Countdown to top five finalists

Small Business Revolution will make announcement Feb. 13

Janelle Jessen/Siloam Sunday Amanda Brinkman, right, host of Small Business Revolution, interviewed Kelsey Howard, director of Main Street Siloam Springs, during Brinkman's tour of downtown Siloam Springs on Jan. 17. Siloam Springs is one of 10 communities in the running to be featured on the HULU show Small Business Revolution -- Main Street Season 3. Brinkman is expected to announce the top five finalists in a Facebook live video on Feb. 13. The public will then have a week to vote for their favorite town and a winner will be announced at the end of the month. The winning town will receive $500,000 for revitalization and marketing advice from Small Business Revolution experts.

Janelle Jessen/Siloam Sunday Amanda Brinkman, right, host of Small Business Revolution, interviewed Kelsey Howard, director of Main Street Siloam Springs, during Brinkman's tour of downtown Siloam Springs on Jan. 17. Siloam Springs is one of 10 communities in the running to be featured on the HULU show Small Business Revolution -- Main Street Season 3. Brinkman is expected to announce the top five finalists in a Facebook live video on Feb. 13. The public will then have a week to vote for their favorite town and a winner will be announced at the end of the month. The winning town will receive $500,000 for revitalization and marketing advice from Small Business Revolution experts.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Siloam Springs will find out on Tuesday if the town is one of the five finalists for season three of the HULU show Small Business Revolution.

Amanda Brinkman, show host and chief brand and communications officer for Deluxe Corporation, is expected to announce in a Facebook live video on the morning of Feb. 13 which of the top 10 towns will advance in the competition. She is also expected to announce the identity of her co-host for season three.

Once Brinkman announces the five finalists, the public will have a week to vote on the Small Business Revolution website, www.smallbusinessrevolution.org, to determine the final winner. In addition to being featured on the show, the winner will receive $500,000 for downtown revitalization and marketing advice from Small Business Revolution experts.

Siloam Springs was named one of the top 20 towns in the competition in November, and advanced to be named one of the top 10 towns in December. Brinkman and the Small Business Revolution team visited all of the towns on the top 10 list during the month of January. Siloam Springs welcomed the team with a reception at the Brick Ballroom on Jan. 16, followed by a tour of the town on Jan. 17.

In a Facebook live video on Feb. 1, Brinkman said the towns in the running for the top five should already be thinking about the best way to get out the vote.

Main Street Siloam Springs started a social media campaign in November to help promote the town with videos and pictures of residents telling why they love Siloam Springs. Community members are encouraged to use the hashtag, #MySiloamSprings, and share what they love about the town.

Brinkman said she met with more than 300 small-business owners during her tour of the top 10 towns, and reported that she made incredible connections with all of the communities her team visited.

"To narrow it down is going to be nearly impossible," she said.

She recognized small-business owners for their hard work and pointed out that all 10 towns were incredibly charming places to live.

"I want you to hear what an amazing job you have done in preparing for this visit," she said, addressing the communities involved in the competition. "You should take great pride in what happened. The secret here is that the real prize is not the $500,000 or the show coming to your town. You guys have already won through the newly renewed sense of community, the way you have come together as a town, and you get to decide how to use this momentum going forward."

Seasons one and two of Small Business Revolution can be viewed on HULU or on the Small Business Revolution website. For more information, visit the website or follow Small Business Revolution and Main Street Siloam Springs on Facebook.

The top 10 towns in alphabetical order are:

• Aberdeen, S.D.

• Alton, Ill.

• Americus, Ga.

• Amesbury, Mass.

• Bastrop, Texas

• Brainerd, Minn.

• Exeter, N.H.

• Martinez, Calif.

• Siloam Springs

General News on 02/11/2018