Capital Access Group Provides Calitho With $3,340,000 in SBA 504 Funds to Purchase Property and to Construct a 19,000 Sq. Ft. Building

Capital Access Group (www.capitalaccess.com), a San Francisco-based commercial real estate lender specializing in U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loans for growing businesses, provided $3,340,000 in SBA 504 financing to Calitho, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise led by President and CEO Mardjan Taheripour and her husband, Bahman Taheripour. The 504 funds were used to purchase a 40,000 sq. ft. parcel of vacant land and to construct a 19,000 sq. ft. light industrial building at 2351 Stanwell Drive, Concord, California.

Concord, California-based Calitho provides a state-of-the-art, comprehensive printing solution for a range of clients, including Oracle, Whole Foods, HP, Levi’s, Chevron, AT&T, and many more. The company has been consistently recognized and awarded by the industry for superior quality printing. The new facility, built with SBA 504 funds, completes a “campus-style” operation that includes four buildings within a two-block radius.

“The printing industry has changed, and we have responded by diversifying and getting into different formats,” said Bahman Taheripour, Vice President, Calitho. “Today, we produce just about everything, including banners, car graphics, exhibits, wallpaper, brochures, business cards, and more. We have become an end-to-end solution for any multichannel marketing campaign.”

This was the second 504 loan from Capital Access Group for Calitho. In 2006, the Taheripours purchased and renovated their original building with 504 funds, and they became huge fans of the program.

“The main thing is that we have a low down payment,” said Taheripour. “When you’re in business, you need access to capital. I would rather have access to money so we can expand our business rather than tie it into the real estate as a down payment.”

“At Capital Access, we believe building ownership changes the trajectory of a small business,” said Jacklyn Jordan, President and CEO, Capital Access Group. “The program’s low down payment, fixed-rate, long-term financing allows companies like Calitho to preserve cash and to focus on growing the business, which creates jobs and strengthens the community. Calitho has already added 20 employees as a result of the new building and expects to add an additional 25-30 employees in the next year.”

“The 504 program is a perfect fit,” said Taheripour. “We love it because it has allowed us to create equity in our buildings; and, because we own the buildings, we’re not worried about the lease running out. We can make any leasehold improvements we need. I’m very pleased that we have an opportunity to leverage this program.”

“It was my pleasure to work with such knowledgeable, successful principals for a second loan,” said Jordan. “We are proud to support their continued growth.”

“When we were ready to build the new facility, we just called Capital Access and they took care of everything,” said Taheripour. “It’s so easy, it’s unbelievable. I tell my friends who are small business owners leasing space that the best thing to do is get a 504 loan and buy their building. It makes a whole lot more sense for a small business to own the building.”