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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: 5 Stories
A sign in front of an industrial building states Mid-States Material Handling and Fabrication

The Opportunity to Do More: USDA Pass-Through Loan Enables Manufacturing Company Expansion

In Nevada, Iowa, a family-owned and operated business is expanding thanks in part to a $2 million loan from USDA. Mid-States Material Handling and Fabrication is a manufacturer of agricultural material handling equipment, structural steel towers, catwalks, and other steel… [Read More]
BusinessEconomic DevelopmentManufacturing
State Director for Rural Development in Pennsylvania inspects a Hemp Block at Alvernia University.

Hemp Blocks Add Value to Pennsylvanians and the Planet

The Value-Added Producer Grant or VAPG program can help emerging industries take the next steps to becoming viable and expand their markets. Just ask Drew Oberholtzer, the co-founder of Coexist Build, which was the 2021 recipient of a VAPG for hemp blocks. Coexist, located in… [Read More]
BiopreferredBusinessGrantsManufacturingSmall Business
A bearded man poses in front of a backdrop that says "GORiLLA LUBE" with industrial products on a table in front of him with orange labels.

Finding New Markets with USDA BioPreferred: Small Town Biobased Company has Outsized Impact on the Slopes and Ziplines of America

Scott and Kathie Lee are the founders of Gorilla Lube, based in Brownville, Maine. Scott Lee found his mission while still in college. At the time he worked for the Connecticut Department of Health inspecting public water supplies and… [Read More]
BiobasedBiopreferredBroadbandEntrepreneurMade in Rural AmericaManufacturing
American flag above Life Floor manufacturing equipment

Making A Splash in Rural South Dakota

Growing up, we all remember visiting the local pool or water park. Lifeguards blew a whistle warning us to slow down as we dashed to the refreshing water on dangerous slippery, molten-hot concrete. But today’s pools, water parks and splash pads are much safer thanks to… [Read More]
Economic DevelopmentManufacturingSmall Business
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

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