Chapter 5: The PECG Gauntlet
Leo and Dr. Ana Chavez sat across from Mr. Vance, the Director of the Plains Economic Catalyst Group (PECG). The massive federal grant application lay open between them.
Mr. Vance pushed the economic model back across the table. "The projected job creation for Western Kansas is sound... But I cannot sign this. Without a firm contract—an absolute guarantee that someone will buy the first yield—that supply chain is fictional. We need a bridge that de-risks the first planting season."
Leo felt the entire project crumbling. "We need a small guarantee to cover the risk of a handful of pilot farmers." He looked at Dr. Chavez. "The Heartland Development Trust (HDT)."
Dr. Chavez's eyes widened. "Yes! The HDT—a private, regional foundation designed to specifically de-risk the adoption of new, sustainable technologies! I know the Executive Director, Ms. Anya Sharma."
"That's skin in the game," Mr. Vance conceded. "If the HDT is willing to underwrite that initial supply risk for ten pilot farms, I can sign off on your economic model. But the grant application must be submitted electronically in one hour, and I need a binding legal guarantee from the HDT's Executive Director to secure that pilot commitment."
Leo realized the gravity of the demand. They needed Ms. Sharma’s signature in sixty minutes.
"Ms. Sharma is on a cross-state flight and won't land for hours," Mr. Vance stated. "Without that legal guarantee on this desk, I cannot sign the federal grant application before the deadline."
The path to $100 million in regional investment now hinges on a single phone call. Can Dr. Chavez and Leo break through the layers of bureaucracy to get the Heartland Development Trust's emergency approval, or will their bold gamble with the foundation's seed money expire before the federal grant deadline?
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