Contact:
Todd Byrum or Beth Jones
PO Box 4757
Chattanooga, TN 37405
Phone: 266-5781
Fax: 267-7705
Website: http://www.sedev.org

Who they serve: Established as well as start-up businesses. Special consideration is given to women and minorities.

What they do: Build linkages between available government programs and the business community. Financial support ranges from $10,000 to $1.3 million. They are a Certified Development Company under the SBA 504 program, which provides long-term, fixed-rate financing at a reasonable interest rate. In conjunction with a permanent lender, can lend up to 90% of cost of fixed assets

Minimum Loan: $10,000; loans up to $1.3 million.

Requirements for Program: Job creation. Borrower equity investment. Bank participation for varying portions of loans, depending on program utilized. A key criterion for SBA 504 financing is that one job be created or retained for every $35,000 of SBA involvement. Prefers bank referrals with some financing already in place because they can then work to fill in the gaps.

Length of Program: Up to 20 years.

Loan Volume: 20-30 deals per year.

Fee for Program: Varies depending on loan product(s) provided