Success Stories

Situation:

Broadbent B&B Food Products, Inc. d/b/a Broadbent Hams, has been curing country hams, bacon and sausage since 1909. The company went through rapid expansion and several changes in ownership before being purchased by Elizabeth and Ronald Drennan in 1999. While business was good and the reputation excellent, the company was housed in three leased facilities, which were very old and outdated.  Beth Drennan stated that the biggest challenge was operating in multiple buildings with inefficient production equipment.

Solution: How the SBA Helped:

With the assistance of an SBA lender, Beth and Ronny were able to expand their business and move it to a single, new location in rural Lyon County.  The SBA 504 loan enabled the company to own one efficient building, achieve higher production standards, accept larger orders and eliminate lease payments. Consolidating all operations into one building large facility has... Read More

Situation:

In 2012, Mavis Linnemann-Clark opened The Delish Dish, a catering company in Covington, KY. She obtained a Catering and Personal Chef certificate in 2011, having combined her passion for travel, cooking globally inspired dishes with 12 years of experience in the food service industry. In 2013, she was a finalist for admittance to Bad Girl Ventures, a woman-focused startup accelerator in the region. She also joined the Northern Kentucky Incubator Kitchen and launched her artisan line of jams and jellies, called Made by Mavis.   In 2015, Mavis became a member of the Kroger Buys Local Campaign through the Kentucky Proud® program for food certified as “raised, grown or processed in Kentucky by Kentuckians.” Despite her success, Mavis needed help running the business side of her business.

Solution: How the SBA Helped:

Rebecca Volpe, Northern Kentucky University SBDC Director, began working with Mavis in 2014.... Read More

Situation: 

Founded in 2008, DB Bourbon Candy, LLC offers over 70 flavors of bourbon filled candy, liqueur filled truffles, chocolate-covered fruit and gift baskets.   The business specializes in bourbon balls, a family recipe created by CEO Robyn Stuart's mother, who passes away in 2002. The company is woman, veteran, and minority owned business in a rural community. While business was good and the reputation excellent, sales were seasonal, and all product was made by hand. 

Solution: How the SBA Helped:

Robyn received small business consulting assistance from the Kentucky Small Business Development Center and the Women's Business Center, SBA resource partners.  Her SBDC counselor helped Ms. Stuart set up an accounting system for the business to help her manage rapid growth and fluctuating cash flow. The WBC provided technical assistance and an SBA microloan that was used to increase production efficiencies.... Read More

Situation:

After holding mid-senior level positions in business development and strategic marketing roles with several Fortune 1000 Companies and mid-senior level assignments with the U.S. Air Force Reserves and the Pentagon, Scott Allen decided to move back to his roots in west Kentucky and open Wisdom Tree Technologies, LLC in 2007. Wisdom Tree Technologies (WTT) serves the defense, law enforcement, national security and inter-agency industries as well as corporations. The company is an SBA 8(a) certified business that is a Native-American and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business headquartered in Murray, KY. Despite the unique skills offered and SBA certifications, WTT had difficulty obtaining federal government contracts.

Solution: How the SBA Helped:

As President and CEO, Scott connected with Cherie Guilford, Business Opportunity Specialist with the SBA Kentucky District Office. Cherie had over 20 years of... Read More

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