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Seeing our clients achieve key milestones is what drives our work at BCL of Texas. From startups that have expanded to multi-employee businesses to families buying their first homes, our success all comes down to you.
Denise Gee Uzzelle came to the BCL of Texas Business Assistance Center with an idea for a new business. By the time she had completed last summer’s Microenterprise Bootcamp hosted by BCL, she had formed Starting Point Human Capital Advisors, LLC. Starting Point provides a full suite of HR services including recruiting, policy development and employee retention, scalable for businesses of any size. Thanks to her dedication and drive, she quickly secured a staffing contract with a multinational Fortune 100 corporation, and a little over a year later her business continues to grow.
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James Stevens’ desire to create a more fulfilling work environment for himself and his team prompted him to establish Steven Electrical Construction at the height of the pandemic. Since then, and with the help of BCL’s business line of credit, he and his team have grown the company by leaps and bounds. He shares his story of grit and determination to persevere and succeed as an entrepreneur.
What do Disney resorts, upscale New York condos, judges’ chambers, and the Austin Performing Arts Center have in common?
They all feature woodwork and furniture completed at Widner Finishing, a 54,000-square foot manufacturer located in the small town of Rogers, TX. Owner Adam Fuhr said, “These products add value to communities and buildings all over the world.”
Ruth and Arnold Guerra were born and raised in Gonzales, Texas, where they have opened hotels, restaurants, and built homes to meet their community’s needs. “We started with nothing,” Ruth said. Now, they have built over 100 homes in their community of 7,000 people.
I visited the Guerras and we drove around the town, as Ruth pointed out both homes she and her husband had worked on, as well as other neighborhoods of older homes in states of disrepair. Gonzales has not had new home construction in a long time. “Big builders are not going to come into this town,” Ruth said. In a previous subdivision, a builder constructed about 5 homes and then left town, the work unfinished. We drove past a 17-home affordable subdivision of 3-bedroom homes the Guerras built in 2009.
Now, they are building Angel Oaks, a 6-home development for median income families, featuring 3-bedroom ranch-style homes with yards. A longtime customer of BCL, having worked with us in the past for an SBA 504 loan, the Guerra family is now working with BCL’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Texas Community Builders for our new pre-development loan product.
The demand for median-priced new housing in Gonzales is apparent, as five of the Angel Oaks homes have already been purchased, just as groundbreaking has barely begun. Most of the buyers are people of color, and all are first-time homeowners. “People are getting out of renting and into their first homes,” Ruth said.
And as with their hotels, their construction business is a family venture. They’ve taught their two daughters skills in construction, management, and project administration. “In the big city, you get a job and you learn one thing,” Ruth said. She said her daughters are now prepared with a wide range of skills to take on all kinds of jobs.
“I’m really glad that Texas Community Builders is investing in small developers,” Ruth said. “I appreciate that they saw that we have projects that will benefit individuals that probably never would have been able to buy a home. Without Texas Community Builders, we would not have been able to do this project.”
When Marquita Perkins contacted Habitat for Humanity in 2007, she didn’t expect to become a homeowner. She became involved with the organization when she was helping a member of her church find a home and in the process ended up submitting an application for herself. Marquita became Wharton Habitat for Humanity’s first homeowner, and her neighbor was the second.
After Richard Starr was laid off from his job at American Airlines, he and his wife Theresa were determined to become entrepreneurs with their own business.
With a focus on counties along the I-35 corridor, BCL of Texas has worked with businesses in cities across the state of Texas, from Dallas and Austin to small towns such as Rogers and Luling, TX. During the month of April, we are celebrating our commitment to supporting growing businesses that will create jobs to build economic vitality in rural communities across our state.
Glenda Colmenero has always worked for herself. “I like to be responsible for my own success,” she said.
And after years of working in real estate in the 5,000-population town of Giddings, Texas, she was becoming frustrated with the difficulty for sending documents and receiving packages, which would often be left by the side of the road or under a tree hundreds of feet from the front door. So instead of complaining, Glenda decided to solve the problem. This June, she will be opening her own Business Depot, Giddings’ first-ever business supply and mail center.
Suite 500 Austin, TX 78701 P: 512.912.9884 F: 346.301.5752 NMLS #1114924
Suite 1220 Dallas, TX 75208 P: 214.688.7456 F: 346.301.5752 NMLS #1114924
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