The gears are starting to turn in Moffat County's effort to strengthen the local economy.

The co-author of the book "13 Ways to Kill Your Community"co-author of the book “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” was in Craig Thursday night to discuss what not to do if you want your community to flourish. was in Craig Thursday night to discuss what not to do if you want your community to flourish.

co-author of the book "13 Ways to Kill Your Community" was in Craig Thursday night to discuss what not to do if you want your community to flourish.

Doug Griffiths' book is based on the principle that showing people common mistakes within communities struggling to grow their economies is a better solution than telling them what to do.

Griffiths and the Craig Chamber of Commerce also hosted a community workshop Friday at the Moffat County Fairgrounds Pavilion to discuss how Craig and Moffat County can avoid the 13 pitfalls.

During his speech, Griffiths went over the 13 ways and at the workshop members of the community came together to brainstorm specific ideas of how to help the community.

Chris Fields, “13 Ways” senior strategist, said communities often find themselves with a lot of plans and everyone working in different directions.

"The challenge though for municipalities is often you end up with a lot of things to do, and what is often missing is the one single bridge across," he said.

Attendees of the workshop included members of local government, business owners and individuals from other areas of the community, all of whom got together in small groups create specific ideas that they could achieve in the next year.

"The community has a lot of plans, it has a lot of vision statements, it has everything it needs," said Griffiths. "We’re here this morning to help turn it into action."

Moffat County Commissioner Frank Moe said a crucial part of making this effort a success is continuing to work together as a community.

"Really what transpired in all of this is we realized we've been working in silos," he said.

A prime example of how the community is starting to rally together is the “13 Ways” event itself and the number of sponsors from across Craig and Moffat County who supported bringing in Griffiths to present.

"If we combine our resources…we can accomplish great things," he said. "This turned all of our talk into action plans that will be measurable and can get done."

Griffiths said it is crucial to keep the momentum that the county has achieved going.

"If you start with the little things, it builds momentum," he said. "Once you have a success, the community wants another success."

Contact Patrick Kelly at 970-875-1795 or Contact Patrick Kelly at 970-875-1795 or pkelly@CraigDailyPress.com or follow him on Twitter @M_PKelly.Contact Patrick Kelly at 970-875-1795 or pkelly@CraigDailyPress.com or follow him on Twitter @M_PKelly.