Four Brothers Wood-Fired Pizza
With a passion for a unique pizza experience and with over 10+ years of experience working in the pizza and restaurant industry, in early 2020, husband and wife, Jamaal and Christa Bradley, opened Four Brothers Wood-Fired Pizza in Clarksville, Tennessee – named after their four sons. The Bradleys originally reached out to Pathway Lending for a loan, but got…
Fishing Creek Jewelry
Jarod Cox grew up exploring the edges of Fishing Creek in Pulaski County. He became interested in jewelry at a young age, often sculpting beads from the Kentucky clay that he found in the creek and collecting geodes. Fast forward to today and he is the owner and artist behind Fishing Creek Jewelry, based in Somerset, Kentucky. A metalsmith and…
Mike’s Hike & Bike
Come on in. Browse. Ask questions. Get Advice. Play. That’s the business philosophy of Mike Hale, owner of Mike’s Hike & Bike in Richmond, Kentucky. The shop provides all gear for backpacking, cycling, kayaking and climbing, as well as repairs, rentals, recommendations, and more. Opened in 2007 on Main Street, Hale said excellent customer service is the most important part of he and…
Rustic Rooster Custom Metal
Rod opened Rustic Rooster Custom Metal in March 2017 in Whitesburg, Kentucky. A Letcher County native, Rod earned his teaching degree from Alice Lloyd College. Graduating at a time when many teachers were being laid off, he spent 11 years working for a coal company and 6 years after that working for a wood manufacturing facility in Hazard. In 2012,…
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,…
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…
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…
The Bird and the Bear Grill
Nancy Forster-Miller and Jim Miller start The Bird and the Bear Grill as a local diner in Roscommon in 2018. An SBA Microloan by Northern Initiatives, a CDFI in Michigan, allowed the couple to purchase a building and equipment, and have working capital for the first few months of operation. The diner was immediately both popular and profitable since it…
Sweet V’s Restaurant & Ice Cream
Sweet V’s in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, is more than just a local eatery. It’s one man’s dream come true, and it’s turned into a family-run success. Mark Villagrana always wanted to run his own business, and when the opportunity presented itself to open Sweet V’s, he got his entire family to join the adventure with him. His vision came to life…
Fired Up Fitness
Living in a larger community meant Megan Zoucha and her husband, Will, were used to having certain amenities nearby. While they appreciated the convenience, they opted to move to Fullerton, Nebraska (population 1,440) to enjoy the slow pace of rural living. Megan wanted to continue to lead a healthy, active lifestyle, and she did what she could in her new…
Buffalo Creek Coffee
Even with full-time jobs and full lives, Brandon and Lisa Hixon wanted to contribute more to their hometown of Chappell, Nebraska (population: 871). “We wanted to give something to the town that we thought would make it special,” said Lisa. “Chappell is a good community that has a lot of potential.” Brandon is self-employed as a farmer and also works…
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…
Jolie Day Spa
Jolie Day Spa and Salon is a full-service spa located in downtown Dahlonega, Georgia. This small business loan was to provide permanent working capital for Nicole Wimpy to restart business operations post Covid-19. Nicole was able to cut expenses, start a spa membership program and actually increase revenues over the previous year by the end of 2020. Nicole Wimpy has been…
Eclectic 79 Home Furniture Store
Juan Carlos and Viviana Ramirez, owners of Eclectic 79 Home Furniture Store in Dalton, Georgia first learned about ACE when they needed a small business loan to purchase inventory in January 2020. Furniture sales were going well until the pandemic hit in March and traffic in the store came to a standstill. They became very concerned because the store was…
My Sister’s Keeper Daycare & Preschool
Christina Carmichael had visions of expanding her daycare and preschool on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, those plans kicked into high gear, as Christina started taking more kids and needed to expand the facility to meet childcare licensing requirements. As the pandemic’s impacts grew, so did her clients’ needs. MoFi provided Christina with…
Calf Pen Products
Council, Idaho (population: 865) is home to Robyn Warner – the owner Calf Pen Products. Robyn was able to fulfill a longtime dream of growing her home-based bakery and canning operation into a viable, main street business. It’s a big leap for any entrepreneur, but especially for Robyn, a mom of four who holds two part-time jobs and also runs…