Capital Access Group recently helped Robert Federighi, Owner of Federighi Design, to secure $3.2 million in total project financing through the SBA 504 commercial real estate loan program. The funds were used to purchase a 13,160-square-foot commercial warehouse in San Rafael, CA. The new warehouse will replace seven leased warehouse and storage spaces, enabling the company to reduce costs significantly by consolidating multiple facilities, with additional space left over for future growth. The purchase will also stabilize the company’s real estate expenditures in the face of constantly rising rental rates in the region.

With over thirty years in the business, Robert Federighi Design has become an expert at designing and furnishing spaces for some of the most prestigious homes and commercial buildings in the Bay Area. The exponential growth of their construction department, which was spread across multiple warehouses, required the company to redefine its own space.

“Our current storage situation is about to overflow with staging materials,” said Robert Federighi, Owner, Robert Federighi Design. “This purchase allows us to centralize all of our products, so the staging crew has one location. We can eliminate all of those other warehouses we were leasing and run a more efficient business.”

This was Federighi’s second SBA 504 loan from Capital Access Group. In 2014, the company secured financing to purchase a 9,000 square-foot warehouse and showroom in Novato.

“To be honest, it was the low down payment and 20-year fixed-rate loan that cinched it,” said Stephanie Larkins, Controller and Accounting Manager, Robert Federighi Design. “We would not have been able to purchase the building without it.”

As for working with Capital Access Group, Larkins said, “It was so easy, Capital Access gave me a list of items we needed. I got them to them, and that was that.”

“It was such a pleasure to help Bob and his team secure the financing they needed to consolidate their warehouse space and stabilize their real estate costs,” said Jacklyn Jordan, President and CEO, Capital Access Group. “Our primary goal is to provide fast, efficient service for small businesses like Robert Federighi Design so they can continue to grow and look toward the future.”

“Owning this new building fixes our expenses and operationalizes the business,” said Larkins. “The mortgage payment on the new building is less than we currently pay in rent for the warehouses and storage units combined!”

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Just a little over a year ago, Sonoma, Napa, Lake, and Mendocino counties suffered a devastating series of tragedies when wildfires swept through the community, levelling homes, businesses, and entire neighborhoods. Capital Access has been supporting small businesses in the area for more than 35 years, so we knew we had to do something to help. Our Board of Directors subsequently approved $30K in grants to assist in fire recovery efforts for small businesses in the region, to be distributed through Rotary District 5130 and the Redwood Credit Union Community Fund.

This week, the Rotary club shared a report about how funds from the Business Grant Recovery Program were distributed. All in all, the club provided grants to 274 businesses, for a total of nearly $830,000.

“We were so proud to partner with Rotary District 5130 and the Redwood Credit Union Community Fund to do our small part in helping to provide small business owners with the hope and support they needed to get back on their feet,” said Jacklyn Jordan, President and CEO, Capital Access Group.

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Capital Access was thrilled to help Joseph and Leslie Concilla, owners of Da Vinci Marble, secure $3.716 million in SBA 504 financing to purchase a 10,350-square-foot light industrial building in San Carlos, CA.

Da Vinci Marble is known throughout the Bay Area for its wholesale offerings of natural stone slabs and plays host to a strong consumer base of designers, architects, contractors, and homeowners at their showroom on Industrial Road. Their materials are also featured in large commercial developments, including the SONY headquarters and the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.

With 52 employees across eight leased buildings, the Concillas decided it was time to stabilize their occupancy costs and protect themselves against future lease rate increases as the Bay Area leasing market continued to heat up.

“With the volatility of commercial rents, we really felt that we needed to buy—to secure at least some of our real estate costs,” said Leslie Concilla, Co-Owner, Da Vinci Marble. “We were already renting out half of this building, and so we made an offer to the owner before it even hit the market.”

“I feel so much peace, knowing we have this building. Who knows, maybe we’ll buy more buildings!” said Concilla.

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Dave Simmons, Capital Access Group’s Senior Vice President of Closing and Servicing, recently celebrated his 20th anniversary with the company. We interviewed Dave in honor of his many years of service and to find out what he enjoys most about working at Capital Access Group. Read the full interview here.

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Dana King made a life-changing decision when she applied for an SBA 504 loan from Capital Access Group to fund an artists’ studio with a mix of structures in Oakland. King, a local news anchor at San Francisco CBS Affiliate KPIX, was ready to set aside her career in journalism to create a “place that could accommodate myself, my art, and other artists,” she said.

Today, King is an accomplished sculptor with a series of public works of art depicting the Montgomery Bus Boycott on display at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and she was recently recognized as one of “10 Emerging Black Female Artists to Collect,” by Black Art in America magazine.

“For Capital Access to sign on in support of my dream was significant,” said King. “There was a level of personal attention and commitment—and risk-taking—on the part of Capital Access that doesn’t happen every day.”

“I still pinch myself, even today. I feel so fortunate, so blessed, to be able to carry on the mission of the people that I bought the compound from and to extend that vision out into the art community,” said King.

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Capital Access was thrilled to help Supergiant Games, LLC, a San Francisco-based video game company, secure $2.95 million in total project financing to purchase a 2,909-square-foot commercial condominium in Hayes Valley, a prime location for cutting edge startups and businesses to set up shop amid the high-end boutiques and restaurants.

Founded in 2009, Supergiant Games has released three critically and commercially successful role-playing games, Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre.

“We are confident in our future as a company, and we decided that buying property would be a great investment for us,” said Michael Ailshie, Operations Manager, Supergiant Games, LLC. “We were putting feelers out, and we talked to another company that had secured funding through a 504 loan. The 10 percent down payment kind of made our eyes go a little bit wide, and we wanted to learn more.”

“Our introductory conversations with Capital Access Group gave us a lot of confidence,” said Michael. “We were incredibly satisfied with how quickly they responded to all of our questions, how efficiently they helped us get all the proper documents together, and how frequently they were communicating with us on what was needed.”

“The location is amazing, with shops and restaurants in the area, convenient to public transportation, all that has made people’s lives a lot easier,” said Michael. “It’s starting to feel like our new home.”

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In other news, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat recently wrote about the Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company’s SBA 504 loan from Capital Access Group.

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese is a led by three sisters, Diana Hagan, Lynn Stray, and Jill Basch, who joined the company in 2000, and pivoted it from milk production to artisanal cheesemaking—a more sustainable, environmentally friendly business.

Capital Access helped the sisters secure $7.8 M in total project financing to purchase a former beverage distribution facility at 454 Payran Street, Petaluma, CA.

The story in the Press Democrat talks about the company’s success and the new property, which has been transformed into a state-of-the-art cheesemaking facility offering enough room for the business to quadruple its space for aging pasteurized cheeses.

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Capital Access was happy to help Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company expand the 2nd generation family business with a $7.8M 504 loan to purchase a 1.9-acre facility for their new, state-of-the-art, cheesemaking operation.

“When we started looking at borrowing funds for the project, that was really our first foray into financing,” Diana Giacomini Hagan, CFO. “The benefit of the 504 loan was the 90 percent financing, which allowed us to get as many dollars as we could out of the project. At the end of the day, we’re ending up with a state-of-the-art cheesemaking facility that’s going to help us get to the next level.”

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Capital Access Group announced that Jenny Tice has been hired to serve as Business Development Officer with responsibility for business development, sales, and client relationship activities throughout the Bay Area.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jenny to the Capital Access Group team,” said Jacklyn Jordan, President and CEO, Capital Access Group. “Along with her years of banking experience, she brings a passion for helping small business owners grow and succeed. Her skills complement our existing business development team.”

Ms. Tice possesses seven years of experience in the banking industry, most recently at First Republic Bank, as well as at City National Bank and Wells Fargo Bank prior to that.

“I joined the banking industry right out of college and immediately started working with small business owners,” said Tice. “I love working with businesses through the different phases of growth, because it is always an exciting time when the business is growing, adding new employees, or purchasing new equipment or a new facility. I enjoy hearing their stories—it always inspires me.”

“I was attracted to Capital Access Group because of their great reputation and the experienced staff members, many whom have a long tenure in the industry, and also because I love the work they do with growing businesses,” said Tice.

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One of our favorite borrowers, Helen Russell, co-owner of Equator Coffees and Teas, was named one of NBC’s #Pride30 entrepreneurs for mixing business with social responsibility. Helen and her partner, Brooke McDonnell, were named the SBA’s Small Business of the Year in 2016.

Capital Access provided the SBA 504 financing in 2003 for Equator to purchase its own, 5,500-square-foot roasting plant, which Helen calls “one of the best decisions that we’ve ever made,” and since that time, they’ve grown the company from a small roaster and wholesaler to a nationally recognized brand.

Helen encourages LGBTQ entrepreneurs to “stand in our knowledge and believe in our personal power to effect positive change, not only in our lives but in the lives we touch. Positive influence on others will follow suit.”

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Capital Access Group was pleased to help Justin Funamura, owner of The Waffle Roost, to secure $1.4M in SBA 504 funds to purchase a 13,000 sq. ft. commercial kitchen in San Jose, CA. Instead of opening his own brick-and-mortar restaurant, which is the typical path for food truck entrepreneurs, Justin decided to own his own commercial catering kitchen instead.

“If I rent, I am completely restricted by commercial kitchen lease rates, and the rates are not conducive to growth,” said Justin. “When I learned about the 504 program, the idea of owning my own commercial kitchen became more of a reality. The 10-percent down payment is a major thing.”

The company currently owns five food trucks and provides catering to corporate events, weddings, private parties and Off the Grid street food events and festivals throughout the Bay Area. Approaching its fifth year, Funamura decided to purchase his own commercial kitchen to stabilize rents and expand the catering side of his business.

In the Bay Area, it’s very difficult to find affordable commercial kitchens to lease, especially ones that support growth. Capital Access Group and the SBA 504 loan opened up Justin’s options and made it possible for him to expand on his own terms.

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Capital Access recently helped Brian Flynn, CEO of Hybrid-Design/Super7, to secure $3,130,000 in total project financing to purchase four condominium units in an unfinished warehouse building in San Francisco’s Mission District.

The visual branding and strategy studio has leveraged key investments in the real estate market to propel their growth. The new space gives Hybrid Design and Super7 the room to grow and to take advantage of new opportunities, which they “wouldn’t be able to do without the SBA,” according to Flynn.

“We have always owned our own offices, paying a mortgage instead of rent that is constantly climbing, so that we can afford to stay in the city,” said Flynn.

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Capital Access Group provided $7.9 million in total project financing for Byron Renfro, CEO, and Joe Lewis, President and Founder, of Orchard Commercial to purchase a 36,000 sq. ft. office and warehouse building in Santa Clara, CA. This is Orchard’s third SBA 504 loan from Capital Access Group.

In business for over 40 years, Orchard Commercial is an award-winning, integrated real estate company that offers property management, accounting, leasing, engineering, and construction services to clients throughout the Bay Area. Orchard currently manages 14.5 million sq. ft. of commercial real estate in Silicon Valley, the East Bay, and on the Peninsula. The new facility will enable the business to lock in its future occupancy costs and further expand its operations.

“We know real estate and we know a good deal when we see one, so we like the ability to get 90 percent financing because it frees up cash to invest in our buildings,” said Renfro. “As our business expands, the new building allows us to expand with it.”

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Capital Access was thrilled to help Kevin Andersen, CEO of NPI Solutions, Inc., secure $7.3 million in financing to purchase a 52,000 sq. ft. industrial office lab space on a 3.8 acre parcel in San Jose, CA. NPI contracts with industrial, technology, medical, and science businesses to design their next-generation products from concept, to prototype, to final assembly and test, to life-end support.

Founded in 2000, NPI has experienced exponential growth, with operations in California, China, and Singapore. After 16 years of leasing and subleasing space in Silicon Valley, however, Kevin and his son Keith, who serves as the Director of Design Engineering for NPI, decided it was time to buy a building of their own.

The Andersens were attracted to the 504 loan’s low, 10 percent down payment, so they could “keep a sufficient amount of money within the company for operations,” according to Keith. The 504 loan also allows the company to lock in costs and make it possible to manage the maintenance of the building.

“We know where we stand now,” said Keith. “We can model what the business looks like in five years, ten years, and twenty years, because we are able to fix the costs and understand them more specifically. We can also manage the maintenance of the building without landlord controls.”

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