How to Raise the Bar

What’s it like to take an unpopular stand for something you know is important?  What’s it like to make public service a pillar of your life?  What’s important in making a good life for your family? Join us for a chat with the First Family...of Cottonwood, AZ as we learn about leadership, service, entrepreneurship, adventure, and more. 

Cottonwood, for those who don’t know, is a former smelter town in Central AZ that nearly dried up and blew away when the mines closed 70 years ago. Over the last decade, though, it had a powerful and surprising renaissance, becoming actually hip... kinda. Now it’s struggling, like many other small towns, with covid, economic chaos, and divisive politics. 

Tim and Ruth Ellen Elinski are right in the thick of it. Tim is the current and recently re-elected mayor of Cottonwood. He is also a contractor, specializing in historic renovations AND builds retro mini camping trailers. His wife and business partner, Ruth Ellen, is an award-winning nonprofit leader and entrepreneur who is currently a Business Analyst for the Small Business Development Center at Yavapai College. Together they are working to build the economic and community strength of a their rural region while raising two daughters and maintaining their new business - Pin Drop Trailers
 
Full disclosure - Tim and Ruth Ellen are old friends of Kelly's.  They are super busy, involved people - the kind we love to have on this podcast - and I’m so grateful they made time to talk with us.  We get into what it was like for Tim, as mayor, and for the Elinskis as a family, to face protesters in front of their house after Tim’s controversial mayoral proclamation.  We go exploring with them to the wilds of Miami, Arizona and the birth of their most recent business venture.  And we find out what it means to them to serve and support their community - the whole community, even the people who boldly disagree.

Show Notes:
Do a Science:

• Go for a walk outside. Stop. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Take another. 
• Think about a person you’re put in that “I don’t like [him/her/them] box.” Make an effort to reach out and connect about something. The goal is not necessarily to learn to like that person, just to connect. ​

It’s going to take time to get people out of their shells. I think we’re looking at a few years of hard work of getting people to come out and engage and remember why connection is important.” Ruth Ellen Elinski

References:

• Pin Drop Travel Trailers
• Yavapai Small Business Development Council
• The Verde Valley Wine Trail

Resources: 

• Arizona Local Business Directory
• If you are a small business not in AZ, here are organizations that are likely in your community to support your efforts. 
• Join the rest of the Rocket Scientists on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/rfcomlab 
• Follow us on Instagram @rocketfeather1

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Music Credits: 
Singing Bowls by via www.mixkit.co