Success Stories

Babies crying, toddlers learning, preschoolers preparing for Kindergarten…Little Sprouts Learning Center in Alcoa, Tennessee invites their families to “Come Grow With Us”. This 8,500 square foot childcare facility offers seven classrooms, a cafeteria, and two playgrounds. Ms.… [Read More]

With a population of more than 20,000 residents and an expected growth of approximately 10,000 new residents, the Poplar Grove Utility District in Tipton County, Tennessee understands the importance of being able to support the new growth coming to their community. In September… [Read More]

On Friday, December 15, 2023; we made Christmas wishes come true for more than 1,100 K-8 students, faculty, and staff at Jonesborough K-8 Elementary School. The elementary school hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for a brand new 147,000 square foot K-8 school. The Town of… [Read More]

Heating and cooling is a luxury far too many of us take for granted. Imagine sitting in your kitchen day-after-day wearing two sweatshirts, two pairs of pants, and a stocking cap, just to keep warm. Well, this was a reality for Washburn resident, Ms. Donna Helton. Ms. Helton… [Read More]

Gary and Debra Norris are your typical retirees. They spent almost 15 years renting houses in a local single family housing development so they could enjoy the amenities available in the Crossville, Tenn. area. After renting several houses over the years, they decided it was… [Read More]

Agriculture innovation has changed over the years and one organization is using technology to educate and spark interest in the farming community.   “Discovery Park of America is a world class museum and heritage park located in a very rural area of Tennessee,” said Director of… [Read More]

Located in rural Humboldt, Tennessee, Mr. Aaron Webb of Webb Farm Solar Systems Inc., owns and operates a minority owned solar farm. This farm has been in operation since 2012, with Photo-Voltaic (PV) Solar Systems on several farm properties.  It was in 2019, when Webb walked… [Read More]

A continuous partnership between USDA Rural Development and Mountain T.O.P. has helped more than 300 families in the Cumberland Plateau with much needed home repairs. Mountain T.O.P. has received a total of 12 Housing Preservation Grants  to help qualified very-low and low… [Read More]

For the rural residents of Fentress County, access to training programs that provide the advanced skills needed to compete for available jobs can be challenging. Traveling outside the area for training is expensive and often conflicts with current employment. Welding is one… [Read More]

"It is truly a blessing to come home each day to our peaceful environment," said Amanda Gilliard. The goal of graduating from college and purchasing a home for her family has been realized. For the last seven years, Amanda has maintained full-time employment, complete a four-… [Read More]