In 2021, USDA Rural Development in Pennsylvania partnered with Schwenksville Borough to turn their former firehouse into a borough hall and community center.

The Borough utilized the USDA RD Community Facilities program with a low-interest loan to renovate the property to meet their community’s needs. The facility represents the completion of the borough complex, part of long-standing revitalization goals reflected in the borough’s 2017 “Main Street Schwenksville Streetscape Plan and Design Guidelines.”

Transitioning to renewable energy or committing to significant energy efficiency improvements requires major investments of time and capital for a business. It helps to have a trusted advisor to navigate the process. In October 2023, USDA Rural Development in Maine announced three grant awards to help provide that kind of trusted advising in Maine. The program is called REAP TAG, and Sustaine (with a Maine office in Skowhegan) secured one of the grants.

They may not be quite as colorful as their counterparts from the acclaimed 1989 film, but the women behind the Theatre Guild of Buchanan County are “Steel Magnolias” in their own right with a fierce commitment to lifting up their community and providing an artistic outlet for its youth.

Rural communities across Maine may share many of the same goals, but collaboration can be difficult when they are separated by great distance and challenging roads. What’s more, small towns often have lean staffs, making it especially hard to make time for strategic planning.

How RBDG Transformed ECC's HVAC Program 

By Sierra Rusco

Brian Watson, HVAC Program Coordinator at East Central College in Union, Missouri, is passionate about teaching. With his career in the HVAC industry, Brian finds it essential to give his students the best education possible to prepare them for their careers. When he saw something missing in his curriculum, he made the ECC administration aware of the need.

Since 1997 Town & Country Supply Association merged with two other cooperatives to provide high quality fertilizer products and on-site services at competitive prices to Montana’s farmers and ranchers. The rural community of Lockwood, Montana, is home to Town & Country’s Mega Fertilizer Plant. At this plant, members of the agricultural cooperative can order custom aggregated fertilizer to match their personalized needs. However, the plant’s success quickly outgrew its capacity for raw materials.

In the neighborhood of Mount Holly, New Jersey, amidst leafy streets and usually friendly faces, resides Antonia Santos, a spirited retiree with a knack for do-it-yourself projects. Her story intertwines perseverance, a few helping hands, and a work ethic that can’t be disrupted.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Ms. Santos has traversed the globe, calling places like Florida and Costa Rica home before settling in New Jersey for a second time.

Mary West-Hutchinson, a real estate broker in West Point, California, was tired of commuting. She’d leave the tall rural pines of her home community and drive 80 minutes to the more densely populated Lodi for work. In addition, she was taking college courses, working toward her real estate license, and wishing for the day she’d call her own shots. That day came after she visited the post office in nearby West Point and learned a local real estate broker was looking for agents. Freshly licensed, Mary knew this was the place for her and she left the long commute behind.