Success Stories

Long hours and double shifts are a familiar routine for many entrepreneurs and Racine, Wisconsin-based aesthetician Tristah Romero-Kelly is no exception. In 2019, she opened her own business, Renew Medical Aesthetics , while continuing in her “day job” as a nurse practitioner at a clinic in Milwaukee.

Rob Snowberger is a U.S. Navy Veteran and local entrepreneur in Wilmington, Delaware. In July 2019, he opened the Faire Market and Café, a grocery store and coffee service. In addition to offering the community more food choices, this unique endeavor also served as an economic revitalization project, bringing new customers to the downtown area.

When psychologist Haleigh Scott completed her postdoctoral clinical training at the University of California, Davis she knew she could best continue her commitment to individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities in a small setting that would allow personalized patient treatment and case management.

Lawrence, Kansas, is already our planet’s default center on Google Earth. Now with EDA support, it will also serve as the center of bioscience and technology in the state.

California has experienced its share of wildfires. Nothing, however, could prepare the Golden State for the devastation of the 2018 Camp Fire. The historic and unprecedented conflagration laid waste to a large section of mountainous and semi-rural Butte County, going down as the single most devastating fire disaster in state history.

Mike Williamson is a former Air Force mechanic from Lynchburg, Tennessee. After serving his country, he returned to his hometown and opened Lynchburg Machine Tool, which provides tools and dies for the local automotive manufacturing industry.

For entrepreneurs, finding support for their potential business can be a challenge, especially for women, minorities, and those in rural communities. Fueled by a $250,000 Economic Adjustment Assistance (PDF) investment from EDA, a program in New Mexico was focused on improving access to entrepreneurial support by tapping into existing community resources.

Starting a small business can be a struggle, and for many entrepreneurs, knowing where to start can either make or break their potential business. Luckily, small businesses in Colorado Springs, Colorado can turn to an entrepreneurial support program, which will meet owners where they are and offer assistance every step of the way.

Exponential Impact launched in 2017, after Colorado Springs city leaders recognized a need for entrepreneurial support in the community.

While the accessibility of credit is vital to the success and growth of small business, research shows that lending to borrowers from marginalized communities continues to lag.1  In 2020, the CARES Act catalyzed a major expansion of the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) successful Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) program. RLFs provide small businesses access to capital in the form of gap financing to grow and generate new employment opportunities with competitive wages and benefits.  Prior to the onset of the pandemic, EDA’s RLF portfolio boasted a combined capital base of nearly $900 million; CARES Act recovery assistance helped grow the portfolio to more than $1.5 billion.

Over the last few years, many Americans have moved to Florida, making it one of the top destinations for domestic migration. In 2021 alone, more than 220,000 people moved to the Sunshine State.

Coupled with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, this mass migration put a serious strain on the state’s resources, minimizing its lending power to small, minority-owned businesses and other entrepreneurs. However, with assistance from the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the South Florida Regional Planning Council (SFRPC) is helping many such businesses develop and grow.