Borrower Stories

Entrepreneurs along the region’s trails and rivers have reported that the pandemic cost them some customers, but brought them new ones, including demographics they hadn’t seen before.  People hungry to get out of the house […] Continue Reading

Restaurants are a cornerstone of the tourism economy, a key focus of The Progress Fund since its inception in 1997.  Investments in restaurants have transformed southwestern Pennsylvania into a food destination.  The pandemic infected nearly […] Continue Reading

“Makers” create great things with their hands.  But creative thinking by Red Pump Spirits and American Mug & Stein enabled them to shift gears during the pandemic and thrive.  Their resilience is a great lesson […] Continue Reading

As the old saying goes…“A family that travels together stays together.” In the case of the Kruse family, instead of traveling, they are buying vacation homes in the Laurel Highlands and giving other families great […] Continue Reading

May we suggest that you reward yourself for all your troubles in 2020 with a taste of Pittsburgh’s BEST. Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream and Riley’s Pour House are recent winners in the City Paper’s 2020 […] Continue Reading

The Progress Fund remains open for business, of course with precautions, due to our status as a Life-Sustaining business providing non-depository financial services to small businesses. This has enabled us to operate at full-throttle and […] Continue Reading