Pub. 4 2014-2015 Issue 6

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G C O L O R A D A N S R E A L I Z E D R E A M S May • June 2015 9 About Colorado Enterprise Fund: Founded in1976, CEF, independently or in partnership with other lending institutions and investors, provides loans up to $500,000 to finance small businesses and start- ups that are unable to secure funding through traditional channels. With a mission to accelerate community prosperity by financing and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses, CEF has provided over $40 million in loans to more than 1500 businesses to help create or retain over 17,000 jobs in the state since 1990. For more information, visit: www.coloradoenterprisefund.org. You can reach Alisa Zimmerman at (720) 473-4069 or at alisa@coloradoenterprisefund.org. small businesses and the communities they call home, CEF creates economic opportunity. Recognized in 2014 as a Top Company award winner by Colorado Biz magazine, CEF is committed to providing access to capital - from microloans to the SBA Community Advantage program - to meet the needs of a wide range of new and existing businesses needing more flexible rates and terms than most financial institutions can provide, as well as, helping banks and credit unions with gap loans tomeet the financing needs of their small business clients. But CEF does more than provide its borrowers financing because data shows small businesses need more than money to successfully start and grow. CEF’s in-house technical assistance program, Business Acceleration Services (BAS), addresses this need by offering professional on-site consulting and training on key business topics at minimal or no cost. This hands-on sup- port helps CEF borrowers complete their business expansion or start-up and qualify for more traditional financing in the future. Maintaining this “entrepreneurial ecosystem” of small business-focused education, training, tools and capital for CEF borrowers to use for the life of their loans requires funding. CEF partners with several agencies and foundations to support its BAS program including the US Small Business Administration, The Denver Foundation and the Kenneth King Foundation. With over half of its borrowers being minority and low income business owners, this combined funding helps CEF serve more borrowers across Colorado with expanded bilingual business advising, coaching and industry-specific resources. CEF has helped over 380 borrowers since 2011 with initial business assessments, followed by additional training and one- on-one coaching. A recent survey completed by CEF borrowers gave the BAS programhighmarks. Of the 115 responses received, the “skills, knowledge and responsiveness of BAS” consultants was rated highest among six attributes of the program. In the words of one borrower, “It's nice to know I've got an ally that's just a call or email away.” Additional data has shown the more CEF borrowers utilize BAS post-closing, the more successful their businesses are. CEF offers small businesses more so they and their commu- nities can thrive with increased economic activity, job creation and a better quality of life. Small business is critical to our state and CEF is critical to small business. Let us know how we can help your bank strengthen your community with small busi- ness financing and customized technical assistance. Contact our Director of Lending, Alan Ramirez, at 720.473.4053 or alan@coloradoenterprisefund.org or go online anytime to refer a small biz at: http://www.coloradoenterprisefund.org/referrals. 