Photo: Courtesy bix417.com COLUMBIA, Mo. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D. Clark Thomas announced 19
COLUMBIA, MO, Oct. 8, 2021 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced 19 organizations statewide are being awarded a total of $1,006,698 to create jobs and increase economic opportunities throughout the state. "USDA Rural Development has worked tirelessly to support rural Missouri businesses throughout the pandemic," said Thomas. "The Rural Business Development Grants announced today will create or save more than 700 jobs in rural Missouri. We look forward to continuing to assist more rural businesses recover and grow this fiscal year." USDA is awarding the grants through the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. Recipients may use the funds to provide technical assistance, training, and job-creation activities to small rural businesses. In Missouri: Downtown West Plains, Inc. will use a $32,693 grant to assist Ozark Small Business Incubator (OzSBI) repair the outdated security acces