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The Rural Development Center provides grants and loans, grant writing and technical assistance, and product promotion services, primarily to non-profit and public institutions. A summary of recent activities in these regards follows.
Grant Writing
The RDC offers grant and report preparation assistance to companies, agencies, and organizations on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. The RDC has assisted with more than 50 research reports, grant applications, and studies. Research reports have involved faculty from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of Maryland College Park, and Salisbury University.
Examples:
- The Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Plan. The RDC also assists in its updates. Over 50 federal/state agencies, towns and counties are involved in the process.
- A $500,000 grant application for the construction of a "spec" industrial building for the Princess Anne Industrial Park.
- Funding proposals for the development of a hydroponic greenhouse facility on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus.
- Grant pre-application for the Smith Island Crabmeat Co-op Inc. to construct a mini-crab plant on Tylerton for production of crabmeat.
- Assistance with a business and marketing plan for the Ward Wildfowl Museum in Salisbury, MD, a major tourist attraction for the region with carvings and other wildfowl pieces from some of the best carvers in the world.
- An affordable housing study in the town of Princess Anne, MD.
- Economic Development Plans for the town of Snow Hill, MD as well as Dorchester, Somerset, Worcester and Wicomico counties to develop strategies for attracting clients to a light industry park and to assess the benefits and burdens of the project.
- A water allocation study analyzing the impact of increased available water supply on town housing growth potential in Princess Anne, MD.
- Environmental assessments for Pocomoke City, MD and watershed analyses of previous industrial sites in Somerset and Worcester counties.
Grants
The Rural Development Center provides grants to businesses and organizations on the Lower Eastern Shore. The funds support business startup, expansion and conversion. These funds help local organizations carry out special projects that benefit the economy and maintain a special quality of life. Public agencies receive funding for economic development projects.
Examples of grant recipients and projects::
Technical Assistance
The RDC provides technical assistance to businesses and organizations in a variety of ways, including:
- Hosting and sponsoring workshops and conferences such as the Homebased Business Workshop which provides a forum for home-based business owners to share information about this growing segment of the Lower Shore economy. Some of our major employers started out as home-based businesses.
- Buying and maintaining computer software and databases for writing studies, grants, marketing plans, surveys and impact assessment. We also provide this information to businesses and organizations so they can produce presentations and publications.
- Sponsoring and coordinating satellite downlink sites so local businesses and organizations can participate in satellite teleconferences such as the National Teleconference on Rural Tourism.
- Providing facilities and computer and audio-visual equipment to businesses and community groups for meetings and presentations that relate to rural development issues and economic development efforts throughout the Lower Shore counties.
- Presenting business and financial technical information to business startup and expansion projects such as the Yugo Honeybee Project on Smith Island.
- Funding pilot projects to assess the impact of new technologies on regional, economic, and cultural development such as these World Wide Web pages you are viewing now.
Revolving Loans
The RDC's Revolving Loan Fund enhances economic activity in Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties. The RLF assists business development and expansion. Funds for the RLF have been provided by the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED). Our goal is to increase the number of manufacturing jobs in the four counties. RLF lending priority is given to manufacturing businesses that create permanent jobs. The Rural Development Center was the first in the State of Maryland to be involved in Defense Conversion projects funded by the Economic Development Administration.
Features of the Loan Fund:
- Typical Loan Amount -- Average $150,000 to $250,000 with a minimum of $25,000, maximum of $500,000
- Maximum Loan Terms -- 20 years for real estate and fixed asset; 5-7 years for working capital
- Interest Rate -- Below market rates tied to prime interest rate
- Collateral Required -- Deeds of trust; machinery, equipment, and fixture liens; personal guarantees
- Participation Maximum -- Revolving Loan Fund participation is 50% of the total amount borrowed.
Examples of loan recipients:
Product Promotion
As part of our commitment to support local businesses and assist regional economic development, the Rural Development Center helps companies and business associations market their products. Marketing and promotion is done locally, nationally, and internationally.
A major focus of the RDC since 1991 has been assisting, the Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Council, which has acted as a forum for coordination among a wide range of public and private interests concerned about the future of Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore. The Committee is working for broad and continuous community involvement. Committee members have initiated discussions and activities to build a foundation for environmental, cultural and historical awareness in the region and to promote public-private cooperation and partnerships. The Rural Development Center supports these efforts in a number of ways:
- Developing promotional materials including a logo and portable photo display
- Assisting with a quarterly newsletter
- Conducting a survey to analyze public attitudes about heritage tourism and published the results
- Assisting research and grant preparation, as well as fundraising.
Additional examples of product promotions by the RDC include:
- Developing marketing materials for the seafood industries
- Supporting regional tourism cooperation and resource-sharing among Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties, e.g., the Beach to Bay Trail
- Assisting counties in promotion efforts to attract new business to the area, e.g., Smart Move
- Supporting studies such as "Preferences of Crabmeat Buyers: Implications for Maryland's Crab Processing Industry" that facilitate promotional campaigns in select industries.