Small loans could make a big difference

Andrea Marron recently remodeled the inside of her En Vogue Salon. Now it’s time to tackle the outside.

“Because it’s uglier than sin,” she said.

It’s not that bad, but it could use some landscaping, and Marron is going to pay for the work through Freedom Bank’s new “Gateway Pride Project.”

The program provides unsecured interest-free loans to small businesses from $5,000 to $10,000 to make improvements to the outside of their storefronts and other businesses.

The bank initially set aside a pool of $100,000 for the program and may increase it to $200,000, Freedom Bank president Don Bennett said.

The idea came after a recent Monday morning staff meeting where bank staffers sit down and brainstorm new ideas.

Bennett said businesses from Columbia Falls through the Canyon to West Glacier are working hard to become the true Gateway to Glacier National Park but might need a little help.

“I see a crop of young people wanting to make a difference,” he said.

This program is a way to enable them, he noted.

The loans are unsecured, meaning there is no lien on the property if the business owner accepts it. The terms are also flexible, said Cameron Johnson, who is overseeing the day-to-day administration of the program.

A committee of Canyon and Columbia Falls residents will examine each application but will not be privy to an applicant’s financial information, Johnson said.

The members are Columbia Falls city manager Susan Nicosia, city councilor Darin Fisher, Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce president Stacy Schnabel, Vernon Kiser, Tracy Dugan and Teresa Woehler.

The loans are designed to improve storefronts and other aesthetics but not infrastructure, such as water lines or utility hook-ups. Bennett said the loans may also be available to renters if a landlord is unable or unwilling to be involved.

To date, at least eight businesses have applied, Johnson and Bennett said. The hope is to have the projects completed by this fall, assess how the program fared and potentially make it even bigger next year.

“If everyone does a little bit, maybe it will make a difference,” Bennett said.

Businesses in the program also get a 10 percent discount on supplies at Hanson’s Hardware in Columbia Falls.

For Marron, it’s all about making her shop look as nice on the outside as it does on the inside.

“I’m going to tear out some of the ugly,” she said.

For more information on the program, contact Johnson at Freedom Bank by calling 406-892-1776.