20 years of economic development expertise.

DRA Resources addresses systemic poverty through research, program design, and implementation. We work with clients on innovations that increase incomes, build wealth, and improve local economies.

What We Do

 

  • Our services enable cost-efficient investments that produce positive change in the lives of farmers, entrepreneurs, and others. We calculate social and financial return on investment (ROI) for new economic development strategies, programs, and initiatives. ROI may be demonstrated by measuring change at the level of individual income or community economic impact. Our work has included monitoring and evaluation plans, data collection and analysis, and facilitated focus group and key informant interviews.

  • We design and implement economic development projects, ranging from local and regional activity to large-scale, multi-stakeholder initiatives funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or Department of Labor. We work with clients from ideation through implementation, and can assist with proposal development, ensuring contractual outcomes, or staff training to foster internal organizational capacity. We advise clients on grants management and compliance to guide implementation, achieve results, and assure project integrity every step of the way.

  • Working closely with local, regional, and national stakeholders, we help clarify community needs and opportunities — and develop stakeholder-informed responses. Our work has included survey development and dissemination, meeting facilitation, or program impact studies. It has also included development of facilities for under-resourced farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurial food processors. We are especially interested in developing regional systems that can transform local economies, we specialize in engaging minority and women-owned small businesses and connecting them to opportunities.

  • We advise business support organizations, economic development agencies, and funders aiming to bolster small business ecosystems. As experienced entrepreneurs, we have advised multiple microbusinesses on launch, growth, and operation. Our goals in this work are to bolster income for business owners and to support wealth-building in lower-income communities. We focus on working with cohorts of microbusinesses, specifically those that are minority- or women-owned.

 

Leadership

Danita and Juan are Latino entrepreneurs from working class backgrounds with lived and working experience in small town economies. Together, they have started, managed, funded, and/or advised more than 15 enterprises, including value-added products, retail, wholesale, and service businesses. DRA Resources is a Federally certified 8(a) minority & women-owned business.

They have worked with farmers, food chain enterprises, and support organizations in United States, Europe, Mexico, and Central America. Over the last 15 years, DRA Resources has secured and directed over $60m to agricultural systems change and worked for a decade toward creating a vibrant, sustainable agricultural economy in rural Mississippi and the U.S. southeast.

 

  • President and Principal Consultant

    Danita is an economic development specialist, entrepreneur, and small business advisor. She founded DRA Resources (originally Danita Rodriguez & Associates) in 1999. For over two decades, she has specialized in evaluation, small business planning, organizational learning, and data-based decision making to help organizations maximize impact in low-income communities. As a serial entrepreneur, she has started and invested in small businesses in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking household in a rural, Southwest mining town, Danita has become a fierce advocate for individuals working themselves out of poverty, having raised over $60 million for local development initiatives. She received her Masters in Economics from the University of Arizona.

 
 

  • Project and Finance Manager

    Juan is a seasoned technical specialist who implements and oversees federal and state grants and contracts. He brings practical firsthand experience in artisan value-added products and retail business management. As a bilingual entrepreneur, Juan conducts evaluation interviews and surveys, as well as entrepreneurship training and project management in rural, urban, and Native communities.

 

Gulf States Food System Solutions

Leveling the playing field for local agricultural producers and ranchers throughout the South.

As part of its long-standing commitment to creating sustainable income for specialty crop farmers, DRA Resources is a managing partner in a set of regional initiatives focused on food production and sales in Mississippi, the Mid-South, and Southeast.

The collaborative designs and develops strategies for strengthening the technical farming and business capacity throughout the region. The managing partners and stakeholders include several small business, nonprofits, and farm operations.

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