Success Stories

Displaying 1 - 10 of 16

August 13, 2024

EDA Helps the Wood Products Industry Branch Out in the Northern Forest

Timber markets are one of America’s most valuable, yet unpredictable, natural resource industries. It is no stranger to volatility, going from boon to bust and back again. As recently as 2019, paper mills and biomass electric plants were closing in Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont, a four-state region collectively referred to as the Northern Forest. As the plants continued to close, the demand for wood harvested in the region began to decline.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Manufacturing
June 11, 2024

EDA Opens the Door to Success for Alabama Entrepreneurs

It is in that same spirit of preparedness that Vivian’s Door provides business training to the community, maintaining an open-door policy with its students - small business owners and entrepreneurs. It’s more than just helping them grow their businesses, but rather serving the whole community.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Small Business Development/RLF
April 9, 2024

With EDA Support, Maine’s Marine Industry Reaches New Depths

The seafood industry is often described as the lifeblood of Maine, providing food to customers the world over. Generations of fishermen have sailed its waters in search of lobsters, crabs, scallops, and a variety of other fish. In recent years, the cultivation of oysters, mussels, seaweed, and other species has added to their hauls. Seafood, along with forestry, agriculture, and outdoor recreation, is one of the iconic natural resource-based industries that dominate the economy in the Pine Tree State.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
April 4, 2024

Multiple EDA Grants Transform Base Closure into Economic Opportunity in West Texas

The place-based investment is core to EDA’s mission, with our team working closely with local community leaders to ensure EDA’s grants support targeted economic development based on each community’s unique needs. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, which allows EDA’s grants to be flexible, dynamic, and meet the moment that’s called for in each community. In Lubbock, Texas, that has translated into multiple EDA investments, as leaders turn a painful Air Force Base closure into economic opportunity for the region.
  • Infrastructure
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Manufacturing
  • Workforce Development
December 15, 2021

Venture Capital Fund Focuses on Boosting Businesses in Rural Colorado

With a focus on rural communities, a venture fund in western Colorado is helping to create new opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses. The Greater Colorado Venture Fund (GCVF) started in 2018 and focuses on supporting early-stage startups.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
November 2, 2021

EDA Incubates Innovation and Entrepreneurship in St. Petersburg, Florida

The name St. Petersburg conjures up visions of warm, sandy beaches, a variety of theme parks, and two-time Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Like many cities today however, St. Petersburg is looking to redefine itself, with an eye on technology and the innovation that drives it.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
September 15, 2021

Elevate Ventures Leverages EDA Grant, Exceeds Expectations

An EDA grant to Indianapolis-based venture development firm Elevate Ventures has provided free entrepreneurship training to more than 500 entrepreneurs from across Indiana since 2019 – more than twice what was projected.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
September 8, 2021

With EDA Support, Washington State Gives a Green Light to the Blue Economy

As home to the fifth largest seaport in the United States and a maritime industry valued at $38 billion, Washington state may not seem like a place that needs additional resources to support maritime-directed economic development. But four-year-old Seattle-based nonprofit Washington Maritime Blue is helping fill a very specific gap in the region’s economic landscape.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
August 26, 2021

Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2018. It was created as a business generator, designed to inspire and support local African-American entrepreneurs as they innovate, create jobs and build wealth.
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship