S6:E16 - Helping Communities to be Open for Business with Jessica Meyers
Jessica Meyers of Porchlight is back and we’re so glad about it because they specialize in building tools for actually-small towns (5000 or fewer) so there’s no need to right-size or adapt for smaller communities. She and Rebecca dig into two of those tools: a simplified certification that helps communities show they’re open for business, and a community app that puts calendars, jobs, city info, and the school lunch menu in one place. Can you imagine how handy that would be in your community?!? They also cover the why and the who behind the tools, and how communities can apply them. If you’re a small town, this episode is for you. If you’re interested in trying these tools, we have a coupon code (yay coupons!): “GST” will get you $250 off your community’s Porchlight certification!
About Jessica:
Originally from Winner, SD (pop. 2,852), Jessica Meyers was raised in Winner and Vermillion, SD, and earned her bachelor’s degree at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. Jessica and her husband followed the flight pattern of many young adults and left the small towns of SD for bigger cities. After 10 years of living in some of the largest cities in America, she now lives in Sioux Falls, SD, with her family. In her professional career, Jessica has worked in several industries, including publishing, sales, and healthcare recruiting, where she has run multi-million dollar organizations and won multiple national awards across industries. Pairing over 20 years of sales and recruiting experience, she decided to go out on her own.
Jessica is co-founder and CEO of PorchLight, who provides workforce development and economic development services to rural communities. Jessica created the first-of-its-kind PorchLight Certification and created the platform where rural economic development and job opportunities connect. Just recently, PorchLight launched PorchLight Connect, an app made exclusively for rural communities. In 2025, Jessica was awarded the Innovation at the Leading Edge award by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses summit in Washington DC for her efforts connecting her workforce development innovations to rural economic development.
In this episode, we cover:
Why the first version of Porchlight’s certification was too hard (and why it’s okay if the first version needs improving!)
How one certification led to a childcare center in a town of 800
What happens when only insiders can navigate your town
How a 79-year-old who doesn’t text got a community app built
How many American communities are actually very small towns (it’s a lot!) and what that means for how we help
Links + Resources Mentioned:
Porchlight Certification: https://porchlight-services.com/porchlight-certification/ (Remember, use code “GST” to get $250 off your certification!)
Say hello to our podcast sponsor!
This season of the Growing Small Towns Show is brought to you by Ideal Soil Solutions.
Based in Ideal, South Dakota, Ideal Soil Solutions works alongside growers to build farms that are healthy, productive, and profitable, for this season and for the generations still to come. Their approach is built on the five principles of soil health: armor the soil, disturb it less, keep a living root in the ground, add diversity, and bring livestock back into the system.
They're also building their dealer network across South Dakota and North Dakota with local businesses that already have growers' trust in their communities. They bring the products, training, marketing, and support; you bring the relationships. Stronger soil builds stronger farms, and stronger farms build stronger small towns.
Find a dealer near you, or find out how to become one, at IdealSoilSolutions.com.
Ideal Soil Solutions: rooted in your community.
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