Saffron Valley Special The newest addition in the Saffron Valley family is part restaurant, part market and part chai house. With small business financing from Mountain West, Saffron Valley was able to hire 12 more employees at their new Sugarhouse/Liberty Wells location in Salt Lake City. The new 5000 square foot location also includes a culinary school, making it a one stop shop for anyone who wants to explore Indian food. The tour de force behind Saffron Valley is Lavanya Mahate. Born and raised in Southern India, Mahate watched her mom, with some help from Kanthama (their kitchen help) cook for her large extended family, and her joy for all things… Read More
Continue ReadingWestern Nut Company: MWSBF Borrower Spotlight
April 1966, Wellington McDonald and Helen Bean founded the Western Nut Company with a business model that called for acquiring the highest quality of raw nuts in the industry, and then roasting them to perfection. Ownership changed hands in 1983, and the company has remained family-owned ever since. Throughout Western Nut’s 50-plus year history, the hallmarks of quality and freshness remain tenants of the company’s success to this day. With an SBA504 Loan, Loren Mercer and his business partners —his brothers Lloyd Mercer and Lee Mercer—purchased the existing Western Nut factory store property after Loren had spent 10 years working as an executive for Western Nut. In addition to the factory… Read More
Continue ReadingValley Market: MWSBF Borrower Spotlight
“Every decision that was made during this process was focused on our guest.” – Kip Wilkes, owner Valley Market in Thayne, Wyoming Kip Wilkes’ Valley Market used an SBA504 (small business loan) for an expansion and remodel of the store. Valley Market has been a staple in Thayne, Wyoming for more than 25 years. The remodel and expansion, nearly doubles the size of the store (from 18,000 sq feet to 33,000). The updated décor was chosen specifically to reflect the colors, textures and design elements found throughout Star Valley. Additionally, the remodel puts customers first with guest focused flourishes that run the gamut from larger aisles to more high quality… Read More
Continue ReadingS&B Aluminum Foundry: MWSBF Borrower Spotlight
The Great American Story I sit with Seng and Hensen Rin for almost an hour. They’re the father-son team behind S&B Aluminum Foundry in West Valley City, Utah. Seng, the father and owner of S&B, is originally from Cambodia. His son Hensen, the company’s vice-president, was born in the states after Seng (an orphan who escaped the Cambodian Killing fields in the late 70s) was moved from a refugee camp in Thailand to the states. Seng’s story has all the makings of a NYT Bestseller. I’m on the edge of my seat, and also somewhere between disbelief and astonishment the entire time the tale is relayed. Hensen, peppers in commentary,… Read More
Continue ReadingRoolee: MWSBF Borrower Spotlight
Roolee Then & Now On the cusp of college graduation, Kylee Champlin founded Roolee in 2013 when she was given the chance to purchase her college employer’s small boutique and make it her own. Roolee is a women’s fashion retailer in Logan, Utah that also sells home décor and kids apparel. It’s style is best described as fashionably hip with a hint of vintage twist. With and SBA 504 loan, Roolee purchased a condo adjacent to their current retail space, making a larger photo loft and relocated their office space to accommodate the company’s growth. The expansion also allowed the company to open their children’s shop and clothing line “Roolee… Read More
Continue ReadingMTC Studio Designs: MWSBF Borrower Spotlight
Grandest Goals: Small Business Dreams “My grandest goal when I started MTC was to put my business in a situation to be able to buy our own facility,” explains Michael Trent Coates, owner of MTC Studio Designs. “It was a stretch goal that was achieved because Mountain West and Deseret First CU believed in me enough. The process was made as easy as possible through their teams help. Everyone I worked with there was great and always made me feel comfortable.” Through an SBA504 loan, MTC Studio Designs recently relocated to a new location in Woods Cross, Utah. They also received additional working capital to help with growth and overhead… Read More
Continue ReadingStone Canyon Inn: Small Business Borrower Spotlight
Red Rock Magic and Magesty Anyone who’s traveled through southern Utah can speak firsthand to the majestic and magical red rock splendor of the area. Visitors travel from all over the world to see the stunning red cliffs and towers of orange sandstone juxtaposed with bright blue skies. Twenty years ago, Dixie and Mike Burbidge, came to Tropic from Northern Utah to start a bed and breakfast near Bryce Canyon. Today, the Stone Canyon Inn’s 80 acres bordering the east property line of Bryce Canyon offers beautiful accommodations and up-close and personal access to particular breathtaking views of the area. The Stone Canyon Inn has 15 rental units that include… Read More
Continue ReadingTall Hat Foods: Borrower Spotlight
Tall Hat Foods partnered with Mountain West Small Business Finance on an SBA 504 loan to fund the company’s move into a 30,000 sq. ft. facility in Orem, Utah. The establishment has an enormous kitchen and additional warehouse space for receiving and shipping. Kent Andersen, a long-time chef, also has deep experience in food research, menu fulfillment, and proprietary food product development. He founded Tall Hat Foods to provide kitchen solutions for chefs by co-developing sauces, soups, and proprietary food products—master items that the chefs can then spin into their own signature dishes. The company started with four employees in October of 2018. Tall Hall Foods fulfills a vital need… Read More
Continue ReadingCelebrating National Coffee Day with Bjorn’s Brew
Like many small business success stories, Bjorn’s Brew started with a dream. And Leslie Corbett, owner of Bjorn’s Brew Gourmet Coffee, says that dream was to one day be in the coffee business. But in a somewhat ironic plot-twist for the small business owner, Corbett says it wasn’t actually her dream. “Since the first day I met my husband,” she says, “he’s always wanted to do something with coffee.” She relays the tale with an enthusiasm for the back story of coffee entrepreneurship: they had dabbled in it before. Her husband is in real-estate development, and she’s an interior designer by trade. Which, as a side-note, explains the chic and… Read More
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