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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: 68 Stories
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]
REAPSmall Business

Last Piece of the Puzzle Lands Expansion

The last piece of this business expansion puzzle must be USDA Rural Development. Excel Boats, LLC determined in Fall 2017 they wanted to expand their business.  At the time, the company was building aluminum boats at their only manufacturing plant in Mountain View, Ark.… [Read More]
BusinessSmall Business

Rural Development project uses 3D printing in fight against COVID-19 spread

As Kentucky does its best to battle the spread of COVID-19, state and medical providers are looking for ways to answer the increasing need for medical personal protective equipment. One of those responding in a big way is a somewhat unlikely source: Somerset Community College,… [Read More]
BusinessEconomic DevelopmentHealth CareSmall Business
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]
REAPSmall Business
Durango Starr KOA

From Oregon to Colorado - USDA Funding Makes Business Possible

Relocating isn't always easy.  Finding a new job and a new home can be challenging.  For Julian and Kachina Starr, it was made a little bit easier with the help of a local lender and the USDA Rural Development Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program.… [Read More]
Small Business
Image of Pineae Greenhouse

Business is Blooming for Utah Greenhouse

Pineae Greenhouses, Inc. has been a familiar presence in northern Utah since 1952 when the Gold family opened a small greenhouse in  Bountiful, Utah. Since then the business has had to move further north to allow for expansion and to protect their product, as strong canyon… [Read More]
BusinessSmall Business

City of Manning Iowa’s Small Business Community of the Year

With a population of around 1,500 residents, leaders in the southwest Carroll County community of Manning are not striving to become one of the biggest cities in western Iowa, just one of the best. “There has always been something special about Manning and its residents,” said… [Read More]
Economic DevelopmentSmall Business
rural development mississippi, women in agriculture, mississippi delta southern rural black women, clarksdale, coahoma county

Expanding a Business One Sweet Potato at a Time

The Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Workers Opportunities, Inc. received $91,138 through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG). They are proposing to install a commercial kitchen with processing equipment to support the growth of a small emerging business – the… [Read More]
GrantsSmall Business

Local Potato Packager Expands in San Luis Valley

Colorado has a long, rich tradition of raising potatoes that dates back to the early 1880’s. Today, it is one of the top producing regions in the U.S., and the majority of the potatoes are grown in the San Luis Valley. While supporting a robust stock of producers, the San Luis… [Read More]
BusinessLocal FoodsSmall Business
Pandolabs offers training and mentorship opportunities.

New Business Incubator Gives Access to Expertise, Growth

For a starting entrepreneur, having a mentor or expert within reach on an as-needed basis to help answer questions, pitch ideas, and test theory may seem like a very expensive luxury. At one business incubator in Park City, Utah, however, it’s standard. At Pandolabs, those… [Read More]
Small BusinessBusiness

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