Success Stories

In September 2022, President Joe Biden announced the 21 winners of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC), a key component of his American Rescue Plan. The competition was designed to boost economic recovery from the pandemic and rebuild American communities, including those grappling with decades of disinvestment.

For more than thirty years, True Access Capital (TAC) has been empowering small business owners and entrepreneurs in Delaware and Pennsylvania, providing them with startup capital. Since opening its doors in 1991, TAC has provided nearly $50 million in funding to more than 1,400 organizations, allowing them to, in turn, open for business as well.

In 2007, Lowcountry Local First (LLF) opened its doors in Charleston, South Carolina. The founders of this non-profit organization wanted to advance economic prosperity and local ownership through innovative and inclusive initiatives—exactly the kind of initiative that would benefit from EDA’s investment.

Since 1943, the State of Maine was home to the Brunswick Naval Air Station, a training facility for pilots heading off to Europe during World War 2. They operated under the motto: “Built for Business.”  Today, that slogan has taken on a new meaning.

“I was just a humble chocolate maker with a dream.” Daniel Herskovic, a gourmet chef who worked at top restaurants in San Francisco, New York, and Chicago, started his luxury chocolate company, Mayana Chocolate, in his apartment and eventually moved to a small table in the corner of a local cheesecake bakery on Chicago’s North Side.

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s Gulf Coast, bringing heavy rains and 150 mph winds. It resulted in catastrophic loss and significantly impacted communities throughout the state. The storm left more than 2.6 million residents without power. Ian’s impact on the state’s economy was no less intense, with insurance losses topping $12.6 billion.

Puerto Rico is known as the Island of Enchantment, a favorite tourist destination revered for its white sandy beaches and cool tropical breezes. Each year, the island welcomes more than 4 million visitors eager to enjoy the sun and surf. Unfortunately, there are more and more unwelcome natural visitors, as climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of damaging storms.

Throughout much of the 20th century, Shelby, North Carolina, about an hour west of Charlotte, was a powerhouse of textile manufacturing. It was home to several mills, which produced yarn and thread for the clothing industry. It also had considerable transportation assets, making these products readily available throughout the United States. By the dawn of the 21st century, however, all of that would change.

North Carolina is no stranger to natural disasters. In recent years, the Tar Heel State has hosted some of the most destructive hurricanes in American history, including Dorian (2019), Florence (2018) and Matthew (2016). Combined, these storms have accounted for more than $24 billion in damages to homes and businesses and the loss of more than forty lives throughout the state.

On February 20, 2020, Washington state reported the first COVID-19 death in the United States. Within a month, the state issued one of the nation’s first stay-at-home orders, a directive that was initially to last for just two weeks. OneRedmond CEO Kristina Hudson, however, knew that preparation was the best precaution.