How We Work With Communities
We partner with you to create a place that stands out because it is uniquely yours, using small-scale manufacturing as the catalyst to fill vacant storefronts and build a thriving local economy.
Three Ways to Transform Your Community
Option 1: Start with a Community Talk
Get your community excited
Get your local leaders excited and engaged to fill vacant storefronts and grow a strong local economy with small-scale manufacturing businesses. Brainstorm about what's possible - that amazing magic wand outcome you know your community could create!
Invite Ilana to give an online, interactive presentation to your decision makers, city council, economic development board, or community groups. Help everyone understand why small-scale manufacturing works, see real examples from communities like yours, and get aligned on the potential for your specific place.
$1,995 (credited toward any other program if you move forward)
Perfect for: Communities that need to build buy-in among decision-makers before moving forward.
Step 2: Join a Recast Leaders Cohort
Transform your downtown alongside like-minded communities
Our signature 10-month program for local leaders with decision-making power who are committed to implementation. Work alongside 5 other communities to build a stronger, more resilient, more inclusive business community.
What you get:
Proven Recast City 5-Step Method training
Biweekly group coaching sessions with expert mentorship
Direct support for community interviews and small business outreach
Tailored action plan for your specific downtown
Implementation coaching to launch new models within 6-12 months
Peer group of other local leaders making it happen
Results our graduates achieve:
Fill vacant storefronts with small-scale manufacturing businesses
Attract and support local product businesses and other entrepreneurs
Increase property values and downtown foot traffic
Build more economic opportunities for more people
Create jobs that pay 50-100% more than retail
$2,100/month for 10 months ($18,000 upfront with $3,000 discount)
Perfect for: Communities ready to commit to change this year with ongoing support, accountability, and peer learning.
Option 3: Get One-on-One Support with Recast Boost
Direct intensive assistance to get results fast
Get property owners excited about the potential. Bring small-scale manufacturers and other local businesses to the front to fill storefronts. Find the right real estate and economic development models for your specific community challenges.
We'll work side-by-side with you to get it right. You'll understand what's really limiting downtown businesses and investment, have buy-in to take action, and clear short-term actions that make your downtown and local businesses thrive.
What's included in this 4-month intensive:
One-on-one work with you and your team
Policy fixes and new program launches
Real estate development strategy
Direct implementation support
All of Ilana's expertise focused on your community
$44,995
Perfect for: Communities that need intensive, customized support and have the budget for direct one-on-one assistance.
Ready to Get Started?
Not sure which option is right for you? Book a free consultation to discuss your community's needs, timeline, and budget.
Want to bring Recast Leaders to multiple communities in your state or region? We offer sponsored cohorts for organizations, foundations, and government partners looking to impact multiple places at once.
What Makes Our Approach Different
We start with what you have. No cookie-cutter solutions. We identify the product businesses, entrepreneurs, and assets already in your community.
We focus on people first. Who benefits matters as much as what gets built. Our approach prioritizes small business owners who have been left out in the past.
We think systems, not just buildings. Space + capital + regulations + networks = effective change that lasts.
We act fast, think long-term. See results in 3-6 months, build transformation over years.
We use the SPARK Framework: Space, People, Access to Capital, Regulation, and Knowledge Networks - a systematic approach to building small-scale manufacturing ecosystems that work.
Testimonials
“Ilana is a person that sleeps (we hope) and dreams of creating successful small scale manufacturing businesses in distressed communities. After working with Recast City, we published an RFP of a city owned building for the property to be redeveloped for maker spaces, and we partnered more with the Knoxville Area Urban League and the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC) to help makers grow and to educate neighborhoods on how to support their business base."
Dawn Michelle Foster, Director, Office of Redevelopment, Knoxville, TN
”Our work with Recast City crystalized what we are trying to do economic development wise - what the needs are out there, what the businesses are, and what our street could become. We saw a huge change in how the Business Loop is viewed. People used to say it’s not safe. Now they’re asking about the cool pop-up lot. Ilana pushed us to look for connectors and be intentional about bringing in underrepresented business owners – it really broadened my view of the community and my network. The final report felt very specific to us - there were steps I could start moving on Day 1. We will have the commercial shared kitchen open 9 months from the date of the report!”
Carrie Gartner, Executive Director, The Business Loop Improvement District, Columbia, MO
If you are ready to have storefronts filled with people and local businesses thrive, and maybe have more questions, book a call to see if Recast City is the partner to get you there.