkman
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