Photo by George Lauby Maxine Moul at Gary's

Businesswoman and political leader Maxine Moul believes in business and opportunities, she said Friday on a visit to a new North Platte grocery store.

FREE Mobile Banking NOW AVAILABLE!

Moul, a native Nebraskan and former newspaper owner, predicts that rural Nebraska will prosper, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture stands ready to help.

“I’m really excited about the future,” she said. “We have the resources of the federal government to use to build communities and jobs.”

Moul is the new director of Nebraska’s USDA Rural Development, appointed by President Barack Obama. She stopped at Gary’s Super Foods and talked with owner Gary Suhr about his operation, which was founded with the help of the USDA.

There are 40 separate USDA loan programs, Moul said. Last year in Nebraska, the USDA loan and/or guaranteed $195 million in loans.

For new businesses such as Gary’s, the USDA can guarantee a bank that a business loan will be paid, even if the business fails, she said.

Those guarantees actually foster sound business planning, she said. To qualify, a business plan is first approved by a local bank, then state USDA offices and finally the federal USDA offices, so the business has to satisfy three levels of review.

Another readily available USDA loan program is for energy-saving equipment for rural businesses and homes, including windows, heating and air conditioning systems.

Those loans are available for multi-family and single-family homes owned by low- and middle-income families.

Among other business opportunities in Nebraska, Moul noted that local farmers are joining together to market their food products. She recently met with a food network that ships homegrown foods from Lincoln to Kansas City.

The USDA loan program is also helping renovate hospitals in McCook and Chadron.

Moul knows about small businesses in Nebraska. She and her husband started a newspaper in 1971 in Syracuse, Neb with one part-time and two fulltime employees. When the owners took an “offer we couldn’t refuse” in 1988, the company owned five newspapers, two weekly magazines, eight shopping flyers, and had 120 employees.

Moul then joined Ben Nelson in Nelson’s campaign for governor. The two candidates won a close election and Moul then served eight years as the Nebraska Lieutenant Governor.

She has worked with the financial side of community foundations and nonprofit organizations since she left state government.

For more information, see HERE.