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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.
For Karen Enderlin, managing her family’s Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Fredericksburg, the SBA 504 program made all the difference in coming out of covid closures and keeping the family business strong.
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.”
Brandon Ward’s story is one of passion, perseverance, and a willingness to take risks. After a successful career as a schoolteacher and school principal, Ward decided to pursue his dream of becoming a construction entrepreneur.
When Philip DeLeon was approached by his partner Richard Barnhart about opening up Dix Diesel Center in Luling, Texas, to provide diesel engine repair for the central and east Texas area, he was excited about the new venture…but the property needed some sprucing up before they could really get underway.
Three new homeowners who worked with BCL through our NeighborhoodLIFT down payment assistance program may be surprised to find themselves neighbors in the same newly built cul-de-sac in Manor.
From the sound of it, you would almost think Teresa Villanueva was running a nonprofit in addition to a full-service cafeteria, catering, and delivery company that focuses on providing healthy, homemade, affordable meals for everyone.
Teresa and her husband Juan incorporated several social benefits into their start-up, TV Dinners, as she began to realize the need for them. Started 4 years ago in the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) building, TV Dinners began by serving breakfast tacos, and in the beginning Teresa used the proceeds from one meal to purchase supplies for the next.
Brice Hand had extensive experience in poultry farming and owned acres upon acres of land, but he needed help to make the most of it. Thanks to BCL’s assistance, he has used the SBA 504 Loan program twice to construct new hen housing with state-of-the-art energy efficient equipment, making Brice one of the largest poultry producers in his community and for all of Tyson Foods.
Jamie and Ricky had always rented, and when the idea of homeownership came up they weren’t sure where to start. Jamie approached Daniel Garcia at BCL of Texas, who answered some of her initial questions and recommended they take the 8-hour Homebuyer Education course at the BCL of Texas HomeOwnership Center.
Suite 500 Austin, TX 78701 P: 512.912.9884 F: 346.301.5752 NMLS #1114924
Suite 1220 Dallas, TX 75208 P: 214.688.7456 F: 346.301.5752 NMLS #1114924
Suite 2 San Marcos, TX 78666 P: 512.383.0027 NMLS #1114924