President Biden announced important changes to the PPP, including a two-week window for businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
LEARN MORE Close

Success Stories

Situation:

Executive Transportation provides premium business class limousine and luxury car services to customers across the country. It also manages holiday tours, weddings, etc. Owner Gus Ortis explained that, “COVID hit us pretty hard.  We are a luxury service and that is the first thing to go. Plus corporate travel was really limited at the time of extreme uncertainty.”

With revenues down significantly, the company went from growing and profitable to being in trouble almost overnight. The drop from 100 reservations a day to 10 during the worst of the crisis forced them to lay off 33 of their staff of 44.

Solution:

To help weather the storm, Ortis reached out for help from the SBA. He received funding from the Payroll Protection Program and used the knowledge and connections he acquired from SBA’s Emerging Leaders Program in 2019. Importantly, Ortis created a culture in his company where staff feel heard and are empowered to create meaningful and... Read More

Situation:

Started in 1973 by the parents of Heidi Oas under the name SmokeMaster, Air Quality Engineering has a long history of focusing on the design, manufacture, and sale of air cleaners. Over the years, they have shifted from specifically focusing on machines that remove tobacco smoke in commercial applications to a more diverse portfolio of air cleaners for a wider customer base at home and abroad.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Air Quality Engineering, Inc. worked to increase production capacity for the XJ-2 Air Negative Pressure/HEPA filtration units for hospitals and the Navy. These HEPA-filtration/negative pressure units quickly convert ordinary patient care rooms into airborne infection isolation rooms, which complied with the CDC’s recommended guidelines for managing patients suspected of having COVID-19 in healthcare settings.

Solution:

Pivoting to meet challenging times takes know-how and capital and Air Quality Engineering, Inc.... Read More

Situation:

Deneen Pottery was established in St. Paul, Minn., in 1972 by Peter and Mary. Initially operating out of a two-car garage, today it occupies over 50,000-square-foot facility and employs over 80 skilled craftspeople who produce about 2,800 mugs every day. Each piece is hand-thrown on a potter’s wheel, touched by over 24 pairs of hands, and customized with a Glaze-Engraved™ medallion. Niles Deneen, Peter and Mary’s son has been the company’s president since 2012, after starting in an entry-level position nearly 20-years earlier, and is responsible for all major operational, administrative, marketing and staffing decisions.

Transitioning a business from one generation to the next comes with challenges big and small.  As Peter and Mary were increasingly ready to step away from the day to day, Niles reached out to the SBA for help through the Emerging Leaders Program to increase his business management skills and confidence. 

How the SBA (or SBA partner... Read More

Situation:

Maud Borup Inc., originally a woman-owned retail candy company, was started in St. Paul, Minn., long before women had the right to vote. U.S. Army veteran Christine Lantinen purchased it in 2005 and focused on selling giftable confections wholesale to specialty and mass retailers, including Whole Foods and Target. Because of her previous experience working with Target buyers, Lantinen was able to create exponential growth, going from $100K to $2M in sales the first year. However, that growth brought great financing challenges initially. 

How the SBA (or SBA partner) Helped:

While transitioning from the storefront was challenging, Lantinen was resourceful.  A family friend backed her efforts in year one and the SBA stepped in to boost the business starting in year two with three consecutive SBA-backed loans. Helping her reach even higher, Lantinen created a three-year growth plan in the SBA’s Emerging Leaders program in 2011.  That led to Lantinen... Read More

Pages