Strong Towns member Haile McCollum is a successful small business owner, creative, and leader in her town of Thomasville, Georgia. In this episode of The Bottom-Up Revolution podcast, host Rachel Quednau talks with Haile about her ongoing dedication to her town through a number of activities and positions, especially local boards. 

We hear about Haile’s design firm, Fontaine Maury, which has, among other things, helped local businesses to sharpen their brand identity and make their mark in the community. Haile also helped start a local arts festival, and she’s on the boards of several organizations in Thomasville, including the hospital, a school board, the planning and zoning commission, and a local bank.

Don’t worry, we also get into how she juggles all of these volunteer duties, her small business, and her family. It’s all about priorities (plus maybe cutting television out of your life).

Finally, Haile talks about how all of her work is guided by Strong Towns principles of bottom-up action, incremental improvement, and financial resilience. Settle in and get inspired by this dedicated, active Strong Towns member, Haile McCollum.









Additional Show Notes

Fontaine Maury




Haile McCollum on Instagram and Twitter




The Due South Festival




Send us your own voicemail about the small (or big) thing you’re doing to make your town stronger. Just record a voice memo on your phone and email it to rachel@strongtowns.org




Join our new course, “Aligning Transportation with a Strong Towns Approach” and, for a limited time only, get 20% off your purchase with discount code “NoStroads.” We’re also offering 20% off our whole 8-course bundle with code “LearnEverything.”




Support this podcast by becoming a Strong Towns member today.