Delta Regional Authority reaching out to small businesses

8/23/2011

The Delta Regional Authority, a council focused on businesses and quality of life in the Mississippi delta region, is hosting seminars throughout August with local small businesses and lenders to improve the economic state of the authority's district.

DRA covers several counties in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and Alabama. According to the organization, most of the region is in a state of economic distress by Economic Development Administration standards, including significantly more unemployment than the national average and high levels of poverty.

The meetings are in conjunction with the White House Rural Council, and two have already taken place in Clarksdale and Selma, Mississippi. Tuesday and Wednesday this week will see roundtable discussions in the northeast Louisiana city of Bastrop and Pine Bluff in central Arkansas, respectively.

"Rural small businesses are the backbone of the Delta economy," noted DRA federal co-chairman Chris Masingill. "While we have seen many economic bright spots, some communities are continuing to struggle."

Small businesses account for more than half of the U.S. private sector workforce, and an even higher percentage of rural employment. Business experts and politicians are touting gains for smaller firms as the likely harbringer of overall economic improvement.