Rural Development Business and Cooperatives Program
A USDA Rural Development and NCA&TSU Partnership
Success Stories
1) Painting By Charles
Outline of Need:
Mr. Charles Williams is a seasoned painter and has been in this profession for about 20 years. He has been operating his own construction company for the past ten years. Mr. Williams has been doing well in his operation, but realized that he needed a more organized and systematic way of keeping his records since his memory is not as good as it use to be 20 years ago. He has been thinking about getting a better record keeping system.
How Rural Development Helped:
Mr. Williams heard about the QuickBooks Class for small businesses being offered by our rural business project and gave a call to the Business Development Officer of the project who explained to him the benefits of using the QuickBooks software in a business. Mr. William was excited, because immediately he knew that was the solution to his problem and furthermore, never imagined that this could ever be available to him at no cost. Mr. Williams enrolled and attended the 12-hour hands-on classroom training in QuickBooks.
Mr. Williams and other participants watching as the facilitator demonstrates on the screen an activity in QuickBooks
The Results:
Mr. Williams set up his company in QuickBooks during a class exercise. This was customized to meet the exact needs of his business. He also gained a working knowledge of tracking customers and vendors, issuing invoices, payment of bills and tracking bank balances. Mr. Williams plans on installing the software on his personal computer and build on what he developed during the class in business record keeping. He envisages that this will help reduce the time that his CPA spends in reorganizing his records and therefore a reduction in fees paid for those services. Most importantly, he will be able to monitor his business performance more accurately and in a timely manner.
2) Marketing Opportunity for Small Pork Farmers
Outline of Need:
Small Pork farmers in the project area have had problems marketing their produce. Niman Ranch located in Iowa who was the main buyer of hogs in this area stopped its operations in June 2006 due to high cost of fuel prices to transport the animals to the Midwest. Since then these farmers have been looking for a potential marketing outlet. Our survey of these farmers revealed that their major problem is the lack of buyers.
How Rural Development Helped:
The trade center conducted initial market research and has identified a broker/retailer and a restaurant operator who runs The Pit Restaurant currently in Raleigh, North Carolina who is willing to purchase free range pork directly from the local pork producers. We facilitated a series
The Results:
The Pit restaurant is in the final stages of negotiating with a group of 20 small pork farmers to purchase 15 pigs per week from them. This is a major breakthrough for these farmers, who have had difficulties securing a consistent market for their product. The Pit also has plans of expanding into a chain of restaurants that will operate in North Carolina. Therefore, there is potential for an increase in demand in the near future to include several more of the local producers in this arrangement. In the meantime, our partners at the Raleigh Business and Technology Center are providing business counseling and also helping The Pit to develop a comprehensive business plan for expansion.
3. Landis Gourmet Mushrooms
Outline of Need:
Mr. John Herron is a grading contractor by profession. His ambition to grow mushrooms in an old abandoned mill plant seems to be progressing. However, Mr. Herron has so far been experimenting to find the right strain and the correct production techniques that will be appropriate for his production set up. He is also in need of finances to enable him take advantage of the space he already has. Mr. Herron approached the Mushroom and Fungal Biotechnology Research Laboratory and the International Trade Center for expert assistance.
How Rural Development Helped:
Several visits have been made to Mr. John Herron’s facility in Landis North Carolina to consult with him on his production activities as well as the economic models that he can apply to make his business profitable. The project’s mushroom scientist has provided Mr. Herron with spawn for his use in production, and advice on how to set up his facility for optimal growth and fruiting of spawns.
The Results:
Mr. Herron now has the correct strain of mushrooms that can be cultivated in his facility to give profitable yields. He has so far received over 150 lbs of spawn for his indoor oyster mushroom production. The technical assistance and professional advice he has received from the project has enabled him to expand his production in the last two months. Furthermore, the project staff is helping Mr. Herron to set up a good record keeping system to accumulate relevant and reliable data that could be used for a loan application package to solicit for loans from RBS for the expansion of his business.
Assisting Mr. Herron of Landis Gourmet Mushroom with his records keeping
4. Indoor Mushroom Fruiting Facility
Outline of Need:
The marketing problems faced by many growers are due to their inability to supply mushroom all year round, making it difficult to build a loyal customer base. The remedy to this problem is to engage in indoor farming. However, indoor mushroom farming is a novel venture for many farmers in North Carolina. Many farmers will want to see a real success story before they are convinced to commit resources to it. The North Carolina Coalition of Farms and Rural Families is setting up an indoor production site to serve as a demonstration site for growers and also provide all year round production of mushrooms
How Rural Development Helped:
The mushroom specialist on the project, Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen, spent a couple of days providing technical assistance and assisting in the construction of a demonstration indoor fruiting facility in Rose Hill, Duplin County.
The Results:
An indoor facility is constructed. This facility can produce at least 200 lbs of fresh shiitake per week at full capacity. The mushroom specialist will run a demonstration in the facility once electricity is provided to the building. This will serve as a model for farmers. More than 10 persons are ready to venture into mushroom production after participating in the demonstrations at the Rose Hill facility
Indoor fruiting house in Rose Hill 
5. Farm Improvement Workshop
Outline of Need:
Most limited resource farmers lack access to adequate recourses and skills needed to efficiently manage their operations. Furthermore, many of them lack knowledge on where to acquire useful information that will benefit them. In addition, there has been a cultural resistance to the concept of developing a farm cooperative that has worked against efforts by small farmers to form farm cooperatives.
How Rural Development Helped:
The International Trade Center in conjunction with Dr. Godfery Gayle, a professor in biological and natural resources engineering at NC A&T State University, organized a two day Farm Improvement Workshop for small farmers on August 7th and 8th, 2007. These were aimed at improving farm management practices and to open up more opportunities for the participants. The 18 participants benefited from the following topics that were presented by the staff from the International Trade Center: “Production and Marketing of Shiitake Mushrooms,” “Growing your Business,” “Developing a Marketing Plan,” “Benefits of Cooperatives for Small Farmers” and “Farm Management and Accounting.”
The Results:
Participants have called in and also sent in e-mail messages, stating that the presentations were outstanding, informative and inspirational. Several of them requested and were provided with an electronic copy of an Excel spreadsheet developed by the staff of the center to help them keep daily farm records. In addition, participants from Richmond County have already held their first meeting to discuss the possibility of forming a cooperative. Mr. John Collins from Sampson County also expressed that the workshop has given him some essential tools to run his 4-H program effectively.
6. Mr. Montré Freeman
Outline of Need:
Mr. Montré Freeman is a young man with a drive for entrepreneurship. He is currently a Behavior Intervention Specialist for the Weldon City Schools. He has always had the passion to have his own business. This spirit of entrepreneurship was gathered as early as at the age of twelve, when he used to work with his father in painting and remodeling of homes. Since November 2006, Mr. Freeman has been operating an entertainment business that involves promotions, marketing and organizing parties. Out of his creativity and innovative ideas, Mr. Freeman plans to set up a new and unique Healthcare and Shelter Services in Halifax County. Although he had started working on a business plan for this idea, he realized that, he needed additional information and guidance on how to start a business and make it successful.
How Rural Development Helped:
Mr. Freeman signed up for the Business Academy, a collaborative effort of the International Trade Center (ITC) and the Roanoke Contractors Group. He expected to get the usual handouts and materials on the subject matter that could serve as a guide in his effort. Contrary to his expectations, Mr. Freeman has been impressed with the classes taught by the staff of the ITC.
“I marveled at how an advanced subject such as developing a business plan was made so elementary to my understanding,” he wrote. “The different components of a business plan, simple issues such as choosing a company name and developing a mission statement for your company gave me a strong foundation for planning. I did not have a business plan until now.”
The Results:
Mr. Freeman has since redone his business plan incorporating what he learned from the business academy classes, and has also come up with a name “Perseverance Health Care Services” a name that represents the mission and values of his business. In a couple of weeks the business plan will be submitted to his financiers, and Mr. Freeman is very confident that his plan will get the support of his financiers. The staff of the ITC will continue to assist Mr. Freeman through this process. According to Mr. Freeman, the benefits he has obtained from participating in the business academy is priceless and he has already recommended the program to three more of his friends, who are currently participating in the classes as well.
7. Tradewinds Electrical Contracting
Outline of Need:
Mr. Jones of Tradewinds Electrical Contracting has been an electrician since 1992 with a strong work history in industrial HVAC and Electrical installation. He has worked throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Florida. Mr. Jones currently wants to expand his business and sees a need for his wife to support him with the administrative duties.
How Rural Development Helped:
Mr. and Mrs. Jones therefore enrolled and participated in the Business Academy, a collaborative effort of the International Trade Center (ITC) and the Roanoke Contractors, to retool themselves with some entrepreneurial and business management skills. They benefited from topics such as developing a marketing and business plan, accounting and bookkeeping, and the use of QuickBooks in small businesses. Mr. Jones and his son also participated in the construction classes to improve their knowledge of bidding, estimating and contract documentation. These sessions covered topics such as best practices in bidding for construction projects, estimating and quantity surveying, and basic principles in mathematics.
The Results:
Tradewinds Electrical Contracting has been making positive progress ever since. The business development officer of the International Trade Center helped the Jones’s to develop an impressive qualification letter to bid for an upcoming project. In addition, Tradewinds is now administratively sound and is currently in negotiations with Roanoke Energy Resources, Inc. to form a joint venture.
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