The Center for Rural Affairs’ Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP) is committed to helping rural small businesses succeed through action-oriented programming including lending, loan packaging assistance, small business training, one-on-one counseling and networking opportunities. In providing assistance to startup and existing entrepreneurs, an up-to-date and easy to use website is an important tool. To that end, we have been busy working behind the scenes on a major upgrade of the REAP website. We launched the new site on April 13, 2009, at http://www.cfra.org/reap.

Rural Americans face unique challenges in our current health care system. When Congress acts on health care reform later this summer, their legislation will need to address rural concerns if Congress hopes to fulfill the promise of making the health care system fair and equitable to all.

Elaine Mullin Receives Funds to Expand Business
The REAP Women’s Business Center recently recognized Elaine Mullin with a $3,000 award provided by the Women & Co.® Microenterprise Boost Program. Elaine owns and operates Elaine’s Hair Studio in Pawnee City, Neb. and has built a clientele of over 150 people in the area. She has over 30 years of experience working as a hair stylist.

Arlington, Virginia was the setting for the 2009 Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) Conference on May 16-19, 2009. Five REAP staff attended the training event.

REAP staff Jerry Terwilliger and Eugene Rahn both received awards recently recognizing their outstanding work with the Center for Rural Affairs’ Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP).

REAP Activities:
Two Computer Basics Workshops in Spanish will be offered in July by the REAP Hispanic Business Center in partnership with the University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension, Northeast Community College, and Wakefield Gardner Public Library. In August, a Business Plan Basics Training in Spanish is coming to Imperial. Look below for details on these and other events.