Navin Patel has been in the hotel business for about 30 years.

An SBA 504 loan allowed Patel to partially fund the construction of the County Inn & Suites in Redlands. The property is located along the south side of the I-10 and includes direct frontage along the Alabama Street off-ramp.

About 20 employees work at the hotel, which has 79 rooms. The 3-story building occupies about 52,400 square feet.

Mr. Patel decided to choose Enterprise Funding for his business lending needs because it is conveniently based in Redlands, where he does most of his business.

Patel said he appreciated Enterprise Funding dealing with the bank for him so he could focus on construction.

"[Enterprise Funding President] Jeff Sceranka was very helpful and made the process very easy," Patel said.

Address: 18377 Beach Blvd. #214, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Phone: (714) 593-3970

Services: Professional Staffing in the speech and language therapy industry for schools

Adelanto-based manufacturer expands

Andersen Industries is in the midst of a significant expansion that nearly tripled its square footage and will more than double its staff.

For many years, the company specialized in precision metal fabrication and from time to time would make trailers, according to Wayne Andersen, the company's vice president for sales and general management. Now, trailer manufacturing and assembly will be one of the company's main services, along with the precision metal work.

The company, which currently employs anywhere from 18 to 25 people, will be hiring between 35 and 50 additional employees to handle the extra work.

The company used an SBA 504 loan to cover the expansion of its 39,000-square-foot building in Adelanto to more than 108,000 square feet.

Previously, there was not enough space to allow the scope of trailer manufacturing and assembly that is planned, Andersen said.

Construction on the building was completed in early 2007, and the company is working on getting all of the equipment needed for the trailer work.

The trailers Andersen makes are the type of open trailers used for hauling cargo like building materials. Even though construction has been on the downturn lately, the timing could work out fine for the company.

"By the time we get everything set up, hopefully they’ll be starting to rebound," Andersen said.

The company dates to 1967, when Andersen's father, Sylvan, started the business as a sole proprietorship. It was incorporated in 1980. The company continues to be family owned and operated. Andersen's brother Steven is the president and oversees engineering, while his brother Neil is also a vice president, overseeing production.

Body shop expands with SBA 504 loan

Manhattan Body Shop & Alignment had a lot going for it – a prime location near Interstate 405 and plenty of customers. What it needed was more space.

"For 20 years my body shop was small," Owner Abrahim Indjian said. "Working on cars, you need to have a better space to park your cars, and work on them, and I was always having a problem."

Indjian received an SBA 504 from his bank and Enterprise Funding in 2007. He used the funding to acquire the property next door, which had been a transmission repair shop.

"By having a larger space, I can have more employees and more cars," Indjian said. "It's excellent for me now that I have the room."

Indjian has added two additional employees since getting his loan and hopes to add two more for a total of 10 staff members, himself included.

The expansion is also enabling Indjian to take in more jobs from the rental car companies at nearby LAX. Previously, he had to limit the amount of work he did for them due to the space constraints.

"I couldn't turn around the volume I wanted," he said.

Indjian is also hoping to secure an account with a major insurance company.

Planned improvements for Manhattan Body Shop & Alignment include a customer waiting area and a drive-up area for insurance estimates.

Dentist's office thrives in new building

Dr. Lawrence Wong, a Rialto dentist for three decades, had previously leased office space before building his own building.

Wong, a graduate of Loma Linda Dental School, used an SBA 504 loan to pay for his building's construction, and he said the low interest rate is a benefit.

The new building doesn't provide an increase in square footage, but it will be a much more efficient use of space for the practice. His previous location combined two medical offices into one, resulting in wasted space, such as two waiting rooms when only one is needed.

The new building is attractive inside and out. The interior, with its granite counters, relaxing colors and soft lighting is a step above the typical dentist's office.

"Patients are happy, and we're happy," Wong said.

Wong said business is up by about 20 percent since opening in the new office. The new building seems to be a draw, he said.

Wong has also increased his staff from three people to four people.

Tech Color Graphics, Inc., and Garavito Enterprises have been in the commercial printing business for over 25 years. Richard Garavito, owner of both, worked for relatives in the printing industry before forming Tech Color Graphics 15 years ago.

The SBA 504 loan allowed Mr. Garavito to purchase land and building in an industrial zone of Montclair, CA. This area is conveniently located near the 10, 60 and 71 freeways. The new one-story building has a secure lot, larger parking space and is about twice the size of the space they rented in Pomona.

Tech Color has seven employees and some of their clients include: Knott's Berry Farm, First American Title and major grocery stores.

According to Tina Perez, controller for Tech Color Graphics, the loan process with Enterprise Funding was good. She said that Enterprise Funding was always proactive in keeping the paperwork process going without problems.