We succeed when our borrowers succeed

Amy Baker started Threadbare Print House eight years ago in her garage and in 2015 opened a shop in Eugene’s Market District. In 2017, Community LendingWorks helped Threadbare purchase new printing equipment to expand their production capacity. Amy said, “CLW came at the time when our business needed to grow…With CLW’s support, we were able to buy the equipment we needed, which has been huge for our business.”

Estela and Florentino Contreras grow vegetables that they sell at local farmer’s markets. They started with small plots of leased land using hand tools to cultivate a variety of fresh produce.  As their business grew, so did the plots of land. This year, they leased a large plot of land and knew they’d need to upgrade their equipment. Through Huerto de la Familia, the Contreras family connected with Community LendingWorks to purchase a tractor to increase their production and grow their business. “With this tractor we can increase production and also try new vegetables. I believe we can bring jicama to market and that is very exciting for us,” said Florentino.

La Donna and Adam Cox opened Geeks and Games in Oregon City with support from Community LendingWorks to provide a community building space for people to hang out and enjoy their love of games. They offer a ton of game nights and activities, including camps for kids, a Dungeons and Dragons club, and Magic the Gathering nights. When asked about her experience working with CLW, owner La Donna said, “They are invested… When we sat down to pick up our check they said ‘If you run into any trouble, just call us.’ It’s so much more than just a loan with CLW.”

Coming soon!

In 2014, Natalie and Joe started Sheild catering, and started working with NEDCO renting kitchen space at the then Sprout! Regional Food Hub in downtown Springfield. In 2015, they were ready to launch a food truck business, Pig and Turnip, and connected with Community LendingWorks to purchase their truck. With two growing businesses, in 2016, Pig and Turnip joined Sprout as a permanent tenant, while continuing on with the food truck and catering businesses. In 2018, Natalie and Joe approached CLW to open a second brick and mortar location for Pig and Turnip, this time in Cottage Grove. Natalie said, “My favorite thing about Community LendingWorks is how easy it is to work with the people there. There are real relationships, they’re creative with the financing, and the funds are acquired quickly.”

Daniell Bliss and her husband started Bliss Nut Butters in 2012 from their home kitchen. As word of mouth spread, they started selling their product in local grocers and at farmer’s markets. It wasn’t long before they needed their own facility. Now their product line of delicious, all natural and non-GMO nut butters can be found in more than 500 stores and they successful operate a co-packing facility in Oregon City. CLW is thrilled to have worked with Daniell on the expansion of Bliss Nut Butters. Daniell says, “I had the best experience working with Community LendingWorks. They were truly interested in what we are doing here at Bliss Nut Butters-- it wasn't just a matter of paper work but more people work. I am so excited to be working with CLW as I grow my business.” Bliss Nut Butters’ business has grown 35% annually for each of the last four years, and we can’t wait to see where 2019 will take them!