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Seeing our clients achieve key milestones is what drives our work at BCL of Texas. From startups that have expanded to multi-employee businesses to families buying their first homes, our success all comes down to you.
What do Disney resorts, upscale New York condos, judges’ chambers, and the Austin Performing Arts Center have in common?
They all feature woodwork and furniture completed at Widner Finishing, a 54,000-square foot manufacturer located in the small town of Rogers, TX. Owner Adam Fuhr said, “These products add value to communities and buildings all over the world.”
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Military veteran Dave Demorrow started All Era Militaria with just two duffel bags of military gear after he left the Army. As a disabled veteran, he knew he couldn’t work a traditional job, so he decided to start his own business using his expertise in military equipment and training.
Owning an equestrian facility has been a lifelong dream of Jacqueline McCroskey. Starting her riding career as a young child, working with horses on a daily basis was something she could only imagine. After graduating college with a degree in Equine Studies, she moved to Texas, where BCL of Texas helped her bring her dream to reality by providing lending capital for her purchase of the land that would soon become Needville Equestrian Farm.
Tara Kuntschick had leased space for her beauty salon, Hair It Is, for years. Ready to find a place of her own, she began to work with the loan officers at BCL of Texas to increase her equity injection for a real estate loan. With combined financing from BCL of Texas and her local bank, she was able to purchase a charming new location and increase her services in the community.
With a focus on counties along the I-35 corridor, BCL of Texas has worked with businesses in cities across the state of Texas, from Dallas and Austin to small towns such as Rogers and Luling, TX. During the month of April, we are celebrating our commitment to supporting growing businesses that will create jobs to build economic vitality in rural communities across our state.
Just a few weeks in, it’s easy to see the new Counter Cafe location is going to be a hit.
“We have some regulars who come in twice a day,” says owner Debbie Davis. “This is a place where strangers talk to strangers. How many places can you go where that happens?”
Adrian Paredes, owner of the Austin-based Tamale Addiction, was helped with two loans from the BCL Business Growth Fund. From pork pastor with pineapple and onions to vegan nopalitos and sweet guava tamales, Paredes has been able to learn from his customers and successfully diversify his product to meet new market trends.
Ruth and Arnold Guerra were born and raised in Gonzales, Texas, where they have opened hotels, restaurants, and built homes to meet their community’s needs. “We started with nothing,” Ruth said. Now, they have built over 100 homes in their community of 7,000 people.
I visited the Guerras and we drove around the town, as Ruth pointed out both homes she and her husband had worked on, as well as other neighborhoods of older homes in states of disrepair. Gonzales has not had new home construction in a long time. “Big builders are not going to come into this town,” Ruth said. In a previous subdivision, a builder constructed about 5 homes and then left town, the work unfinished. We drove past a 17-home affordable subdivision of 3-bedroom homes the Guerras built in 2009.
Now, they are building Angel Oaks, a 6-home development for median income families, featuring 3-bedroom ranch-style homes with yards. A longtime customer of BCL, having worked with us in the past for an SBA 504 loan, the Guerra family is now working with BCL’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Texas Community Builders for our new pre-development loan product.
The demand for median-priced new housing in Gonzales is apparent, as five of the Angel Oaks homes have already been purchased, just as groundbreaking has barely begun. Most of the buyers are people of color, and all are first-time homeowners. “People are getting out of renting and into their first homes,” Ruth said.
And as with their hotels, their construction business is a family venture. They’ve taught their two daughters skills in construction, management, and project administration. “In the big city, you get a job and you learn one thing,” Ruth said. She said her daughters are now prepared with a wide range of skills to take on all kinds of jobs.
“I’m really glad that Texas Community Builders is investing in small developers,” Ruth said. “I appreciate that they saw that we have projects that will benefit individuals that probably never would have been able to buy a home. Without Texas Community Builders, we would not have been able to do this project.”
Suite 500 Austin, TX 78701 P: 512.912.9884 F: 346.301.5752 NMLS #1114924
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