CommunityWorks Helps Upstate MicroBusinesses Open and Expand
June 21, 2014
GREENVILLE, SC – Three Upstate microbusinesses recently opened their doors and two expanded their operations thanks to support from CommunityWorks (CW) MicroBusiness Loan Program. CW provided business coaching and loans totaling $135,000 to Swamp Rabbit Smoothies, Greenville Network Care, A Night Out, PremierePC and The Garden Gate. Located across the Upstate, the recipient microbusinesses represent a diverse range of industries and services, including food, health, retail, technology and even life skills training.
“CommunityWorks is proud to partner with these entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level and create jobs in the Upstate,” said Deborah McKetty, CEO of CommunityWorks. “We believe microbusinesses are the backbone of our economy. For example, if just one of every three hired a single employee, the entire U.S. would be employed. A win for them is a win for us. We hope that the community will join us in celebrating June as Microenterprise Development Month.”
Defined as businesses with five or fewer employees, microbusinesses may be small in size but employ over 41.3 million people nationally. With the support of CW, these five businesses were able to create seven new jobs. As South Carolina celebrates Microenterprise Development Month, CommunityWorks hopes to highlight the important and often unrecognized role microbusinesses play in the Upstate.
New Startups Serve Their Communities
Swamp Rabbit Smoothies – Travelers Rest, S.C. Swamp Rabbit Smoothies is a mobile food truck that provides healthy, tasty smoothies and snacks to users of the Swamp Rabbit Trail and surrounding areas. It promotes an active lifestyle by offering quick nutritional options for community members while they stay healthy by walking, running and biking. Swamp Rabbit Smoothies used the CommunityWorks loan to purchase necessary equipment and inventory to open the business. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/swamprabbitsmoothies.
Greenville Network Care – Greenville, S.C. Greenville Network Care, Inc. (GNC) is a woman-owned and operated chiropractic practice. Owner Dr. Karen Lumb, a recent graduate of Sherman College of Chiropractic, provides natural, nonsurgical health treatments. GNC offers chiropractic services for all ages, using up-to-date equipment and a trained staff with the ability to meet the individual needs of every patient. The CommunityWorks loan provided GNC with the necessary startup capital to begin business operations. For more information, visit www.greenvillenetworkcare.com.
A Night Out – Anderson, S.C. A Night Out, a consignment boutique in the heart of Anderson, specializes in quality, barely-used bridal gowns, formal wear and accessories for both women and men. In addition to giving someone an opportunity to look beautiful, the business also helps women sell their lightly used bridal gowns and formal wear to recover some of the costs of their investments. The CommunityWorks loan provided upfront capital for A Night Out to open its doors. For more information, visit www.anightoutformal.com.
Existing Businesses Expand Services
PremierePC – City of Greenville, S.C. PremierePC, a technology-based company that opened in March 2006, specializes in providing comprehensive outsourced technology support to small and medium-sized Upstate businesses. With offices in downtown Greenville, PremierePC used the CommunityWorks loan to expand business operations across the Upstate. For more information, visit www.premierepc.net.
The Garden Gate – Spartanburg, S.C. Located in Spartanburg’s WestGate Mall, The Garden Gate is a full-service salon offering top quality beauty services and products. While primarily providing salon services for hair, skin and nails for the general public, it also serves as a facility for advanced cosmetology and basic salon management training. The CommunityWorks loan enabled The Garden Gate to expand its “Opening Doors for Women” empowerment program that teaches life skills such as budgeting, interview preparation, time management and self-confidence to disadvantaged and underserved women. For more information, visit www.thegardengatesalon.com.
To date, CommunityWorks Microbusiness programs have provided loans totaling $255,000 that have created more than 33 jobs. As a SBA and USDA lender, CW accepts applications for loans up to $50,000 from both startup and existing businesses in the 15 county region of the Upstate. CW works with community partners to serve microbusinesses that are unable to receive financing through traditional sources and helps grow and sustain these businesses through capital and training support.
About CommunityWorks
Established in 2008, CommunityWorks is a non-profit organization and certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that that promotes community economic development in the Upstate. CW provides a unique blend of business capital, training and one-on-one coaching to entrepreneurs as they start or expand business operations and create jobs in the community. To date, CW has partnered with more than 1,065 families and businesses to increase their financial stability through savings, credit repair and asset building. These efforts have generated over $81 million in local economic activity. For more information on CommunityWorks, visit www.communityworkscarolina.org.
