Impact Stories

Borrower : Ninja Kombucha Brewing Co. Where : Richmond, VA Loan Amount : $128,000 Project Type : SBA 7(a) Term Loan   Opportunity Brett Nobile was looking for a healthy alternative to the hops and barley of beer when he came across kombucha, a sparkling living tea drink popular for its probiotic health benefits. Nobile began drinking kombucha on a regular basis, and decided to start brewing his own batches to save cash. A brewer of …

When Mark Constantine stepped into his role as president and CEO of the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation, his directives from trustees were clear: Create positive social change through sustainable, socially responsible funding strategies. “One of the expectations from the Board was for me to think about what we could do at the intersection of health equity, the social determinants of health, and impact investing,” he recalls. RMHF’s trustees and stakeholders were interested in the idea of …

Borrower : Kelsick Specialty Market Where : Gloucester, VA Loan Amount : $107,000 Project Type : Small Business Administration Loan   Opportunity Paige Drewry wanted to join the Main Street movement in the Chesapeake Bay village of Gloucester. She found the right opportunity in Kelsick Specialty Market, which had brought cheese, fresh pasta, wine and craft beer to the small town’s Main Street for 25 years. Its previous owner, Beth Haskell, was ready to retire when …

Borrower : Nomad Deli Where : Richmond, VA Loan Amount : $144,500 Project Type : SBA 7(a) Term Loan   Opportunity Nomad Deli has been making its culinary mark in Richmond’s Brookland Park area since 2015. Founder Anthony Tucker opened the restaurant in an area lacking freshly prepared food wanting to fill that gap with affordable, fresh options and, as he says, “Put somethin’ good in ya mouth.” The minority-owned restaurant has run successfully with Anthony …

Borrower : Oakwood Arts Where : Richmond, VA Loan Amount : $340,000 Project Type : Acquisition and Construction Loan   Opportunity In 2017, Shannon Castleman had a vision for Richmond’s growing East End — a place where neighbors could gather together to express themselves freely through art and create lasting relationships. She saw this potential in a location where others might have seen an unused and abandoned church building. To Castleman, the church symbolized a beacon of artistic entrepreneurship, leadership, …

ART 180, a Richmond nonprofit with a mission to give young people living in challenging circumstances a chance to express themselves through art, sought to diversify where it invested and saved donor dollars. VCC “rose to the top” of ART 180’s list of possibilities “because of their mission to invest in the community,” says Marlene Paul, the organization’s executive director. ART 180 is a Richmond nonprofit with a mission to give young people living in challenging …

Borrower : Market at 25th and Hope Pharmacy Where : Richmond, VA Loan Amount : $1.5 million (Market) and $150,000 (Pharmacy) Project Type : Fresh Food Loan Fund (VFFLF), SBA 7(a) term loan, SBA Express Line of Credit   Opportunity The Market at 25th ranks among Richmond’s most anticipated economic development projects in recent times. The Church Hill development, with backing by prominent business and civic leaders, will bring a much-needed grocery store and healthy foods …

Borrower : Foothills Housing Corp. Where : Warrenton, VA Loan Amount : $2 million Project Type : Commercial Real Estate Loan   Opportunity In 1970, Foothills Housing Corp. started making improvements to single-family homes that lacked indoor plumbing and has continued to grow throughout the years. Today, the nonprofit offers services such as emergency home repair, disability ramps, and energy efficiency services for low-to-moderate income families and seniors. They also develop and manage a number of …

Borrower : Snap Car Buying, Inc. Where : Chantilly, VA Loan Amount : $1.06 million Project Type : SBA 7(a) Business Acquisition Opportunity Snap Car Buying Inc. is a Chantilly auto dealership that sells higher-end used vehicles at competitive prices. Most of its cars come from auctions and are bought in near perfect condition, found by an experienced buyer who has been in the industry for nearly two decades. Snap understands that most prospective buyers start …

GamerBus is a popular gaming bus filled with video gaming equipment traversing the Hampton Roads region, bringing big titles like Fortnite, Madden, and Super Smash Bros. to birthday parties and other special events.