Community Development
Rural Bridges
Rural Bridges helps rural communities identify, create, and recruit industries that can leverage technology to help isolated rural communities more effectively compete in the modern economy. The Rural Bridges program has:
- Helped rural communities in 14 Washington counties to expand jobs and entrepreneurial businesses through innovative application of information technology.
- Created more than 200 new living-wage jobs in rural communities across the state between 2001 and 2007.
- Provided direct assistance to 36 innovative rural businesses to improve profitability through expanded use of information technology.
- Received the Washington Governor’s Best Practice in Workforce Development Award in 2003.
- A strategy to create 5,000 new information driven jobs in rural Washington by the year 2013.
Food Processing
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Cooperation between WSU Extension and the Washington Manufacturing Services supported entrepreneurs in development of new food processing businesses and solved production problems in existing food processing facilities across the region. As a result of this partnership:
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Direct Farm Sales
Educational and developmental programs led by WSU Extension in Jefferson County educated entrepreneurs and helped them develop business plans and new farm-based products. As a result:
- Direct farm sales in the county increased from $60,000 in 2003 to more than $500,000 in 2006.
- A new cheese manufacturer initiated business and hired 10 employees.
- Eighteen new farms were established in the county by graduates of the program.
- Six full-time farmers are now able to fully support their families through direct market sales.
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