The Rural Towns Project Podcast
In the Rural Towns Project Podcast, Dax Jacobson combines his day job as a business professor with his love for the rural American West he grew up in. He talks to the people who are actually trying to make a living in - and to the researchers, artists, and others inspired by - the rural towns of the American West. He hopes to help himself and others understand the past, appreciate the present, and positively impact the future of rural towns and the American West.
The Rural Towns Project Podcast
Downey, Idaho: Dr. Stephen Sutton and Marsh Valley Dental
In this episode, I talk to Stephen Sutton, dentist and owner of Marsh Valley Dental in Downey, Idaho. Stephen is a good friend and we graduated in the same class at Marsh Valley High School. We talk about Stephen’s idyllic childhood and decision to follow in his father’s footsteps and the privilege and burden of living up to a father’s name and example. We talk about the history of Downey, how his clinic ended up there, the town’s current challenges, and how he is trying to make difference. We also talk about corporatization and consolidation in the dental industry and his approach to fighting it - including his inspiring view on collaboration and focusing on his employees - so that he can maintain his unique rural practice and lifestyle. We end, as always, with the Road Trip Music Question.
Podcast music: “A Happy Day” by codemusic, http://www.jamendo.com, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/