Success Stories

La Vida Es Una Aventura

“Life is an adventure and you live a greater adventure when you are willing to take more risks,” reads the legacy in Carmen Nazario’s high school year book. Though she didn’t have a crystal ball, Carmen’s quote selection would be foretelling of her future. While attending a university in her native home of Puerto Rico, she decided to take her first big risk. She followed in the footsteps of her father, a World War II Veteran, and joined the U.S. Army, hoping to see the world.

Carmen served as a computer programmer during the Vietnam War; gaining skills that much later would help her establish her own company. After leaving the Army, she attended school, got her Bachelor’s degree and started work as an Information Technology professional. Nearly 20 years later, Carmen took another huge risk. As a single mother of three she decided to start her own business in the field she knew best, software development and consulting.

“I knew there must be a better alternative to the... Read More

When Junea Rocha moved to the Pacific Northwest from Brazil to be with her husband Cameron, it didn’t take them long to realize that something was missing. The delicious pão de queijo (cheese bread) that graced their every social occasion in Brazil, from visits with grandma to sophisticated evening functions, was nowhere to be found. Junea, determined to satiate her taste buds and share this culinary treat from her native country, set out to replicate her family’s recipe for what they now refer to as “Brazi Bites”.

Recreating the right flavors was difficult using only local ingredients. Junea and Cameron sampled at least 70 recipes with 30 different types of cheeses before perfecting their dish. As friends tasted and raved about the final result, the idea to start a company was born.

“We’ve always been really passionate about food, and good quality food. We thought it was worth sharing with more and more people,” said Junea.

With the support of the Get Your... Read More

Kim Erion, President of LKE CORPORATION since 1993, has been self-employed for 24 years. Kim got an early start at age 6 selling painted pet rocks to neighbors. She grew up in the woods with one grandfather who owned a saw mill and trucking company and with another grandfather who worked for the USDA Forest Service and Oregon State Parks. Her father owned a logging company, and her mother owned the Mother Earth spirituality retail shop in Portland called the Goddess Gallery. As Kim grew up, she gravitated toward her own passions and started to refine her business prowess.

For over 18 years now, Kim and Jim, her husband, have been dedicated to restoration throughout the Pacific Northwest. LKE CORPORATION has completed hundreds of miles of watershed restoration and thousands of acres of wetlands and in-stream habitat throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California. Kim and Jim are known for going above and beyond specification with passionate execution. Kim was inspired by... Read More

Dreams Do Come True With a Little Help From SBA

Pete Morones, a bilingual clinical psychologist, didn’t have to think twice about buying a building to house his office. It made sense to purchase a building for his practice rather than continuing to pay rent. Morones now owns his own office building and rents out space to others. Most people aspire to own a building for the same reason they aspire to own a home; they are more in control of the use and the cost. Evergreen Business Capital helped Morones buy his own real estate through the Small Business Administration's 504 loan program. “Morones needed $370,000 to buy the building — at a time when the economy was tanking and banks just didn't want to lend," recalls Evergreen Senior Loan Officer Lori Milton.

Morones is a business banking client with Bank of America. Lori Milton asked the bank to loan Morones the money for his building. The bank funded Morones $250,000, Evergreen funded $83,000 and Morones came up with the rest.

Proceeds from 504 loans must... Read More

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