Skilled tradesman commits to dream of entrepreneurship Growing up in Jamaica, Tiekel Finnikin spent countless hours helping his grandmother while she sold toys, fruit, jewelry and everything in between. They’d even spend Christmas morning selling on street corners. “I learned early that before you ever try to sell your product or service, you have to
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (June 11, 2018) – Epicenter, the nonprofit entrepreneurship hub in Memphis, and Pathway Lending, a regional nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), have partnered to launch the Memphis Small Business Opportunity Loan Fund, a $15 million fund intended to improve access to capital, particularly for minority- and women-owned businesses. Initial capitalization of the
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Developers use energy efficiency loan program to upgrade historic buildings in Chattanooga’s Innovation District “The best way to explain what we’re doing with these old buildings is that we’re taking a horse and carriage and turning it into a Tesla,” says Jimmy White, President of Urban Story Ventures in Chattanooga. “Looking at the numbers, these
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Mother of 3 launches affordable medical coding academy to give others opportunity for higher paying career Jasmine Hall’s first job in her teens was in medical collections, a role where she found a natural talent for understanding the terminology and explaining bills to patients. Later, as a young mother, Jasmine was looking for a higher
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4th generation tenacity powers oldest continuously operating sock mill in America Crescent Sock Company is a 116-year-old sock mill in rural Niota, Tennessee. Opened to create jobs in this small community, it is currently managed by the fourth generation of the founder. Cathy Allen has taken on the role of CEO and is assisted by
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WSJ reports on CDFI industry’s responsible funding to entrepreneurs Episode 5 of The Wall Street Journal’s “Financial Inclusion in America” video series hit a familiar note for our staff. The episode shares the stories of two entrepreneurs – one needing expansion capital to scale her business, and the other needing a quick loan for equipment
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Experienced stylists make the cut as first-time business owners Longtime stylist Tabitha Parsley and master barber Robert Collins worked for years at the original location of Red’s Class Barbershop in Indianapolis. After relocating to Nashville to help run the second location, these young entrepreneurs dreamed of owning their own shop. “One day we looked at
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Pathway Lending hires Memphis-based business lender and certified business advisor as VP of Commercial Lending and Client Relations Pathway Lending is excited to welcome Travis Hughes as the newest member of our staff. As our Vice President of Commercial Lending and Client Relations, Travis is leading our efforts to bring funding, education, and support to
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Bank representatives invited to Knoxville area forum on CDFIs and their role with traditional banks. On Thursday, April 19, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the FDIC and local CDFI’s are hosting the Interagency East Tennessee CDFI Forum. Scheduled for 10am until 2pm at the Magnolia Avenue
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Regional CDFI is accepting application for VP of Lending position to serve state of Alabama. While Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) like Pathway Lending can be a game changer for economically underserved entrepreneurs and communities, it’s still a new concept. That’s where this position comes in. The VP of Lending for our Alabama region will
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