Success stories

Des Moines' HoQ Restaurant Rebounds from COVID-19 Shutdown

Suman Hoque is a pioneer in Des Moines’ farm to table restaurant scene. His popular East Village restaurant, HoQ, established eight years ago, sources approximately 90 percent of its ingredients from...

Primary Source Plans for the Future

Urbandale-based Primary Source remains optimistic as it plans for the future. First established in 1985, owner Mary Anne Kennedy bought the marketing promotions business in 1997, growing it into a...

PPP Supports Pella Family-Owned Small Business

Lana Pol and her family-owned network of small businesses are fixtures in Pella, Iowa’s small business community. Her late father Wayne Geetings founded Geetings, Inc., a transportation company, in...

River Music Experience Has a Mighty Big Impact on the Regional Economy

Tourism is a mighty big business along the Mississippi River. Popular attractions like The River Music Experience know this too well. The Davenport non-profit organization is a major player in the...

PPP Profile - Newton Specialty Retailer Capitalizes on Pet Industry Trends

Pets are often considered members of our families, even as our best friends. We rely on them in times of crisis to overcome stress and anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different. As families...

Speller's Hardware Benefits from Lincoln Savings Bank PPP Loan

Father and son entrepreneurs Wendell and Allen Speller opened Speller’s True Value Hardware in Waterloo, Iowa four years ago. As the only hardware store in the city’s north end business corridor, the...

PPP Profile - Pandemic is No Match for Resilient Newton Small Business Owners

Adversity is no stranger to Newton, Iowa. When Whirlpool acquired Maytag in 2006, 1,800 people lost their livelihoods at the corporate headquarters and local manufacturing plant. The closure of an...

Woman-Owned Winery Pushes Through Peak Season with Disaster Relief Assistance from SBA

When Gail Warner Miller had the idea to convert a portion of her family’s farmland into a vineyard with a tasting room, she wasn’t sure where to start. Miller is a 5th generation descendent of...