Praise by Others

There’s been a lot of complexity, with not only the project itself, but how does it get financed, what are the timelines, what are the commitments. …When there are questions, we can get answers.  It’s always been pretty straightforward, and communication comes at you directly.

They’re a huge help with connecting us with people in the community.  David’s always bringing by someone who is willing to get into the project.

There’s a lot of things in the finance and the chasing of money that I’d rather have my toenails pulled out than do.  But this was actually a pretty easy experience.  It requires a ton of back and forth.  But I didn’t feel they were messing around with us.

It was just so much of an easier process because The Progress Fund has funded breweries like this and knows the process that we needed to go through.  It’s not like you’re trying to tell a banker, who has probably never been to a brewery, why this is a good idea.

We knew what we wanted to buy, so we had the information that was needed so that The Progress Fund could do their evaluation.  That was really a good process from my end.  It was a quick and smooth process.

The Progress Fund has been really instrumental in not only getting me through this loan process, but looking at my financials, looking at my numbers, looking at my business plan.  That has been integral to my confidence as a business person.

The Progress Fund “came highly recommended. The process was pretty seamless. There weren’t any major hurdles

Everyone I talked to has been so supportive of everything. I feel like there’s a lot more flexibility with The Progress Fund than there would be with a lot of lenders. I can call someone up there and if I have a problem I can talk to a person who has an understanding of what’s going on. … It feels like a very personal relationship

We’re extremely happy to be working with The Progress Fund. We appreciate that they’re willing to believe in what we’re doing and believe that we can be successful with this. If they hadn’t given us the opportunity, I don’t know where we’d be right now.

I found it to be extremely easy to work with The Progress Fund to determine what my goals were, and to finance them.

The financing package was like “an angel came down from the sky.’

The Progress Fund “made it happen very smoothly and efficiently, no question about it.

Essentially, we got more capital and we’re paying less, so that’s pretty much a no-brainer.  We upgraded our system and we’re going to be able to make more beer.  And we have less to pay back on it a month.  That means more money that will put us toward more growth, which is what we want.

I had never gone through a proper business plan…So there were a lot of educational hoops that I had to learn and figure out in a quick manner.  But they helped me through it.  It was a big pain in the butt, but I understand and appreciate the process.

The Progress Fund’s process was streamlined yet very professional and substantive.  They also truly became an advisor to us, advising us on the substance of the project and encouraging us.  They put their money where their mouth was, starting with David’s encouragement and guidance.”

I am not a business guy.  But I rose to the occasion because I had to.  From the actual experience of applying, it was smooth and well thought out.

We have banking relationships, but we were looking for somebody who was more community minded and was passionate about the projects.  I was able to be kind of creative and you were easy to work with and communicate with.