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USDA Rural Development Grant Assists the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center

Name
Sherri McCarter
City
Knoxville
Release Date

USDA Rural Development State Director Bobby Goode today awarded Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC) with funding which will be used to provide technical assistance to agricultural innovation startup companies.

“Small, local businesses are the engines of a rural community,” Goode said. “We are happy to assist KEC in providing assistance to ag businesses and ultimately increase jobs and economic opportunities in the area.”

As a recipient of RD’s Rural Business Development Grant, KEC will use the $52,750 to develop resources and deliver services that foster innovation in agriculture and forestry. Led by the Entrepreneur Center in partnership with AgLaunch, a program of Memphis Bioworks Foundation and Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), utilization of these funds will be a collaborative effort focused on rural areas in the 16 county region served by KEC.

Others participating in the event include: Knoxville Entrepreneur Center Executive Director Jim Biggs, Ag Innovation Group CEO Pete Nelson, Tennessee Department of Agriculture Public Affairs Asst. Commissioner Corinne Gould, Roane Alliance President/CEO Wade Creswell, Grow BioPlastics Co-Founders Jeff Beegle and Tony Bova, Proton Power CEO Dr. Sam Weaver, USDA RD Assistant to the State Director Harriet Cannon, USDA RD Area Director Joe Woody and USDA RD Specialist Chuck Morris.

USDA Rural Development is moving investments to rural America with housing, business and infrastructure loans and grants to create jobs and strengthen rural economies with an emphasis to assist areas of persistent poverty.  Since 2009, the agency has assisted more than 1.5 million Tennessee families and businesses in 233 communities in all 95 counties of Tennessee, investing more than $7.6 billion through affordable loans, loan guarantees, and grants.

For more information on USDA Rural Development programs available in East Tennessee contact the Knoxville Area Office at 865-523-3338.  Visit us online at www.rd.usda.gov/TN.