Andi McClintic has spent most of her life rooting for rural Nebraska and focusing her career on helping rural communities and businesses thrive.
While working for Nebraska's Department of Economic Development, Andi helped businesses starting up and expanding in central and southwest Nebraska and helped with community development. She served as the statewide contact for the department’s Local Option Municipal Economic Development Act program, helping small and medium-sized communities pass local tax and develop program guidelines to encourage creative ways to grow their communities and assist small businesses.
Businesses like grocery stores and restaurants are essential to the vitality of towns and the heart of small communities, and Andi said she hated it when they did not qualify for help through state or federal programs. She had a strong working relationship with some Center for Rural Affairs staff who lived in her area and said she always felt sure she was referring those businesses to a place she knew would take care of them and help them reach their goals.
Because of this trust and strong relationship, Andi knew if there was ever an opportunity to work with the Center, she would jump on it.
Recently, she got that chance and joined the Center as Lending Services assistant director.
“I have always had rural Nebraska in my heart, as I grew up in a small town in southwest Nebraska,” said Andi. “When I was training during my first week with the Center and was asked how things were going, I told staff that I felt like I was finally home.”
After working with the state, she took on a role in career services at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), where she worked directly with businesses that were recruiting UNL students. After three years there, Andi accepted an opportunity with Dawson Area Development that allowed her to move closer to her hometown because her mom was ill and she wanted to be near family.
At that job, she and colleagues concentrated on building community leadership capacity, assisting businesses, and connecting their workforces and youth to local employers.
“Helping others is in my blood, and the Center was the perfect fit moving forward,” Andi said.
Center Lending Services Director Kim Preston agrees.
“Andi brings a wealth of experience to our work and the Center,” said Kim. “We look forward to working with her and bringing our lending services work to more of the state.”
Andi works closely with all of the Center’s lenders, assisting them as they deal with small businesses and mortgage clients.
“I feel lucky to be working with a team that is welcoming to the knowledge I bring from previous experiences but also one I can learn a lot from myself,” she said. “I also leverage my statewide network from my time working in economic development to share our story of the Center and the programs we offer.”
Andi hopes to build strong relationships with everyone on the Center’s lending team in an effort to help as many businesses and individuals as possible.
“By utilizing my existing network and new contacts, I hope to increase the number of applicants for our programs,” she said. “I would be so proud to be a small part of growing the lender team over time because there is so much more awareness of how we can help businesses and home purchasers.”
Her love and passion for communities doesn't end with assisting others with their businesses and homeownership. Andi has been volunteering with different groups and organizations since she was in college, including the American Red Cross, United Way of the Kearney Area, Connecting Young Nebraskans, Leadership Kearney board of directors, and the University of Nebraska’s president’s advisory council, as well as coaching different age groups in youth volleyball, basketball, softball and baseball.
“Not having my own kids, being able to move back closer to home, and coach my nephews and nieces in many of their activities has been one of the biggest joys of my life,” she said.
Andi is based out of her home office in Elwood, Nebraska. Reach her at 308.833.0260 or andim@cfra.org.
