News Release
Idaho Falls– As anyone in business will attest, business cycles are hard to predict and can often be counter intuitive. So many external market forces can have a real impact on business activity from one year to the next.
The Regional Development Alliance, a regional source of alternative business financing, has experienced this ebb and flow firsthand over the years. Connie Chadwick, executive director of the RDA, explains “ We pay close attention to national, regional, and local trends in business sentiments to help us gauge what we might expect in loan activity from season to season. It’s often difficult to find a correlation between national and local trends. Even financing trends from our northwest region don’t always impact activity closer to home.” As the RDA celebrates their twenty-seventh year in business they look back on a successful 2025. Chadwick continued,” I’ve been with the RDA for twenty-five years and have pretty much seen it all…the highs and the lows. The last 12 months hasn’t been our biggest year, but it was very successful. There seems to be a renewed optimism in the region and that helps make my job more enjoyable. Alot goes into this type of work, and I’d like to thank my dedicated Board of Directors for all their help and support this year.”
The Regional Development Alliance, is a private, not-for-profit business financing company. They primarily serve seven regional counties including Bannock, Bingham, Bonneville, Butte, Custer, Jefferson, and Madison.
Executive Director of
The Regional Development Alliance
20 Years of Economic Impact
May 1st marks the 20th Anniversary of the launch of the Regional Development Alliance. It’s a milestone they’re excited to achieve and involves a celebration they share with communities across a seven-county region.
The RDA’s mission, from day one, was to provide financing to growth companies located in the communities they serve. Connie Chadwick, the executive director of the RDA explains, “We always believed that by assisting firms with an alternative source of capital to meet their expansion needs, we could directly impact the process of new job creation.”
Well the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. To date, companies financed by the RDA have created over 6,000 regional jobs. Chadwick continued, “Over $26 million has been committed to area firms of all sizes in support of expansion opportunities. We are particularly proud of the fact that this money has gone to companies in all seven counties in our region.”
Since its inception the RDA has received over $2 billion in loan requests.
To maintain a quality client experience, the RDA has added flexibility to their efforts over the years. Today they’re able to give full consideration to funding applications from nearly every business sector. Regarding usage guidelines Chadwick noted, “Funds received from the RDA may be used for operating capital, real property, equipment, inventory, startup costs or other appropriate expenditures. Loans can even be used to finance retail operations in limited rural areas of the region.”
In addition to their standard loan program, the RDA also offers a microloan program designed for startup businesses needing small amounts of cash to help jump-start a great idea.
The RDA Board of Directors has provided guidance for the last two decades. This voluntary group represents every county in the region and is made of people who are truly committed to the region’s well-being.