City of Abilene Awarded $89,787 USDA Grant to Launch Rural Business Accelerator

Representatives from the City of Abilene, Driving Dickinson County and community partners gathered to recognize an $89,787 USDA Rural Business Development Grant awarded to the City of Abilene for the Rural Business Accelerator Program. Holding the check, from left, are Gimmie Jo Jansonius, USDA Rural Development State Director, and Abilene Mayor Brandon Rein. Behind the check, from left, are Baillee Youk of Driving Dickinson County; Austin Britt, DDC Board Member; Kari Zook, DDC Board Member; DDC President and CEO Natalie Muruato; Julie Roller Weeks, Director of the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau; Elizabeth Weese, Executive Director of Community Foundation of Dickinson County; Tony Geiger, DDC Board Member; and Jackie Hynes of Events and Marketing Director of Driving Dickinson County.

New program will expand hands-on training, coaching and technical assistance for rural businesses beginning this fall

The City of Abilene has been awarded an $89,787 USDA Rural Business Development Grant to establish a Rural Business Accelerator Program, which will be delivered in partnership with Driving Dickinson County.

The year-long program will begin Oct. 1, 2026, and run through Sept. 30, 2027, providing eligible small and emerging rural businesses with practical, hands-on support designed to strengthen operations, improve stability and position businesses for long-term growth.

Through the Accelerator, participating businesses may receive assistance with financial and operational planning, technology and artificial intelligence, workforce and human resources, succession planning, training, business assessments and implementation of consultant-recommended improvements. The program was developed around a challenge common among rural business owners: many know where their businesses need support but lack the time, resources or access to specialized expertise needed to address those challenges while also managing daily operations.

“The City of Abilene is excited to receive this USDA Rural Business Development Grant and bring additional resources to support Abilene’s businesses and entrepreneurs,” Abilene Mayor Brandon Rein said. “Small businesses are essential to Abilene’s economy, our downtown, and the experience we provide residents and visitors. This investment will give local businesses access to additional training, coaching, and resources to help them grow and succeed. We are proud to partner with Driving Dickinson County on this effort and to bring these federal dollars home to Abilene, where they can be put to work strengthening our local businesses and economy.”

The City of Abilene will serve as the grant recipient and fiscal agent, while Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation, doing business as Driving Dickinson County, will administer the day-to-day program and serve as the business-facing delivery partner. Driving Dickinson County will coordinate outreach, business intake and eligibility screening, consultant services, workshops, training, follow-up and program outcomes.

For Driving Dickinson County President and CEO Natalie Muruato, the program represents an opportunity to strengthen support for businesses during the many challenges that can arise between startup and expansion.

“We have a lot of great resources for someone who has an idea and wants to start a business, and we have financing and other tools available when a business is ready to expand. Where I believe we can make an even bigger difference is everything that happens in between,” Muruato said. “Businesses run into challenges. They may be struggling with cash flow, workforce, technology, marketing, operations or simply figuring out what their next move should be. The hardest conversations I have are with business owners who come to us when the problem has become so serious that there are very few options left. I want to change that.

“When a challenge comes up, I want a business owner’s first thought to be, ‘Driving Dickinson County will know how to help.’ We may not always have the answer ourselves, but we can help find it, bring the right people to the table and work alongside that business before a challenge becomes a crisis.”

Muruato brings experience in rural economic development, small-business assistance, entrepreneurship, business retention and expansion, strategic planning and grant-funded programming. Her experience as a former rural business owner also provides first-hand understanding of challenges facing small businesses, including limited time and cash flow, workforce shortages, changing technology and succession concerns.

The Rural Business Accelerator is designed to serve eligible businesses across North Central Kansas, with a concentration in Dickinson and Clay counties. The program is expected to assist approximately 45 small and emerging businesses. It also projects the potential to support the retention or creation of 58 to 83 jobs over time. Those figures are projections, and actual outcomes will be measured through business intake, follow-up surveys, consultant documentation and program reporting.

The USDA award is part of a $125,400 total project investment, with additional local support helping extend the program’s impact. The Community Foundation of Dickinson County has committed $10,000 toward eligible business implementation needs, while Driving Dickinson County is also providing cash and in-kind support.

That collaboration reflects a larger approach Driving Dickinson County is using to support economic development: bringing together public, private and nonprofit partners around the needs of local businesses.

The Accelerator will also complement a growing network of business and entrepreneurship resources available through Driving Dickinson County, including its Business Education Series, Network Kansas e-Community resources and other business assistance efforts.

It also follows the recent launch of the Young Roots Market – Dickinson County initiative, which is designed to introduce young people to entrepreneurship and help them learn what it takes to turn an idea into a business.

Together, the initiatives represent different points along the same economic-development continuum: cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurs while providing today’s businesses with the resources and expertise they need to remain strong, adapt and grow.

For Driving Dickinson County, that directly supports its mission to drive business growth and connect communities through leadership, resources and advocacy.

Strong rural economies are built not only by recruiting new businesses, but by helping existing businesses remain viable, retain jobs, navigate change and create opportunities for the people and communities they serve. The Rural Business Accelerator adds another layer to that work — combining local relationships with specialized expertise and resources that individual businesses may not otherwise be able to access.

Driving Dickinson County is proud to help build a more roadmarkable future by connecting businesses with the resources, relationships and support they need to grow.

Details about eligibility, participation and how businesses can access the Rural Business Accelerator Program will be announced ahead of the program’s Oct. 1 launch.