Wes Stapp and his partners at Applied Contracting Services (ACS) learned firsthand that even well-established businesses can have trouble finding money to grow. They had self-financed the launch of their full-service design/build contracting firm specializing in home renovations and remodels in 2009 at the height of the Great Recession. As the economy improved, so did their business, but taking it to the next level seemed out of reach. “We needed access to capital, but we didn’t know how to get it,” says Stapp. Then they connected with Hunt Dawkins at the Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida. “Hunt coached us on how to make ourselves presentable to a real bank. We created a package based on his recommendations, and the banker was so impressed we ended up with a $1-million loan.”
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