NEWS
RELEASE
United States Department
of Agriculture • Rural Development
3001 Coolidge Rd. • 2nd Floor North • Suite 200 • East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: (517) 324-5204 • Fax: (517) 324-5225 •
alec.lloyd@mi.usda.gov
Contact: Alec Lloyd
(517) 324-5204
USDA Visits Upper Peninsula Businesses, Partners
EAST LANSING, July 26, 2012 – U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Rural Development State Director for Michigan James J. Turner and Business Program Administrator John Padalino today visited sites across the Upper Peninsula to highlight how the agency is helping rural businesses.
“This is a great opportunity to see how USDA Rural Development is helping communities across the Upper Peninsula,” said Padalino. “From small start-ups to community libraries and hospitals, we are making a difference by improving the economy of rural Michigan and making our communities stronger, better places to live, work and raise a family.”
In the morning, Padalino attended a business roundtable at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. He also toured Marquette Food Cooperative.
In the afternoon, Padalino visited Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital in
Manistique. The hospital received a $19 million Community Facility Direct Loan
in 2011 to construct a replacement critical access medical facility.
The day closed with a visit to Spies Public Library, in Menominee. The library
received a $300,000 Community Facility Direct Loan earlier this year for repairs
to water leaks in the roof and windows. Rural Development financed construction
of an addition to the facility in 1995.
USDA Rural Development State Director for Michigan James J. Turner was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009. USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America. Rural Development has an existing portfolio of more than $170 billion in loans and loan guarantees. Visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov for additional information about the agency’s programs or to locate the USDA Rural Development office nearest you.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).