2022 was an amazing year of partnership and growth at Communities Unlimited!  We love telling the stories created through those partnerships.  At Communities Unlimited we get to see incredible stories of resiliency through entrepreneurship, healthy foods, life-changing access to foundational human rights like water and wastewater and communities rallying to grow.  Rural access to opportunities is what it’s all about.  In 2022, these stories stood out to you.

It’s been a year full of these stories and as we wrap up the year we thought it would be fun to examine the Top 10 stories you viewed on our site determined by the number of page views.  Enjoy looking back at some of the most popular stories of 2022 and here’s looking forward to an even better 2023!

1.  NACOGDOCHES, TX RESTAURANT OWNER RECEIVES LOAN TO OPEN NEW RESTAURANT

Old Tyler Road Café LLC is located in Nacogdoches, Texas, and is the home of delicious foods and great music. According to the owner Barrion Johnson, it is also a place to celebrate with family and friends. Many restaurants in town do not have the space to bring out-of-town guests for a night of celebrating. He wanted to change that.

2.  THE PEOPLE’S CUP MICROROASTERY

Blair Edwards has always known that he would one day take his love of coffee and make it into a business. He realized that he loved coffee at a very young age, so he started working for a well-known coffee franchise when he was older. He used the experience he gained working to carry on with his dream. He learned everything he could about the details of roasting coffee, tasting coffee, and smelling coffee and decided to explore his own roasting methods. After experimenting, he decided it was time to open his coffee shop, but he wanted it to be different from any other coffee shop

3.  DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION GUIDE MRS. B ON THE KEYS TO THE TUNE OF SUCCESS

Emily Brandon is a popular figure in the Jackson, Mississippi, community. Her 17-year background as a public-school music teacher gained her the recognition of being a dedicated, results-orientated, passionate teacher and leader with expertise in the continuous improvement of inspiring students in their music education.

4.  THE GREAT FEAST RECIEVES A MUCH NEEDED FOOD TRUCK

Shavon Fields, an entrepreneur from Little Rock, Arkansas, knows all too well about setting goals and meeting them. After years of working in various jobs, where she felt like something was missing, she decided to find meaning

5.  CENTRAL ARKANSAS PRESSURE WASHING COMPANY OWNER MAKES PLANS FOR HIS GROWING BUSINESS

William Traylor is the founder and owner of 3-i Pressure Washing and Detail LLC., a full-service mobile detail and pressure washing company that services consumers and businesses in Central Arkansas.

6.   COMMUNITIES UNLIMITED WORKS WITH CARGILL TO ASSIST BLACK FARMERS

Communities Unlimited’s Healthy Foods Department recently joined forces with Cargill’s Black Farmers Initiative to purchase trailers for small-scale growers in three states to increase their farm capacity.

7.   MELOSONG PROPERTIES

Vickie Woodard, the CEO of Melosong Properties, Inc., a real estate company in England, Arkansas is too familiar with the struggles that her hometown of England faces.

8.   CYBERSECURITY FOR RURAL AND COMMUNITY WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS

Cybersecurity is not a new issue for utilities. It received the spotlight in 2021 when President Biden committed to strengthening our Nation’s cybersecurity, specifically by hardening our critical infrastructure.

9.   A COUPLE’S LOVE FOR CHEESE BECOMES A BUSINESS

Long before they even met, husband and wife duo, Raychel and Stephen Stapleton, both had a love for all things cheese.  They decided to make this shared passion a business and start Chattcuterie in Chattanooga, Tenn.

10.   SOUTH DELAWARE REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY

Small, rural communities work together to achieve big success. To say that South Delaware County Regional Water Authority has gone through a lot would be an understatement. The lengthy process goes back to 2012 when some of the smaller communities in southern Delaware County water supply began to have issues with their water treatment.