As Missouri gears up to build new businesses for economic innovation, it must increase on-the-ground small business support in rural Missouri. New Growth guest column July 10, 2023–Springfield Business Journal.

This summer New Growth and photojournalist Clayton Steward are working with the support of the Missouri Humanities Council to produce a set of photo stories that capture a day in the life of 14 rural west central Missouri businesses. The objective is to build awareness of the everyday activity and creativity that is alive and well in rural Missouri.

St. Clair County, Missouri, resident Matt Anderson moved his credit score from zero to 700 in less than six months with the help of nonprofit New Growth’s free credit building program.

Stacey and Larry Poe started Lucky Ducky Cleaning with a $5,000 loan from New Growth community development corporation. Less than two years later, the commercial cleaning company has contracts with 10 government office buildings and employs a team of nine workers.

Applications are open now for a free year of mentorship in Climate Smart farm conservation practices. Participants will receive 25 hours of one-one-one assistance from a team of experienced farmers who offer a broad spectrum of expertise.

New Growth Capital will build its capacity to finance low-income and underserved people through grant support from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund).

New Growth launches in 2023 a new partnership with the Ozarks Small Business Incubator (OzSBI), with a full-time Credit Building Coordinator working from OzSBI offices in West Plains, MO.

Six area school districts are currently working through West Central Missouri Community Action Agency to find and purchase local foods. Another 15 are exploring the farm-to-school opportunity with help from West Central’s Farm to School Specialist. State reimbursement up to $1,000 is available.

The New Growth Women’s Business Center is pleased to offer an opportunity for six rural women entrepreneurs to join a peer-to-peer support group and work one-on-one with women’s leadership coach Dina Readinger.

Sheridan Garman-Neeman begins work this month as Chief Community Wealth Building Officer at New Growth, a rural Missouri community development corporation (CDC) based in the state’s west central region. She will manage the growth and success of New Growth as a rural micro-entrepreneur development and financing organization. This includes New Growth Capital micro-loans to rural businesses and business technical assistance to rural men and women through the 15-county New Growth Women’s Business Center.

Locally owned and rooted businesses will feature greatly in the revival of rural Missouri as a place where people and businesses want to be. That’s who the New Growth community development corporation is working to support with rural small business development and flexible micro-financing programs.

The new Demystifying Wholesale video series features farmer-to-farmer advice on producing, packing, and marketing vegetables for local wholesale markets. It is produced by the Food Systems Program at West Central Missouri Community Action Agency as part of its Beginning Farmer Wholesale Project in association with the Growing Growers KC program.