Winners of Farm Credit East’s Lipinski Rural Initiatives Award Announced

 ENFIELD, CONN. — Farm Credit East was pleased to recently award two winners of the Lipinski Rural Initiatives Award. This year’s recipients are being recognized for their innovative approaches for investing in rural businesses and economic development. Each recipient was awarded $25,000. 

Northern Maine Development Commission, based in Caribou, Maine, provides critical technical assistance to bring capital investments to rural businesses in Northern Maine. The Northern Maine Development Commission’s Center for Business Growth provides high-quality, no-cost specialized capital advising and grant writing services to businesses in agricultural communities. Since 2020, the Center has supported over 2,000 businesses and entrepreneurs, preserving and creating 850 jobs in rural Northern Maine. The $25,000 award will be used to expand programs and enhance funding access for agricultural communities in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties. 

New England Rural Health Association, based in Barre, Vermont, prepares people in rural regions of Massachusetts to become community health workers via their Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network. The training network specifically focuses on recruiting legal migrant or immigrant community members to provide a pathway to a career in healthcare. By enabling people to shift from low-income jobs to well-paying, benefited jobs, there is an economic development impact on both the trainees and the local health centers and hospitals in need of skilled healthcare workers. The $25,000 award will be used to expand the Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network. 

“This award recognizes efforts to enhance the quality of life in Northeast rural communities that are critical to the farm, forest products and fishing businesses that depend on them,” said board chair John Knopf. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients! Both are doing excellent work to support rural communities, which will benefit the Farm Credit East customers who call those communities home. We hope this award furthers their efforts.” 

The Lipinski Rural Initiatives Award was created by Farm Credit East’s Board of Directors in 2020 to recognize former Farm Credit East CEO Bill Lipinski and aims to recognize innovative and transformational efforts to revitalize Northeast rural communities. Funding for the award was made possible by contributions from Farm Credit East matched by its strategic partner, CoBank.