Business Opportunity?

Is there a market for developing technical talent hubs in secondary markets? 

Concept: Can the Dollar General strategy of targeting smaller cities provide an opportunity for "technology micro-hubs"? This would extend opportunities to develop talent in smaller demographic locations, where tech activity is not as developed. 

Graphic Source: Visual Capitalist

Aditya Shastri from IIDE gives a concise summary of the Dollar General strategy. IIDE Link: In-depth Marketing Strategy of Dollar General - 2023 | IIDE

"When they open a store, they choose localities... frequently focusing on cities with populations of less than 20,000 people. Dollar General maintains its position as a consumer-driven distributor of basic consumables. They fulfil their objective of assisting people by emphasizing value and convenience in their business strategy."

While the sub-20,000 location size may be too small for a technology micro-hub, this strategy allows Dollar General to avoid large competitors like Wal-Mart, Target, and even large grocery chains.

South Carolina provides a good talking-point. They have a good college and university pipeline, and more employers are relocating to the state. Could a business model be created to support the pipeline and provide profit and repeatability?