Success Stories

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.

Waccamaw Economic Opportunity Counsel  recently was awarded two Community Facilities Grants totaling $99,900 to enable them to purchase two buses for the Lane head Start facility located in lane, South Carolina. 

The Counsel matched funds for their contribution of $80,246 to make this… more

Ceremonial shovels were standing ready for a groundbreaking ceremony that was held at Limestone College located in Gaffney, South Carolina on January 28, 2020 celebrating a $38 Million Investment from USDA Rural Development which will enable the college to build a new Library and Student Center… more

Just a few minutes south on Route 27 from Nicholasville is arguably one of the most important Civil War locations in the commonwealth.

At the start of the Civil War, Kentucky declared its neutrality, but when the Confederacy tried to take the state by force in 1861, the legislature… more

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?

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.

The commercial fishers in the small southern Oregon coastal community of Port Orford were reliant on the corporate model to sell their catch.

“The fishermen here are fiercely individualist and there’s all kinds of characters,” said Aaron Longton, captain of the Goldeneye. “But when it… more

While stories abound about rural hospitals closing across the country, Curry General Hospital on the southern Oregon coast demonstrates how a rural hospital can expand and thrive.

In Gold Beach, residents were served by a small, outdated facility that was built in the 1950s and designed… more

For more than 25 years, Rural Nevada business owners have benefited from a small but powerful alternative lender – the Rural Nevada Development Corporation (RNDC).

Sandra and Michael thought homeownership was beyond their reach. They never imagined it was not only possible but that they could reduce their housing expenses by buying a home.

They were living in a manufactured house with their three children and their dog. The home was built in the… more