About New Growth
What is New Growth?
New Growth is the trading name of West Central Community Development Corporation, a rural-Missouri non-profit founded in 2017 to support entrepreneurship, food systems, financing, and transportation in west central Missouri (and increasingly Kansas). It is affiliated with the parent West Central Missouri Community Action Agency (WCMCAA), a community-action agency with 27+ years of operating history. New Growth's work is structured around four programs: Lending & Credit Building (an SBA microlending intermediary that's an emerging Community Development Financial Institution and a member of the national Credit Builders Alliance); Business Development (the SBA-designated New Growth Women's Business Center serving men and women across 15 rural Missouri and Kansas counties, plus the START HERE Business Acceleration Network); Food Systems (beginning-farmer training, Farm-to-School work, Double Up Food Bucks farmers' market incentives, the annual Farm to Fork Summit & Expo, and the multi-state Heartland Food Business Coalition); and New Growth Transit, a social-enterprise volunteer-driver rural mobility service.
Where will I work?
New Growth operates from two primary office locations: 112 W. 4th Street, Appleton City, MO 64724 (the main New Growth + Heartland Food Business Coalition office) and 508 N. Main Street, El Dorado Springs, MO 64744 (Women's Business Center + Transit). Coverage extends across Bates, Benton, Cass, Cedar, Henry, Hickory, Morgan, St. Clair and Vernon Counties as the primary service area, plus extended work in Barton, Camden, Dade, Dallas and Polk Counties in Missouri and Bourbon and Crawford Counties in Kansas. The January 2026 hiring announcement says open positions involve "a mix of remote and in-person work" — so day-to-day routine combines time in the offices, time on the road across the rural service area, and time working remotely.
What is the New Growth team like?
The senior team blends New Growth and WCMCAA leadership. Sheridan Garman-Neeman, who was part of New Growth's founding in 2017, leads as Chief Operations Officer; Kelly Ast, with Vernon County roots, runs New Growth Transit as Regional Mobility Chief Officer; Katie Nixon is Food Systems Director at WCMCAA and operates her own certified-organic market farm while providing leadership at the Kansas City Food Hub; Patty Cantrell is Outreach & Development Director after a career in community economic development and journalism; Mary Lou Schussler is CEO of WCMCAA and New Growth CDC with 27 years at WCMCAA; Aaron Franklin is President and CFO of WCMCAA. Other named leaders include Kenney Hutchison (Regional Mobility Director, NG Transit, with WCMCAA tenure since 2004), Rondle Dines (Director of the Women's Business Center), and Jaclyn Carroll (Business Services Director, rural west central Missouri farming background). Volunteer drivers form a community of hundreds — Helen Crowder, honored at the Missouri State Capitol, drove more than 44,000 miles last year.
Work-Life Balance
The January 23, 2026 hiring blog post for the Programs and Policy Director and Farm Outreach Coordinator roles is explicit: "Both positions offer the chance to make a real impact in rural Missouri while enjoying a four-day work week, a mix of remote and in-person work, and great benefits." That makes a 4-day week available to staff and pairs it with a hybrid pattern that mixes office time at Appleton City / El Dorado Springs with farm-and-community visits and remote work. The work itself follows a rural rhythm — Farm to Fork Summit, harvest-season educational events, and growing-season schedules around farmer outreach — and the organisation's stated philosophy is that "our team works collaboratively across programs to strengthen local economies and build resilient food systems."
Perks and Benefits
Verified from the January 2026 hiring blog post on newgrowthmo.org:
- Four-day work week
- Mix of remote and in-person work (hybrid across Appleton City + El Dorado Springs + service-area travel)
- "Great benefits" (the blog post does not enumerate specific health/pension figures, so individual numbers are not listed here; verify with HR at application time)
- Mission-driven role making a real impact in rural Missouri
- Access to a multi-state nonprofit and USDA + SBA partner network including the START HERE Business Acceleration Network and the multi-state Heartland Food Business Coalition
- Collaborative small-team culture across four programs (Credit & Lending, Business Development, Food Systems, Transportation)