Vote OBDC Clients for “Best of Oakland”
OBDC clients past & present are nominated for “Best of Oakland” – vote before it ends on May 21!
Meet our Borrowers: BAS Consulting
OBDC is now serving US military veterans across California. In March 2015, OBDC closed our first loan to a small business located outside of Northern California. We are thrilled to announce that our veterans program is available to US military veterans and their spouses throughout the state of California.
Celebrating LGBT-Owned Businesses in the Bay Area
The San Francisco Business Times, in conjunction with SF Pride in June, is planning to compile and publish a list of businesses who self-identify as LGBT-owned. OBDC is thrilled to announce our nominations from our portfolio of borrowers.
Bon Voyage, Felicia!
Last week, OBDC said “bon voyage” to Felicia Pierson, OBDC’s Senior Vice President – Oakland Market Manager, after more than 7 years with the organization, blending the expertise she gained in corporate banking with her passion for supporting and empowering underserved communities.
Bay Area’s Best Businesses are OBDC Clients
In March, the Bay Area A-List 2015 Winners were announced. This annual list received more than 35,000 verified votes on the 6,100 nominees of great Bay Area businesses. OBDC is proud to support many of the top-10 winners this year. We tweeted about all of these businesses last week, but in case you missed it, we present the list here.
Lending Circles Come to OBDC
This week OBDC Small Business Finance was selected as part of Better Bay Area, a program supported by Mission Asset Fund, Google, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Y&H Soda Family Foundation to bring the power of lending circles to a larger network of communities across the Bay Area. OBDC is planning to use lending circles to support borrowers in building credit, receiving financial education, and in growing their networks to help their businesses thrive.
Good Money for your Small Business
The Sustainable Business Alliance and The East Bay Express have come together to produce a “Good Money Guide” for Bay Area Small Businesses. OBDC Small Business Finance is thrilled to be a part of this project.
Financial Services: A Look at the Players
Two independent reports were recently released finding that Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are a critical component of the financial services industry, to ensure low-income people have access to credit and capital.
Celebrating Women’s History Month with Entrepreneurs
In the United States, women own 10.6 million businesses that produce approximately $2.5 trillion in sales every year. These women-owned companies employ 19.1 million workers, or one in every seven employees. Even though women own approximately 30 percent of small businesses, women-owned companies make up just 16 percent of bank loans and 17 percent of SBA loans. You can find more statistics about women entrepreneurs in this great fact sheet.
Implementing the Minimum Wage: Resources for Borrowers
This week, the new minimum wage ordinance in Oakland went into effect. For more about the new laws and some tips about how to navigate the implementation process, check our our past blogs. Businesses across town are still working on all the systems and processes needed to comply with the law. Here are some resources to support you in that process:
