Success Stories

Reaching New Heights with SBA

As a woman-owned business, SBA has helped this small business leader reach new heights. Helen Callier is the president of Bradlink LLC, an award winning technical services firm that provides program management, building design, permit expediting and facilities support services, to government agencies and private firms. She has multiple locations in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, with less than 15 employees. Helen started her woman-owned small business with a desire to help meet the needs of customers like her. Through her extensive travels, she noticed, she could provide help to airports and transit authorities.

While a student at Prairie View A&M University, Helen searched for resources that would help her learn and grow, in her chosen field. Before graduating from the university, she learned about a female engineering graduate, who completed a dual major in Civil and Architectural engineering and had started her own small business. Helen met this graduate after... Read More

Tin Roof BBQ is a family-owned restaurant in Humble, Texas.  Ronnie Webber started the restaurant business with his wife Nancy in 2001 after retiring from the Houston Police Department with 31 years of service.  Ronnie’s love for cooking barbecue gave him the inspiration to open a restaurant and start a new adventure.

Ronnie’s barbecue hobby has been enjoyed by local residents for many years.  He often volunteered to make barbecue for local fundraisers and socials.  Ronnie and Nancy didn’t have any restaurant experience so they started small with an old house they saved from being torn down in Houston and moved to a small piece of land they leased in Humble.   

The business quickly gained popularity and outgrew its space.  Ronnie & Nancy purchased a piece of property to expand their business and in 2003 they received a SBA 7a program loan to make improvements to the property.  The original Tin Roof was moved... Read More

SBA Gave a Small Family Owned Business a Renewed Purpose

At an attempt to brand the company, Nancy Olson, renamed and renewed a small business, thus, the family owned LCD Concepts, Inc. was born.  LCD Concepts is a company that creates custom industrial-grade Flat Panel LCD displays, Panel PC’s, Interactive Conferencing Displays and Ethernet switches.  They specialize in large screen displays and a diverse line of high-performance rugged displays built for harsh environmental conditions, durability, and long life for the commercial, entertainment, military and oilfield markets. Brian Olson (an Electrical and Mechanical Designer) originated the small business in 1981, as an independent contractor of an electronic development and design company.  Not long after the company began, disaster struck hitting NASA and the oil industry, crippling the small business.  He lost all his major customers and only made $6,000.00 (in profits) for the year.  While trying to get back on his feet, Brian knew it was time for a major change.

In 2008,... Read More

The American Dream of Owning Your Own Business

Going from a structural engineer to owning multiple event centers, was not in the plans for Raj Shafaii, but no one can predict the future.  Raj was born in Iran and after graduating from high school, his father thought it best for him, to continue his education in the United States.  At barely 18 years of age and with little English speaking ability, Raj left Iran headed for the US in 1975.

After graduating from the University of Texas-Austin, with a degree in structural engineering and marring his wife Norma, Raj began working for an engineering firm.  He only worked for the firm, for three years, before finding himself unemployed, due to the countries oil and gas recession.  In a need to provide for his family, he began to sell Chinese handmade tablecloths that his uncle would send from Dubai.  When the demand, for the tablecloths died, Raj and Norma, were again looking for ways to feed the family.  With an empty building (used to store the tablecloths) people began to... Read More

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