EXCERPT: “Ever since Mary Hartman started her small business in Kasson 15 miles west of Rochester, she has felt a severe disparity in the availability of grants and mentorship opportunities that are needed to be successful. ‘That continues to be a problem in the rural sector,’ she said. Hartman got some needed help when she connected with Community and Economic Development Associates, a group that helps businesses in many Greater Minnesota communities. ‘We started seeing that a lot of rural companies and rural founders were not getting the support that they needed to scale,’ said Courtney Bergey Swanson, the vice president of development and collaborative services for the group. Hartman’s company, StableFeed — which makes feed and supplements for horses — is one of the businesses that has worked with the group’s Rural Business Innovation Lab, to which Hartman has looked for guidance on several things, like follow through with a marketing plan launched six weeks ago.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/3WFjP2a
