Investment Will Support Small Rural Businesses
STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA, Sept. 23, 2021 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced today that the USDA is investing $1,426,960 in grants to support 10 projects in rural Oklahoma.
“This investment is crucial to our small businesses in rural Oklahoma,” Acting State Director for Oklahoma Rural Development Vickie Edwards said. “Through these grants, our rural businesses will have access to technical assistance, training, business incubators, and equipment. We welcome these funds in Oklahoma.”
The Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities that lead to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses located in rural areas with fewer than 50 employees and gross revenue less than $1 million. The projects receiving funding in rural Oklahoma include:
• Cherokee Nation will use $137,340 to develop and establish a Cherokee Emerging Artist Leadership Program that will encompass a year-long intensive program to provide artist-entrepreneurs with comprehensive technical assistance.
• Cherokee Nation will use $67,321 to provide technical assistance to small business owners who were impacted by Covid-19. Business owners will receive training to help them improve and grow their internet based platforms through social media, website development and online customer service platforms to increase internet sales.
• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will use $499,999 to construct and develop a “multi-purpose makerspace type building” which is for the emerging aviation industry and advanced technology initiatives activity of today, a modern version of a business incubator.
• City of Thomas will use $175,740 to purchase meat processing and packaging equipment that the city of Thomas will lease to South Canadian Meats, a new processing business in Thomas, Oklahoma.
• Southwest Intermediary Finance Team will use $91,960 to purchase ultrasound equipment and a remote patient monitoring program that Southwest Intermediary Finance Team will lease to Thomason Family Medical in Hinton, Oklahoma.
• Harper County Development Authority will use $99,900 to purchase real estate and commercial kitchen equipment that Harper County Development Authority will use to create a kitchen incubator space and a store front for local producers and food businesses in Laverne, Oklahoma.
• City of Fairview will use $95,900 to fund expansion of the Fairview Industrial Park. An additional 16 acres will be developed for small and emerging businesses.
• City of Comanche will use $128,000 to fund construction of a building that will provide lease spaces to four separate businesses in Comanche, Oklahoma.
• City of Okemah will use $42,500 to develop a placemaking action plan in collaboration with the Okemah Chamber of Commerce and Atlas Community Studios in Okemah, Oklahoma. This project will design strategies for downtown revitalization, tourism, and historic preservation to strengthen business development opportunities.
• Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association Inc will use $88,300 to purchase flour milling equipment. Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association Inc. will lease the equipment to Chisholm Trail Milling in Enid, Oklahoma.
To learn more about these and other resources for rural areas, contact a USDA Rural Development state office.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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