Laundry Mex
Center for Rural Affairs When Maria Dolores Arias Villalpando started working at Laundry Mex, LLC, in Grand Island, Nebraska, she had no idea she’d eventually own the business and the building it’s in, plus become a property manager to other immigrant business owners like herself. Maria’s employers approached her several years ago about buying their laundromat, and she was thrilled to take them up on their offer because she enjoyed working in the laundry business. At the time, her son also rented a space in the commercial building for his transportation and parcel business. “My son and I decided that if I bought the building he didn’t have to pay rent anymore, and we could use that money toward the purchase of the building,” Maria said. A visit from Center for Rural Affairs Latino Loan Specialist Griselda Rendon became a crucial piece to complete Maria’s plan. Griselda walked Maria through…
Total Graphics
Center for Rural Affairs From hair bows and craft shows to offering custom graphic designs out of her own storefront, Mandy Parker had no idea her hobby would evolve into a successful business. What began as a simple craft project, ended up “spiraling out of control” as people discovered her work and wanted to buy items for themselves. “At the time, I had an in-home day care,” Mandy said. “I made bows for my daughter, got a Cricut, did crafty things, and started making them for others. Then, I went to a craft show or two and people started asking for more/different items.” Mandy’s work became so popular she didn’t have time to continue both running her day care and creating designs. Since she has a degree in graphic design, Mandy chose to go that route, where her passion was. Eventually, an office space opened up in Wayne, Nebraska, and…
Elkhorn River Coffee
Lisa Lawton’s love of coffee knows no bounds.
She was born and raised in Scribner, Nebraska, but for many years, she lived in Washington state, the birthplace of Starbucks. There, she was surrounded by coffee shops, but when she moved back home, she had to drive 12 miles to get a latte.
Lisa decided that was unacceptable, and her solution was to open her own coffee shop in Scribner.
SewPretty Designs
From baby shower gifts to a booming business, SewPretty Designs has grown from a hobby into a successful small business. Owner Shena Allen was inspired by the personalized and monogrammed gifts she received at the baby shower for her daughter Nyla in 2017. Shena started making gifts for friends and neighbors to give them the personalized ‘wow factor’ that she received. Her side-hustle took off, and she officially started full-time in 2018 and applied for her business license in 2020. Shena was investing all her early profit back into the business but with her business’s growth overtaking her capacity, she needed additional funds so she could stock more inventory and purchase more powerful embroidery equipment. After thorough research, Shena found that she needed a standalone commercial embroidery machine that would speed up production and allow her to customize a wider range of products. SewPretty Designs received a $10,000 SBA Microloan…
Aeroforce Logistics
Heather Varney learned to be a resourceful problem solver and a good communicator at an early age. While in the Marine Corps, she experienced a bad accident, which had a galvanizing effect. She decided that if there was something she wanted to do, she was going to do it regardless of what got in the way. Forced to change jobs in the Marine Corps due to her injury, Heather learned a new side of aviation: the parts side. She developed a passion for being the “parts finder” for the Marine Corps and every job after that, finding great joy when helping others. Aeroforce Logistics exists to provide solutions to ensure U.S. Government (USG) entities or large-business concerns obtain needed aerospace materials and equipment in a mission-focused and cost-effective manner while achieving small business subcontracting and utilization goals. WWBIC was able to assist Aeroforce Logistics by providing its first business loan…
Taco Holler
Ashley Bledsoe is the mastermind behind Harlan County’s Taco Holler, a food truck and catering business established in 2017. After coming up with the idea during a visit to Taco Luchador, a popular taco spot in Louisville, Kentucky, Ashley and her wife, Leslie Bledsoe, got to work to bring a similar concept to far southeastern Kentucky. Finally, in summer 2017, they did an informal study of their food truck concept at the Harlan County Farmers Market. “The response was overwhelming, so we knew we were onto something,” Ashley said. Before COVID-19, Ashley would set up the Taco Holler truck in downtown Harlan for one day per week – a day that so many in the community looked forward week to week– and she offered catering services for local events, parties and conferences. A believer in inclusivity, the menu includes a wide variety of options from vegan to gluten-free and keto-diet…
Copy Cats Printing Company
Debbie Stepp of Copy Cats Printing has been providing printing services out of her shop in Paintsville, Kentucky, for more than 13 years. She has helped countless families and businesses celebrate significant moments like baby showers, graduations and grand openings since opening the shop in 2007. She serves a wide range of customers from several Eastern Kentucky counties and is proud do all printing and copying in house. They focus mostly on indoor items, rather than outdoor banners and signage, for families, schools, government offices, businesses and more. With a degree from a local vocational school in graphic art, Debbie said design is her favorite part of her job. She is continually grateful for customers trusting her with such significant work like funeral announcements, graduation invitations, and photo restoration. “One of the greatest honors of my life was designing a headstone monument for a service member in the Navy,” Debbie said. In…
Sunhouse Craft
Cynthia Main is a multi-talented modern craft maker, combining broom making and wood working out of her studio in Berea, Kentucky. Her specialties include hand woven brooms, and wooden wares hand crafted by axe and knife. Taking care to source the raw material from local, sustainably raised sources, each item is unique and special. And people are noticing. Her work has appeared in national holiday guides and many high-end home good magazines (check out the New York Magazine feature here!). She has also been invited to sell at an exclusive craft show in New York City. Her national success has inspired her to help other artists gain more exposure for their quality, unique crafts. In 2019, Cynthia worked with Mountain Association to open her business in a physical storefront with the help of a SBA Microloan. The front of the shop is an old-fashioned Five and Dime soda fountain—a gathering place for the…
Bernadette Mopera and Co. Showroom
Bernadette Mopera has been the proprietor of a woman-owned and operated apparel and accessory showroom since 1997. Due to COVID-19 and the Safer at Home Order, Bernadette’s wholesale apparel distribution business was severely affected. The European brands she sells were shut for business and warehouse shipping was halted due to pandemic. This led to her business revenues to plunge 50%, as more than 60% of her stocked merchandise was produced in India. A $25,000 loan from PACE provided financial support to Bernadette and helped her weather the pandemic by continuing production under her own brand until the wholesale distribution business resumes back to normal, and the funds allowed her to hire more employees to manage this change in production. Additionally she heard from many of her customers that due to COVID-19 they did not want to use a public elevator, so she moved her showroom to a more accommodating location…
Skylar Security
By the time Jamine Moton walked away from the world of collegiate track and field in 2004, she was a national champion, a hammer throw record holder, an Olympic alternate and a future Hall of Famer . However, when she retired from her sport, Moton didn’t leave her identity as an athlete behind her. Rather, in 2014 she combined her skillset as a track star with her passion for protecting people to start her own company: Skylar Security, a private security company that emphasizes client support, success and retention. After years of working full time for the Clayton County Police Department, Moton left at the beginning of 2018 to focus on growing Skylar Security. However, one question loomed large over her: how to grow her company into the viable long term business she envisioned. She knew that 2019 was going to be a year of growth for her company, and…
Pastry4U
In 2003, Harriett Wilson retired from her long career in pharmaceuticals and began to pursue her passion, baking. She ran with her desire to be a professional baker by pursuing her Baking Production Certificate. But Harriett wanted to train where the greats hone their culinary talents and where pastries reign supreme: France. So in 2011, Harriett moved abroad to receive specialty training at Gastronomicom, an International Culinary Academy, in Cap d’Agede, France. Upon returning to the states, Harriett quickly realized although she now had the pastry skills to establish her own business, she still wasn’t sure where to start. Harriett turned to WWBIC for support. She enrolled in business planning classes to build the foundation of her business, and with newfound confidence and a SBA Microloan from WWBIC, opened Pastry4u in 2017. Pastry4U offers specialty bakery and catering services in Racine. Harriett quickly expanded the business, teaching private hands-on baking…
Hudson & Associates
Shelia Hudson is a sole owner of Hudson & Associates, LLC established in 2005. The business provides Project management, operation support, planning and public relations services. Hudson & Associates, LLC specializes in parking systems, project and construction management. The COVID pandemic and shelter in place order has taking a huge impact on the industry the business services (parking and airport management). In March of 2020 the company was contacted by all of their clients indicating that all their business services would be suspended and/or modified until further notice due to the COVID pandemic; resulting in the company having to furlough 38 of 43 employees. The significant downturn in the parking and transportation industries related to mandatory lockdowns and halted municipal and air services has hit the business hard and fast. Although there has been a phasing to reopen, the service levels are not at 100% mainly due to cancelled contracts;…
Sweet Joy Ice Cream
Growing up, Talia Holmes spent summers in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother making homemade ice cream. As an adult, she worked for different companies, and when both passed away, she decided it was time to follow her vision and open an ice cream shop. It had been a shared dream of all three women, and Talia wanted to leave a legacy for her daughter. Although Talia comes from a family of entrepreneurs, and knew the type of business she wanted to open with a preliminary business plan, she needed help preparing to become a business owner. In 2018 through the SBA’s website she linked with the ACE Women’s Business Center and scheduled a same-day business coaching session She attended two WBC Access to Capital workshops to learn about the requirements needed to obtain a loan through ACE. ACE’s Annual Speed Coaching event allowed her the opportunity to meet…
Cool J’s Apparel
Cool J’s Apparel is a woman and minority-owned business that held its grand opening of its bricks and mortar store on May 28, 2020 and had gotten started a year previously through online sales. Owner Toni Hopkins created this business after understanding a need for a women’s apparel store in the local Springfield community. Her goal is to provide quality, affordable apparel that makes women feel and look beautiful. Cool J’s caters to all women, but the business’s primary focus is on women who live in areas where there are not many retail options. With a professional background in finance and sales, Ms. Hopkins has been in the apparel field for more than 15 years. Toni obtained a Community Advantage loan in 2020 from Justine PETERSEN for working capital to establish the lease and cover all required start-up operating costs and inventory for equipment and furnishings. Working capital funds were…
Wandering Goat Soap
Since 2013, Tanya Rudy and her mother Cheryl have been making handcrafted soaps from their family farm in Midcoast Maine. This mother-daughter team located in Union makes their soaps in small batches and uses only the finest quality ingredients. They combine fresh goat’s milk from their own herd with organic oils to create naturally scented and colored products. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanya and Cheryl were ready to expand their business. They were running out of space for production and wanted to build an addition. In order to do this, they needed financing. They reached out to Maine Small Business Development Center at Coastal Enterprises for assistance. Tanya comments, “We were so grateful to have CEI as a resource for our business and to work with Shannon on this loan! Her support and interest in our company gave us confidence while she guided us through our business plan and finances. …
Experience Maine
Rachel was taking clients and recruiting members for her website, ExperienceMaine.com. Everyone in the industry was enthusiastically making plans for 2020: “2020 was supposed to be a banner year for Maine tourism – we were looking forward to the bicentennial, being a stop on the PGA’s top developmental tour, a visit from one of American Sail Training Association’s Tall Ships – there were plenty of things to draw people to Maine.” As a solo entrepreneur, many of the Federal support offerings, like unemployment and the Payroll Protection Program, weren’t well suited to Rachel. However, Rachel was able to get payment relief on her CEI Wicked Fast Loan, when CEI provided access to SBA funding that provided financial support to qualifying microloans. This flexibility was vital as Rachel pivoted her business from out-of-state and corporate clients to a two-pronged approach for sharing and enhancing the Maine experience for those who already love…
Tribali Foods
The terms all-natural, paleo and frozen-food aisle aren’t normally found together. But whole-foods evangelist Angela Bicos Mavridis has set out to make that the norm at major retailers that you may regularly frequent. Mavridis is the owner of Tribalí Foods — a product line that offers the convenience of frozen meals without the synthetic binders and antibiotics you may find with the major brands. The basis for her flavorful, globally inspired dishes are sustainably raised proteins. They include grass-fed beef and free-range chicken. Since founding the company in 2016, she has managed to catapult the brand toward mainstream success with appearances on The Today Show and retail agreements with Target Stores and Bristol Farms markets, among others. As she saw her lifestyle improving, the single mother of three wanted to explore whether she could bring her nutrient-dense, high-quality food to the masses. In less than a year, the company launched its products at Los Angeles area natural grocers…
Burke Mercantile
Over the course of eight years, Maggie Stoll lived out her dream of working in the clothing business as a visual merchandiser and store manager for a well-known, fast-fashion brand. But as Stoll got older, her focus shifted toward wearable pieces that were better designed, sustainably made and durable enough to last numerous fashion cycles. Enter Burke Mercantile, a retail lifestyle shop Stoll launched this spring in Long Beach, CA with the help of SBA financing from CDC Small Business Finance, a leading U.S. small business lender. Her shop didn’t sprout up overnight. It took more than a year of active planning, troubleshooting and mentoring to launch her specialty retail concept. While consumer demand for quality, eco-friendly goods is stronger than ever, not many smaller boutiques were filling this niche, Stoll realized. That’s how Burke Mercantile was born. “I have created an environment that supports emerging small brands and artists and gives…