• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Center for Rural Affairs’ Rural Enterprise Assistance Project Provides Equity Awards to Rural Women

By Becky McCray

Fourteen women micro-entrepreneurs across rural Nebraska will receive a cash equity award from the Center’s Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP) Women’s Business Center. The equity award winners were announced at the Women in Business Benefit banquet on March 29, 2006 in Lincoln, Nebraska in correlation with Women’s History Month.

REAP is one of 15 Local Partners with the national Women and Company Microenterprise Boost Program. Glennis McClure, REAP Women’s Business Center Director said, “This is our second year in this project. With the nice boost these awards provided our member businesses last year, we were thrilled to once again be a partner in this national project and help Nebraska women-owned businesses.”

REAP clients selected to receive equity awards in 2006 include:

  • Marilyn Capps, MC Tax Prep, Falls City, NE
  • Carol Douty, Garden Lane, Milford, NE
  • Darla Grace, Your Country Neighbor, Peru, NE
  • Sandra Gutierrez, Bilingual Consulting Services, South Sioux City, NE
  • Pat Setlik & Connie McFadden, Cottonwood Lane, Loup City, NE
  • Rhonda Dowling, RT Fudge, Burwell, NE
  • Martha Martinez, Esperanzo’s Creations, South Sioux City, NE
  • Carla Mayo, Cedar Creek Steakhouse, Humboldt, NE
  • Harriet McFeely, Country Meadows, Hastings, NE
  • Lisa Johnson, Lisa Johnson Photography, Oakland, NE
  • Angela Rathe, By Design & Upholstery, McCook, NE
  • Katrina Schroder, Kats Kritters, Ainsworth, NE
  • Ronda Sherman, Sherman & Beel Photo LLC, Johnstown NE
  • Denice Swanson, The Drawer, Holdrege, NE

Recipients were selected through an application process coordinated by REAP. The awards can be used for essential business development activities such as marketing, technology purchases, website development, inventory, or professional services.

Funding for the Boost Program is provided by the Citigroup Foundation. Women and Company, a division of Citigroup, provides access to financial education and resources for women and is working with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) to implement and promote the program.

contact John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org

small biz rural entrepreneurship women CFRA REAP microenterprise Nebraska

  • About the Author
  • Latest by this Author
Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

www.beckymccray.com
  • Will trendy axe throwing and escape room businesses last? More experience-based retail: the Hat Bar
  • Create customer experiences online like Open the Shop With Me videos, and in person, like Silent Book Club
  • How to let customers know when changing your business hours

May 11, 2006 Filed Under: rural

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local"Move Your Money, bank local, invest localMulticolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week"Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A few people shopping in an attractive retail store in refurbished downtown building.

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission

Three kids in a canoe

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2025 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in