This paper sketches several successful community economic development programs that have implications for rural education. Case studies are used to discuss community characteristics that contribute to development success. In Virginia, a Community Certification Program offers statewide business recruitment services to communities that meet program standards. A $500,000 economic development fund in northern Vermont makes loans to promising businesses which cannot get bank funding. In many areas, venture capital clubs and business incubators increase the range of resources available to entrepreneurs. Nash Technical College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, created thousands of jobs by drawing a firm to that state with the offer of specialized training for its employees. Hocking Technical College in Ohio offers on-the-job training by operating its own businesses, including a sawmill, a hotel, and a retail business. In Canton, Illinois, a library developed a database on the city's resources that eventually served a local business incubator project. In Virginia, businesses donated goods and services to build an industrial park. Public-private partnerships allow businesses to contribute to education in other ways. The Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning program in several Southern states helps students start their own small businesses. The paper suggests that successful community development cases are usually innovative, offer real advantages to the firms involved, and often involve an individual leader who serves as a catalyst. These factors are very difficult to replicate but they suggest that good rural development efforts start with leadership, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity. (TES)