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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in their Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 35 Stories
water treatment plant

Water Treatment Plant Provides Abundant Water Source and Sparks Community Development

The City of Thomasville purchased their entire water supply from a nearby town and did not have a back-up water source.  City leaders were frequently forced to implement water usage restrictions on their citizens, even during winter months, and on two occasions the city… [Read More]
Economic DevelopmentWater
Life Floor

“Made in the USA” Versatile Tile Manufacturer Receives Support From USDA

Life Floor Manufacturing, Inc. is a leading designer of slip resistant tiles commonly used around pools and waterparks. In an effort to better serve their customers, they adopted  a lean manufacturing focus  and brought manufacturing home, moving operations… [Read More]
BusinessEconomic DevelopmentManufacturingRural Development
New equipment providing state-of-the-art medical services.

One Program, Several Improvements for City of Cozad

The city of Cozad (pop. 3,977), located in Dawson County, has a very active economic development program, with Cozad Development Corporation (CDC) always looking for ways to stretch local economic development funds to assist new businesses. Rural Development was able to assist… [Read More]
Economic Development
Rose Fraser with Running Strong

Youth Project Promotes the Well Being of Children and Families

Oyate Teca Project an affiliate of Running Strong for American Indian Youth, Inc. is centrally located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, in Kyle, SD a non-profit organization providing a variety of programs and activities promoting the well-being of children and their… [Read More]
Economic Development
Photo: Meant Manufacturing, a woman-owned, startup business in Florence, Oregon, is creating jobs and improving the local economy.

From Artisanal Hobbyist to Successful Business Owner: Rural Entrepreneur Contributes to Job Creation and Local Economy

Creating one-of-a-kind bags and accessories from locally sourced materials, like Pendleton® Wool, started as a hobby for Lindsey Phillips. Gradually, she began selling her products through third-party sites. Then she created her own website and sold wholesale to local boutiques… [Read More]
BusinessEconomic DevelopmentSmall Business

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