Success Stories

Axistrade, Inc. Staff

Axistrade, Inc. located in Houston, Texas is an export sourcing service to industries both domestic and overseas in need of material procurement and logistical support for maintenance, repair and operations.  The company formed in 2001 and has grown to more than 30 employees in 15 years. “It was a one man show for the first four years, and I wore every hat from Warehouse Manager to Owner,” said Sadik Dalal, President and Owner. Working long hours and doing a lot of research in growing a small business, Sadik was able to secure financial assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Export Working Capital Program (EWCP) which broadened opportunities and increased domestic and international sales.

 

Sadik is a graduate of Baylor University with BS and MBA degrees, and following graduation he has gained a great deal of technical experience from the corporate and financial industries. After he lost his job due to layoffs at one of the large energy... Read More

Drafting a Business with SBA

Saint Arnold Brewing Company sells craft beer in Florida, Louisiana and Texas, and has a brewery hall located at 2000 Lyons Avenue, Houston, TX with over 100,000 visitors every year. It is Texas’ oldest Craft Brewery founded by Mr. Brock Wagner and Mr. Kevin Bartol, graduates of Rice University. Brock graduated from Rice University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and spent six years as an investment banker, working on corporate finance mergers and acquisitions projects totaling more than $4 billion. After working in the investment banking industry, Wagner decided to start his own business and wanted to start a business that he had a passion for, a passion that he discovered while attending Rice University.

In 1994, Brock and Kevin opened the doors to Saint Arnold Brewing Company. The company got its name from St. Arnulf of Metz, France, Bishop from 612 A.D. to 629 A.D. who declared that everyone in Metz must drink beer due to the fact that the water was... Read More

SBA Helps a Small Business Keep Flowing

Everest Valve Company has been in business since 1978. The business started in the living room of Mr. Brajas Das, a graduate from Madras University with a degree in mechanical engineering and Mr. Phillip Blest, a chemical engineer, who graduated from Auburn University. When the small business started, Mr. Das worked part-time creating design custom valve mechanical drawings and Mr. Blest worked full-time in marketing and sales. Their first major contract came from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with an order of 20 check valves totaling $250,000.

As the company grew, Mr. Das and Mr. Blest decided to contact M.G. Shetty at Texas Capital Bank. They had a banking relationship with Texas Capital Bank and valued their lending experience. Mr. Shetty referred them to Ms. Carmen Strong at the University of Houston Bauer College Small Business Development Center (UH-SBDC) and she assisted them with submitting their paperwork for a small business loan. After completing the... Read More

Performing With SBA on an International Scale

RJ Engineering Systems has been in business for over 20 years. The company owned by Rakesh Jain, has
a large international client base and a specialized business model. They are a manufacturer of custom
engineered equipment and process packages for the energy sector. Their expertise is in process
engineering, advanced mechanics, thermal engineering, metallurgy, fabrication and state of the art
control systems. This enables them to provide innovative solutions for demanding applications in oil &
gas production and processing, refineries, petrochemical, chemical, fertilizer and power generation
facilities around the world.

Rakesh migrated to the United States from India in 1989, with a degree in electrical engineering. He
started his small business in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and a few years later, relocated to Houston, with only
two employees. While in Iowa, he established a working relationship with the U.S. Small Business
... Read More

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