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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 the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 82 Stories
Picture of Makoshika State Park

Improving Rural Communities, Business by Business

Glendive EyeCare is nestled in the heart of downtown Glendive, Montana, which is well-known by paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts as a treasure trove that is rich in history and archaeological findings. Despite living in a semi-arid climate, the staff of this optometry… [Read More]
Montana
REAP
REcreate gives 1% back to local non-profits to provide better opportunities for Flathead County

Bringing Micro-Manufacturing Back to Main Street

When Carol Lynn Lapotka purchased an historic building on Polson, Mont.'s Main Street to house REcreate Designs, LLC., her small-batch manufacturing plant and artist co-op, she knew renovations would be needed.  So, this environmentally-focused entrepreneur applied for USDA… [Read More]
Montana
REAPSmall Business
Solar Array

Practicing Sustainability on the Eastern Edge of Glacier National Park

In 2017, after years of planning, Sanford and Claire Stone realized their dream and broke ground on Park Cabin Company in Babb, Mont., an unincorporated farming and ranching community in Glacier County. Their modern cabins are located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and… [Read More]
Montana
BusinessREAPSolar Energy
heiwa tofu family photo

Solar Powered Tofu: Renewable Energy Powers Maine Business

From humble beginnings making tofu from their garage in Camden, to producing and distributing organic and locally-sourced tofu products throughout New England from their building in Rockport, the owners of Heiwa Tofu have always been focused on a “bright” future for their small… [Read More]
Maine
REAP
grain dryer photo

Cost Effective Measures Helps Rural Farmer Reduce Energy

Al Moore owns and operates a family farm operation located near the town of Brandt, South Dakota. Al had been using a 2004 GSI 114 Continuous Flow horizontal dryer to dry his grain and was also hauling grain to an off-site drying facility to have it dried and stored commercially… [Read More]
South Dakota
REAP
Shawn and Mariah Butenschoen’s willingness to adapt has helped their business and their community. Photo courtesy of Dean Koepfler.

Whatcom County Couple Boosts Their Business, Serves Their Community

One of the benefits of owning your own small business is the ability to be nimble and make quick financial and operational decisions when the need arises. Shawn and Mariah Butenschoen are proof of this. The Butenschoens own a five-acre organic blueberry farm in Elverson, a… [Read More]
Washington
REAPSmall Business
Long's Pic-Pac grocery store

Rural KY grocery store uses energy efficiencies to stay competitive

For over 30 years, Mike Long has worked in some way at the grocery store in downtown Pineville that carries his last name. After all, his father opened it. “We have about 60 employees,” he said, “and we pride ourselves on being a strong part of our community. Part of that is… [Read More]
Kentucky
REAPSmall Business
Operator managing controls on solar powered irrigation in Railroad Valley, Nevada.

Alfalfa Farmer Saves on Diesel, REAPs Success with Off-Grid Solar

Mark Dunn, the operator of Railroad Valley Farms in Nye County, Nevada, had a unique challenge: how do you power irrigation pumps for 500 acres of alfalfa when your farm is off the grid in one of the most remote areas of the state? With the help of a $253,405 Rural Energy for… [Read More]
Nevada
REAPRural Development
Goose Creek Candles, Liberty, KY

Goose Creek Candles improves HVAC efficiency, bottom line

Goose Creek Candles is a family-owned company that was founded in 1998 by Chuck Meece in a small Kentucky town. Along with his wife, Tamara, Chuck grew Goose Creek Candles from producing candles from his home to having mass production facilities across the United States. In… [Read More]
Kentucky
REAPSmall Business
Photo Chuck's Foodland, Inc.

Small Town Grocery Store Prides Itself on Making Your Shopping Experience the Best it Can Be

Many people in rural communities will agree that having access to a grocery store is very important to the community.  It means easy access to healthy foods, not to mention it provides jobs and tax revenue. A small-town grocery business in Beresford, Chuck’s Foodland, Inc… [Read More]
South Dakota
REAP

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