Pranger Law, a San Francisco-Based Intellectual Property and Advertising Law Firm, Buys New Office with $1,070,000 SBA 504 Loan Arranged by Capital Access Group

Capital Access Group (www.capitalaccess.com), a commercial real estate lender specializing in U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loans for growing businesses, recently helped Holly Pranger, owner of Pranger Law PC, purchase a 1,369-square-foot commercial condominium located at 88 Guy Place, #403, San Francisco, CA. Pranger Law is a premier boutique firm specializing in intellectual property and advertising law. This is the second facility purchased by Pranger Law through the SBA 504 loan program to house this growing business.

Prior to purchasing its own office space, Pranger Law leased offices in a building with a few other small law firms in San Francisco’s Marina district. Eventually, as Pranger Law expanded, it outgrew the shared facility, and Holly knew it was time to get the firm its own space. Initially, she explored leasing another office, but she was disillusioned by the high prices.

“I upped the budget, and realized that the amount of money I would need to lease a space would be close to a mortgage payment,” said Holly Pranger, Founder, Pranger Law PC.

Holly began the process of searching for an office space to purchase.

Initially, Holly didn’t think she would be able to afford the down payment for a commercial real estate loan, because it would have taken too much cash flow out of the business, but then someone referred her to the SBA.

The SBA 504 program’s low down payment “blew me away,” according to Holly. “When I found out it was only 10% down, I thought, I can swing that. I don’t know if I would have been able to do it if the down payment was 20-30%.”

The SBA 504 program’s low down payment impressed Holly, as did the “fabulous” service she received from Capital Access Group. “The SBA process was quite elegant,” said Holly. “The process was shockingly easy, and the people I worked with were fantastic.”

“We bought our space and made it our own,” said Holly. “When people come to the office, they are impressed and surprised to see the look and feel of the place. It’s very different for a law office.”

When another office condo in the building became available — right on the other side of the wall of Pranger Law’s current space — Holly knew that she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“I worked with Capital Access Group twice,” said Holly. “I expected things to be challenging, but the process was pleasant and easy. I would never go back to leasing office space ever again. When we are ready to expand again, I’ll go back to Capital Access and say: Get me another business loan!”

“We were so pleased to help Holly buy her second commercial condo using the SBA 504 loan program,” said Claudia Cohen, SVP, Capital Access Group. “The 504 program was created for business owners just like Holly who realize that, instead of leasing, they can actually own their own space (or two!) and start building equity in the business. We loved working with Holly and we wish her all the best.”

Alan Jung celebrates 20 years at Capital Access Group

Alan Jung, Capital Access Group Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, recently celebrated his 20th anniversary with the company. We took advantage of the occasion to interview Alan to get his perspective on the SBA 504 program and what he enjoys most about working at Capital Access Group.

Q: Congratulations on your 20th anniversary at Capital Access Group! What were you doing prior to joining CAG?

A: I worked at commercial banks prior to joining Capital Access Group. I’ve always had an interest in financial lending analysis, which is why I had started working with banks.

Q: What positions have you held at Capital Access Group, and what are your current responsibilities?

A: I started as a credit analyst and progressed to my current position. I’m a jack-of-all-trades at our CDC. My primary responsibility is Chief Credit Officer, heading up the underwriting function of the company, but I am also part of the management team responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the CDC.

Q: What gives you satisfaction from working with the 504 program?

A: I think the 504 program is very unique. It offers a great financing solution for business borrowers for the inherent advantages that the 504 provides. The program has progressed over the years to allow larger businesses to benefit from this financing vehicle. My satisfaction comes from being able to watch the progress of borrowers who first utilized the 504 loan for their early facility expansion needs, and to see them grow and come back to us for additional projects.

Q: What are some of your favorite things about working with Capital Access Group?

A: At its core it’s being able to assist our small business borrowers. The way the company is set up allows us to respond more promptly and directly with borrowers. These dynamics have been a good fit for myself and my team members. At the end of the day we feel good when we are integral to helping a small business grow.

There’s also the value-added service that our company provides. We make the effort to really understand the borrower, the borrower’s business, and the unique aspects that need to be weighed or understood relative to their current needs and predicted future performance.

Q: Is there anything else you want to say about your 20th anniversary?

I’m very grateful for the past and continuing opportunities to work with our lending partners, the SBA, and all other parties involved in the 504 transaction to provide financial assistance to small businesses.

The best part of the job—and my true joy of working at Capital Access Group—are the many enduring friendships I’ve made over the years. It’s been a privilege.

Again, congratulations on this amazing milestone. You make us proud.

Win-Win Tech Ventures “gains confidence” with new building purchased in $12.9M financing project

Capital Access Group (www.capitalaccess.com), a commercial real estate lender specializing in U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loans for growing businesses, recently helped Win-Win Tek Ventures (http://forsysinc.com/) to secure $12,906,365 in financing to purchase a 103,955-square-foot building located at 691 South Milpitas Boulevard, Milpitas, CA. Win-Win Tek Ventures is a cloud and analytics software and IT services company that creates business-ready solutions for a wide range of clients, including Oracle, Salesforce, and many others. Win-Win currently employs 150 people and hopes to create another 150 jobs as a result of the growth enabled by the new building.

“The new building will allow us to consolidate our current operations, expand our business model, and take our organization to the next level,” said Jayaprasad (JP) Vejendla, CEO, Win-Win Tek Ventures. “Having a building will give tremendous confidence to the people who want to work with us. Clients, employees, and business partners will have confidence that we have a long-term strategy.”

Win-Win’s ambitious growth strategy would not be possible without the SBA 504 loan, according to JP.

“The 504 program offers a unique opportunity for companies like ours,” said JP. “This small business loan program allows entrepreneurs like us to scale up to the next level. Frankly, if the 504 program wasn’t available, we would continue running the business as we do now, with no growth, no additional employment, and no contribution to the local economy.”

“We were so pleased to help Win-Win secure the funds they needed to purchase this building,” said Cara Rudy, Vice President, Capital Access Group. “The building will stabilize the business and allow it to scale services, which in turn contributes to the economy. Win-Win projects that it will create up to 150 new jobs as a direct result of this purchase.”

Win-Win is a fan of the SBA 504 program as well as the service provided by Capital Access Group.

“Cara (Rudy) and everyone at Capital Access Group did an amazing job supporting us throughout the process,” said JP. “They were absolutely awesome. It was an incredible experience for us.”

Read the full press release here.

Comfort Inn Taps 504 Refi Program to Reduce Monthly Mortgage Payment and Secure Lower, Long-Term Fixed Interest Rate

Capital Access Group (www.capitalaccess.com), a commercial real estate lender specializing in U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loans for growing businesses, recently helped Comfort Inn Red Bluff to obtain $3,690,000 in financing through the SBA’s 504 Refinance Program, which provides borrowers with the cash they need to pay off existing, high-interest debt. The loan will lock in a low, 20-year, fixed interest rate with reduced monthly loan payments, which will help the owners to preserve working capital to invest back into the business.

Comfort Inn Red Bluff is a three-story, 67-room hotel centrally located at 90 Sale Lane, Red Bluff, CA, close to the Sacramento River. The Inn is a gateway to recreational activities in Northern California, and features spacious rooms, balconies, friendly staff, and excellent customer service.

“We have a great property with the largest rooms in Red Bluff,” said Surat (DJ) Deol, co-owner, Comfort Inn Red Bluff. “Our rooms are clean, the customer service is outstanding, and we receive excellent reviews from our guests.”

Comfort Inn Red Bluff’s management team wanted to refinance their debt, because they were “facing a huge balloon payment” with their existing commercial mortgage,” according to DJ.

“The SBA 504 Refinance Program allowed us to reduce our monthly payments, and we now have a lower interest rate and a fixed payment for the 20-year term of the loan,” said DJ. “Now, we’re set, and after 20 years, we’ll have everything paid off.”

“The SBA’s refinance program doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” said Claudia Cohen, Senior Vice President, Capital Access Group. “The program allows businesses like Comfort Inn Red Bluff to refinance high-cost commercial real estate debt to obtain affordable, low-interest loans to refinance existing debt. The program can be used for hotels, office buildings, warehouses, and other commercial property. More small businesses should take advantage of this unique program.”

“My hat’s off to Capital Access Group for their amazing work,” said DJ. “They were on top of everything, and they worked closely with us to make sure we met our deadlines and got all of the paperwork in on time. They did a great job.”