Rural Rising ignites entrepreneurial growth across Northcentral PA by equipping emerging business owners with knowledge, resources, and support to strengthen and sustain thriving enterprises that fuel regional prosperity.

Participants can expect to graduate from the program with a better understanding of business fundamentals that will help to propel them and their business to new levels. You’ll gain a new peer group, new mentors, and maybe even new friends. Those relationships will be invaluable as you continue to grow. Rural Rising helps you to build, grow, and emerge as a rural entrepreneur.

Who should apply: This program is designed for solopreneurs and small business owners with at least one (1) year in business and 50 or less employees. Any industry is welcome to and encouraged to apply.

How applicants are chosen: Applications will be reviewed by the board, and a brief interview will be conducted with a minimum of two board members. No more than 10 applicants will be chosen for participation. Applicants who apply and are not chosen are encouraged to apply for the next run of the program. Businesses that are competitive by nature of their product or service will not be entered into the same program year.

Format: The format will be mostly classroom style. There may be onsite visits to businesses in the region. The program will consist of a networking dinner, a full day launch session, two monthly meetings, and will conclude with a graduation ceremony.

Program Duration:

The program will run from September – March, two meetings per month.

Program Launch – August 31, 2026

Mentor/Educator Sessions – Every other Tuesday beginning September 1, 2026 – Concluding February 16, 2027.

*There will only be one meeting in December due to the holiday.

Graduation: March 3, 2027, there will be graduation ceremony. Participants will present their Capstone Project

Educator Sessions

This is a sample of the courses that may be part of the Rural Rising program. We will attempt customize courses and speakers based on the feedback of participants during the application process.

Module	Focus Area	Learning Goals
1	Program Launch	Networking, understanding your business, identifying your goals, planning your future.
2	HR	Learn compliance, hiring employees, and creating culture.
3	Marketing & Social Media	Identifying your target market, how to reach them, and how to use social media in your business.
4	Legal	Intellectual property, risk & liability, contracts & agreements, trademarks, copyrights, etc.
5	Finance Fundamentals	Learn cash flow, budgeting, bookkeeping, and pricing basics.
6	Leadership	Developing your leadership skills and becoming an influential leader.
7	Graduation Pt. 1	Capstone Project presentations. Guest Speaker.

Rural Rising 2026