Impact Stories

Borrower : J&L Hermes Supply, LLC Where : Virginia Beach, VA Loan Amount : $1.3 million; $200,000 line of credit Project Type : SBA 7(a) Loan   Opportunity After working for Birsch Industries for 23 years – including overseeing the day-to-day operations in the last year – Joshua Hermiz, along with his wife, Laura, wanted to buy the long-term successful business. Founded in 1964, Birsch Industries manufactures and distributes cleaning supplies and office products. The Birsch …

Borrower : Hotel Greene and Greenleaf’s Pool Room Corp. Where : Richmond, VA Loan Amount : $400,000 Project Type : SBA 7(a) Loan Opportunity Updating a historic hotel for modern purposes requires a solid investment. And when you’re converting a portion of such a property – namely, the legendary Hotel John Marshall in Downtown Richmond – into a 13-hole indoor miniature golf course, you need to find an investor who shares your creative vision. The …

Over more than two decades, Robin Miller has made a name for himself and his firm, Miller & Associates, as one of Virginia’s most prolific developers. Focusing on adaptive re-use of historic structures and infill in urban communities, Miller and his team are behind more than $100 million worth of prominent historic tax credit projects and new construction in Richmond’s Jackson Ward, Manchester, and Church Hill neighborhoods, along with properties in Petersburg and Staunton. So …

Borrower : Stevens Woods II Apartments Limited Partnership Where : Courtland, VA (Partnership based in Rockville, Md.) Loan Amount : Up to $1.75 million Project Type : Construction Loan, Low-Income Housing tax credit funding   Opportunity Providing affordable, up-to-date housing is essential in rural communities, such as Courtland, Va. located near the state’s southern border. Stevens Woods II is a well-managed and nearly fully occupied complex, with 10 percent of its rental units reserved for …

Borrower : SS Lofts LLC Where : Danville, VA Loan Amount : $300,000 for renovation; $1,785,000 to purchase the property Project Type : Fixed-term and real-estate loans   Opportunity Revitalization in Downtown Danville has transformed old commercial buildings into new retail and housing complexes. Included in this transformation is the former Smith Seed building, which provides 20 apartment units and two ground-floor retail spaces. Through C&J Properties LLC, owners Jason and Caroline Wilson purchased the …

When individuals or institutions hold deposits at a bank, the money doesn’t have to remain stagnant. “We see the potential for cash deposits to be a catalyst for impact,” says Eli Dalven, Impact Investing Associate at Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge (LWC), a trust office based in the heart of Boston. As a fiduciary, LWC has made a unique commitment to sustainable investing and community development, as one of the first trust offices to offer clients …

Borrower : Housing Families First Where : Richmond, VA Loan Amount : $250,000 Project Type : Line of Credit   Opportunity Since 2001, Housing Families First has helped families experiencing homelessness obtain the tools and resources to find – and maintain – stable housing. Building Neighbors, one of three programs, is designed to place vulnerable families – living in any of Richmond’s family shelters or the streets – in safe, affordable, and permanent homes. Hilliard …

Borrower : Fort Monroe Foundation Where : Fort Monroe, VA Loan Amount : $250,000 Project Type : Line of Credit   Opportunity Designated a National Historic Landmark District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register, Fort Monroe is evolving from a decommissioned U.S. Army Base to a richly diverse destination site. Fort Monroe is located in Hampton, Va., where the mouth of Chesapeake Bay meets the James River. …

Borrower : La Cocina VA Where : Arlington, VA Loan Amount : $300,000 Project Type : Bridge loan   Opportunity In 2012, Patricia “Paty” Funegra founded La Cocina VA, to combat unemployment, hunger, obesity, and food waste in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Paty founded La Cocina after a nearly 20-year career in international development with multilateral organizations that supported efforts in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Through the area’s only bilingual culinary job-training program, …

Borrower : RER Energy Group Where : Salem, VA Loan Amount : $260,000 Project Type : Construction and permanent loan   Opportunity For the next 25 years, Goodwill store managers in Salem, Va., will need to look no further than the roof – and sky – for electricity to power the retail location. RER Energy Group, a regional leader in renewable energy, saw an opportunity to install a solar system on top of the building. Rather …