Success Stories
EDA investments catalyze strategic, regionally-focused plans to build strong economic ecosystems that will support entrepreneurship and business growth, enhance and grow their existing economic assets, and create well-paying jobs in growing sectors. By investing in bottom-up regional economic development EDA helped communities devise new, well-thought-out, sustainable strategies based on their unique assets.
EDA’s economic footprint is wide and its tool box is extensive—including technical assistance, post-disaster recovery assistance, trade adjustment support, strategic planning and research and evaluation capacity, thereby allowing the agency to offer the most effective investment to help communities succeed in the global economy.
We are proud of our grantees’ accomplishments and encourage you to submit your success stories:
Read some Success Stories from our Annual Reports.
Archives: Disaster | Economic Development Districts | Economic Development Integration | Infrastructure | Innovation and Entrepreneurship | Manufacturing | Small Business Development/RLF | Workforce Development
EDA-Funded RLF Program Helps Keep Pharmacy Open in Small Town in LouisianaTewelde’s Lafitte Drugs has operated inside a grocery store in Lafitte, Louisiana, for more than 40 years. It has long served an important role in the rural community of 2,500 people. May 24, 2022 |
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North Charleston’s Opportunity Center Helps Empower Entrepreneurs and Build Generational Wealth in Low-Income CommunitiesIn January 2022, The Opportunity Center opened for business in North Charleston, South Carolina, designed to create economic development opportunities for low-income communities. This innovative space provides workforce development, small business incubators, and coworking spaces benefiting entrepreneurs and start-ups, while maintaining offices of local non-profits actively working in the community and economic development sector. May 10, 2022 |
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Specialized Health Sciences Equipment has Unanticipated Benefits for CollegeSeveral years ago, Bismarck State College (BSC) was at a crossroads with its health sciences programs. BSC offered Nursing, EMT/Paramedic, Medical Lab Technician and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) programs as well as the only Surgical Technology program in the state. May 6, 2022 |
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EDA Grant Helps Power World’s First Carbon Fiber Remanufacturing FacilityIn 1965, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) was established and the sport of pickleball invented. Created by former U.S. Representative Joel Pritchard (WA-02) at his Bainbridge Island, Washington cabin, pickleball has since been named the state sport of Washington. Recently, it has seen a surge in popularity, becoming the fastest-growing athletic pastime in the United States. May 3, 2022 |
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EDA Helps Bring Jobs and Water to Northern PennsylvaniaTowanda is a small community in northern Pennsylvania, just a short drive from New York. It was founded in 1786 along the Susquehanna River, and by the 1800s, it was a thriving port for merchants. It was incorporated as a township in 1826 and is now home to more than 3,000 residents. April 19, 2022 |
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Pumps and Ladders: Francis Enos is Protecting the Protectors of California’s North CoastFire protection in California’s rural and heavily forested Humboldt County is provided by a patchwork of more than three dozen different agencies, many of whom rely entirely on volunteer firefighters. Maintaining the pumps and ladders on hundreds of pieces of firefighting apparatus along California’s North Coast is a job that’s almost as big as the giant Redwoods for which Humboldt County is known. It’s a job that falls, in part, to Ferndale, California’s Francis Enos Fire Pump Repair. April 12, 2022 |
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Colorado Business on the Brink of Exponential GrowthBAR U EAT started, quite literally, in a home kitchen. Unsatisfied with the granola and protein bar options in local stores in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Sam Nelson decided to make his own. He began making snack bars for family and friends and eventually they convinced him to sell the products. He teamed up with his life-long friend, Jason Friday, and BAR U EAT was created. March 29, 2022 |
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The National World War II Museum Uses Unique Ways to Teach HistoryThe National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, isn’t your traditional museum. Leaders pride themselves in using unique, innovative methods to share history with visitors. March 24, 2022 |
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EDA Support Helps Florida Relocation Company Move in a New DirectionAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 220,000 Americans moved to Florida in 2021, making it the nation’s top destination for domestic migration. With support from the Economic Development Administration, a Florida-based company is helping many Americans move to the Sunshine State. March 15, 2022 |
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With EDA Support, Washington State University is Helping Inventors and Entrepreneurs Succeed in Eastern WashingtonOver the last decade, Spokane, Washington has experienced a boom in growth. Much of the Lilac City’s recent economic success can be organically attributed to an innovative business landscape driven by a local sense of creativity and industry — the city’s motto, in fact, is “Creative by Nature.” March 9, 2022 |
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2 EDA Grants to Savanna, Illinois, Spur Manufacturing Investment and Job CreationAbout 10 years ago, the city of Savanna, Illinois, faced two economic development hurdles. The first was a three-quarter-mile, pot-holed-filled street, called Wacker Road, that rumbled as trucks passed a school and homes to get to industrial businesses. March 1, 2022 |
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Economic Development Districts After Two Power Plant Closures, Former Coal Community Gets its Second WindThe town of Somerset is a small, waterfront community in southeastern Massachusetts. It was incorporated in 1790 but has a rich heritage dating back to the founding of America. February 15, 2022 |
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