Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock's Initiative Brings Opportunity for Funding Small Businesses in Wilkes County

           Implementing a new business plan can be difficult, confusing and frustrating, especially when time arrives to seek funding. So it’s hard to know how many prospective new business owners just surrender their dreams. Add to that the fact there are many underserved communities, especially in rural America, where financial resources are very limited.

            Tiras Greene found his calling at an early age when his father began teaching him the secrets of eastern North Carolina barbecue. Tiras  — who grew up in Greenville, NC —  enrolled in a culinary arts program; later, while working in commercial kitchens, he started developing his catering business. In 2021, with the assistance of the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. (SERCAP), he began with a food truck and recently expanded the business with a standalone restaurant and catering service in the Raleigh suburb of Wake Forest, NC.          

            Tiras is an example of how SERCAP, a nonprofit organization based in Roanoke, Virginia, focuses on improving the quality of life for low-to-moderate income individuals living in the Southeast United States. Started in 1969, SERCAP began by bringing clean, safe drinking water to low-income rural residents of Virginia’s Roanoke Valley. The agency quickly realized that water is just one of many basic daily needs and gradually expanded its mission to include aid to homeowners, government and community groups, job seekers, and small business owners from Delaware south to Florida, including Georgia. But SERCAP’s avenues to financial aid haven’t been available in Washington-Wilkes.

            Now, thanks to efforts by US Senator Raphael Warnock, SERCAP plans to begin offering a variety of financial assistance plans in Wilkes County.

            Robert Vick, executive director of the Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce was contacted by a member of of Warnock’s staff about bringing SERCAP’s services to Wilkes County, which along with Burke County, he says, has no standalone community development plan, and has limited opportunities for pursuing small business loans. Both counties are eligible to participate in these programs, but haven’t, he says.

            SERCAP’s Small Business Loan Program delivers loan services to small business owners and entrepreneurs looking to expand an existing business that primarily serves a rural population. SERCAP’s Small Business Loan product can be used for working capital, inventory, property renovation, and financial management systems.

            There was an initial meeting at the Chamber in June to establish how the program might be implemented here, but as Vick remembers: “We had our next meeting…and lo-and-behold, I was the only one to show up, yeah. And it’s like, please folks, the money’s on the table.” At meeting number three, Vick was joined by just one other person. Future stakeholder meetings are scheduled for August 8th and November 11th, each at 6PM at the Chamber offices on the Square.

            The small business project in part is “targeting women and minorities who are previously unemployable or don’t have employment opportunities in rural areas,” says Vick. Applicants are encouraged to take a brief online course offered by UGA, which can be taken by computer at the Mary Willis Library as part of the loan process. Existing business owners are exempt from the course. Despite the limited response, at there have been “several referrals, three on the well program and one by a small business owner”. You can learn more about the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative and apply here

            The rural clean water initiative also offers low interest loans for rural homeowners who rely on wells for water and/or septic tanks. SERCAP's Individual Household Well Loan Program delivers low interest (1%) loans for up to $15,000 to residents of rural communities with populations under 50,000 to cover the cost of digging a new well or repairing an existing well.

            SERCAP's Individual Septic Loan Program offers loans up to $15,000 to residents of rural communities to pay for the installation of a new standard or alternative septic system. The interest rate is locked-in at the low-rate of one per cent, and these loans are not readily available from other lending institution

            For additional information, contact the Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce (wwchamberofcommerce@gmail.com) or tel: (706)678-2013; or WWW.SERCAP. ORG, (504)-345-1184.

Reported by Richard Crabbe