Loan Client Spotlight: Tone Music
Mara Schack, SMIF loan client and owner of Tone Music in downtown Owatonna, shared her experience working with SMIF.
Loan Client Spotlight: Personal Hearing Care
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation gave a Small Enterprise Loan to Dr. Amanda Bohn in 2024 to support her practice, Personal Hearing Care, in St. Peter.
Loan Client Spotlight: Minnesota Canine Club
In 2024, Jon Hansen received a Small Enterprise Loan from Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) to start Minnesota Canine Club. The support from SMIF allowed him to pursue his dream of owning a dog boarding and training club.
Loan Client Spotlight: Waseca Morgan’s Meat Market
Waseca Morgan’s Meat Market received a Business Loan from Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation in 2024. They were able to expand their building with these funds, allowing them to offer more specialized services for customers.
Loan client spotlight: The Lux MedSpa
The Lux MedSpa is an aesthetics practice that started out as a mobile operation, then moved to a brick and mortar in Dundas, and has now grown to a location in Northfield. SMIF provided a Business Loan in 2021 to aid in their growth.
Loan client spotlight: ONE Athletics
ONE Athletics is a youth fitness and gymnastics facility in Rochester. In 2023, they received a Small Enterprise Loan from SMIF which has allowed them to purchase critical equipment for the business.
Unlocking peer support: Part 1
Running a small business can feel isolating. Emily Knudsen, owner of Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm in Waseca, joined SMIF's Local Foods Peer Network and found a cohort of entrepreneurs to learn from and grow with.
Loan Client Spotlight: Twisted Chicken
When the owners of Twisted Chicken wanted to grow their business from a food truck into a brick-and-mortar location, SMIF was there to help with financing.
Loan client spotlight: Picklebarn
In 2022, Sidney and Mitch Elofson started their dream business. They opened up an indoor pickleball facility in Mankato with the help of a Business Loan from SMIF.
Adding texture to downtown through entrepreneurship
Opening a restaurant is no small feat. Johnny Vuong, owner and manager of China House Cafe, shared how he and his girlfriend, Jialing, have grown their business with SMIF's help in the small town of Truman.
