Trivia Night at the Liston Center on June 28, themed "Summer Lovin'," saw 12 enthusiastic teams competing in a festive 50s atmosphere, raising over $3,000 for the kitchen renovation.

They knew selling beef directly to neighbors and other people was possible, but the connections made through New Growth connected them with buyers they might not have thought of on their own.

How do the expenses add up? And why are people glad to volunteer? We break down the math and answer a few questions about being a volunteer driver for New Growth Transit.

What's it like to live in rural Missouri, need access to frequent medical care, but can’t drive yourself? Read about Gary and James, New Growth Transit riders who had limited choice in transportation.

At the heart of community action is Community! Join us for fun events hosted across West Central Missouri this summer in support of providing access to opportunities and choices for our neighbors and rural communities.

Rural businesses can face extra challenges to get past the "Death Valley Curve," a phase where startups balance growth potential with limited funding. Jessi Runner's Beauty Mark Mobile Salon exemplifies this support, having found the backing to expand with an innovative business model that benefits multiple rural communities.

New Growth works with entrepreneurs to pursue growing demand for food that does not travel thousands of miles from farm to plate. Though our partnership with the new five-state Heartland Food Business Center, we can provide industry specific support to food and farm entrepreneurs.

New Growth Transit addresses the challenge of limited transportation choices in rural communities. With over 500,000 miles of transportation provided, the demand is huge, and volunteer drivers find meaning from their service.

Empowering business owners of all genders, the WBC supports businesses in all phases of growth: start-up, expanding, or even as an idea yet.

Growing a business in our local rural region can have unique challenges. New Growth wants to bridge the gap by connecting both farm and non-farm business owners of West Central Missouri and Eastern Kansas to resources they may not know about.

The START HERE Business Acceleration Network is a team of resource partners working together to ensure rural small business success.

Bringing rural life to light – showing the everyday innovation and enterprise of people in rural Missouri – is the focus of the Rural Business Photo Stories Project at New Growth, a nonprofit community economic development organization based in west-central Missouri.