The Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP), a program of the Center for Rural Affairs, works with startup and existing small businesses with five or fewer employees across rural Nebraska. REAP once again had an exceptional year helping small business. The staff reached large numbers of rural entrepreneurs (over 2,000) and placed a lot of micro loans (45). REAP’s Women’s Business Center and Hispanic Business Center also continued to expand their programming and services.

Although the numbers are impressive, the people are what inspire the staff. Larry Harbour received REAP assistance in 2008. Larry established LB Custom Chrome and Detail, LLC, in Broken Bow, Nebraska, as a side job in 2001 and officially in 2006.

Larry and his wife moved to Broken Bow from Omaha in 1998. Like many entrepreneurs, Larry decided to take a risk by renting a shop in a downtown location in Broken Bow in October 2006. The risk paid off. For the first year, Larry’s detailing business had a 1-2 month wait list, and the business was off and rolling.

In the winter of 2007, Larry heard about REAP office hours at the Broken Bow Chamber of Commerce and decided to make an appointment. After months of working on a business plan with REAP Business Specialist, Dena Beck, Larry was approved by a local bank for a loan to expand his business to a new location in Broken Bow.

The expansion will allow LB Custom Chrome and Detail to add two additional jobs, totaling one part-time and two full-time. The assistance Larry received through REAP has been a difference maker, and REAP is very proud to have played a part in the successful expansion of Larry’s business!

And, back to those numbers: from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008, the REAP program:

• Trained or counseled over 2,000 entrepreneurs.
• Placed 45 loans totaling $429,491 and leveraged an additional $635,150 from other sources due to REAP assistance.
• Helped to create or retain 320 jobs.

Since 1990, REAP has provided business development services to over 10,000 micro businesses. Historically, REAP has placed 616 loans totaling $4,478,346 while also leveraging an additional $9,872,805 from other sources due to REAP assistance.

Questions or comments about REAP can be addressed to Jeff Reynolds, REAP Program Director at 402.656.3091 or jeffr@cfra.org.