#1 reason people come to NH Small Business Development Center … is access to capital.
“We’re not a lender,” says Mary Collins of the NH SBDC, “but we prepare people.” Small businesses need a foundation of knowledge and skills, which the SBDC can provide.
Banks, nonprofits, government and quasi-government lenders met to explore how collaboration makes affordable housing, small business, commercial real estate, economic development happen.
Panelists identified almost a dozen nontraditional sources of capital or credit.
They include Community Development Block Grants, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Small Business Administration, Community Reinvestment Act funding from financial instiutitons, Capital Access Program (NH Business Finance Authority), Individual Deposit Account (IDA) Programs, Revolving Loan Funds, Equity Equivalents (EQ2).
To cosponsor a meeting on this topic, contact Claire.M.Greene@bos.frb.org.
Concord’s Deputy City Manager Carlos Baia says municipalities and development teams must build relationships with all parties involved. “The easy deals have all been done. We’re talking about deals that require funding sources from a half-dozen places at least.”
Even the most worthy projects have aspects that might make them less than attractive to politicians, city managers and neighbors.
Carlos Baia, deputy city manager for development of Concord, NH, suggests five prerequisites for developers seeking to create a successful project.
Baia’s advice to for-profit and nonprofit developers:
Entrepreneurs who get advice from Small Business Development Centers have almost twice the five-year success rate of others (80% survive five years, compared to 44% of those who do not get advice).
Kenneth Willis described three Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) programs provide grants and subsidized loans for affordable housing via member financial institutions.
Community Development Financial Instiutions (CDFIs) are eligible to join the FHLB.
Rosemary Heard of CATCH Neighborhood Housing says multiple sources of funding came together to support Menino Place because the project works on many levels: downtown revitalization, support for artists, green construction, job creation.
Mennino Place tapped in to broad community support because “it hits many hot buttons of downtown revitalization” according to the developer, CATCH Neighborhood Housing.
Those hot buttons, per CATCH’s Rosemary Heard:
Jack Donovan of the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority tells how the extra financing closed a gap when the factory’s appraised value fell short, saving 50 jobs for New Hampshire.
The back story: 2 employees use their retirement money to purchase a manufacturing company that must relocate.
The shortfall: To purchase, rehab and expand in a new location exceeds the building’s appraised value.
The solution: 3 additional sources of public funding—a city revolving loan fund, a local development corporation, the NH Business Finance Authority—come together to close the gap, save 50 jobs for New Hampshire and lay the foundation for success in a modern, efficient facility.
The takeaway: To help your clients, learn about all the economic development financing that is available.
Sources | |
Bank | $1,026,000 |
SBA 504 | 718,200 |
Owner Equity | 307,800 |
$2,052,000 | |
Uses | |
Purchase existing Building | $325,000 |
Addition | 946,500 |
Electrical/Mechanical | 330,000 |
Renovation | 450,000 |
$2,052,000 |
* Existing business is purchased but must be relocated
* Buy existing 15,000 sq.ft. building and add 18,300 sq.ft.
* Shortfall: Completed building appraised value of $1,400,000
Sources | |
Bank | $1,026,000 |
SBA 504 | 718,200 |
City RLF | 70,000 |
Local Dev. Corp. | 250,000 |
BFA – SSBCI Collateral Shortfall | 250,000 |
Owner Equity | 292,000 |
$2,052,000 | |
Uses | |
Purchase existing Bldg | $352,000 |
Addition | 946,500 |
Electrical/Mechanical | 330,000 |
Renovation | 450,000 |
$2,052,000 |
* 50 jobs saved
* Manufacturer relocated to new, more efficient facility
CATCH Neighborhood Housing creates opportunities for affordable, quality housing for people otherwise not being served in Merrimack County, NH.
Concord is New Hampshire’s capital city, population 43,000. Its community development department aims to improve the quality of life for the taxpayers of Concord by preserving existing jobs, tax base, and the unique character of the city.
Federal Home Loan Bank provides wholesale funding for member banks to make community development loans and offers technical assistance to nonprofits.
Laconia Savings Bank, a SBA Express and SBA Preferred Lender, makes loans for purchasing, refinancing or expanding commercial real estate; purchasing or refinancing personal property; meeting short-term, seasonal or other work capital requirements; or acquiring or expanding an existing business.
Merrimack County Savings Bank, a Small Business Administration (SBA) Preferred, SBAExpress and Patriot Express lender, makes loans up to $4 million, including offer commercial mortgages, lines of credit, equipment and machinery loans, construction loans.
New Hampshire Business Finance Authority works with banking, business and economic development sectors to expand the availability of credit in the state and provides credit enhancement and bond financing.
New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority supports affordable housing and economic development activities that benefit low and moderate income citizens in New Hampshire. CDFA administers nearly $40 million in funding resources.
New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, a community development financial institution, provides loans, capital and technical assistance to enable traditionally underserved people to participate more fully in New Hampshire’s economy.
New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, a self-supporting public benefit corporation, administers programs to assist low- and moderate-income persons and families to obtain decent, safe and affordable housing.
New Hampshire Small Business Development Center offers one-on-one management advising and educational program for all sectors, from individuals seeking to start or acquire a business to established companies including innovative technology and manufacturing firms.
TD Bank is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 7.8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,280 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida.
During 2011-12, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston is organizing meetings about business opportunities in community development lending throughout New England as part of its commitment to promoting sound growth and economic development in the region.
Meeting Report: Business Opportunities in Community Development Lending, June 8, 2012, Burlington, VT.
Meeting Report: Business Opportunities in Community Development Lending, March 30, 2012, Manchester, NH.
Meeting Report: Business Opportunities in Community Development Lending, November 18, 2011, Springfield, MA.
Community Development Glossary
"Recently Certified CDFI Banks and the CDFI Banking Sector," 2011
“CDFIs and Banks: Addressing the Financing Needs of Small Business,” 2011
“Lending to Small Business: The Evolving Bank-Nonprofit Lender Relationship,” 2010
“CDFI Business Lending Grows During Recession,” 2009
“Strength in Adversity: Community Capital Faces Up to the Economic Crisis,” 2009
“Charter School Facilities Finance: How CDFIs Created the Market, and How to Stimulate Future Growth,” 2008
“Not Just a Financial Institution: Measuring Success by Looking at the Double Bottom Line,” 2007