Building a Business in New Orleans, LA

As a young entrepreneur, Matthew looked forward to expanding his woodworking business. He founded Matthew Holden Design and specialized in the reclamation and salvaging of materials from New Orleans historic homes. When the opportunity came to expand his studio, his lack of a credit history prevented him from getting financing from a bank. “I’ve always been kind of a cash business and didn’t have a lot of credit built up. So, it was really hard to… basically impossible to get a loan through conventional banks.” Upon the urging of his family, Matthew came to HOPE. HOPE worked with Matthew to structure a business loan that he could afford to repay while also expanding his business. HOPE’s $215,000 construction loan enabled Matthew to become the proud owner of a new studio that gives him the room to grow his business.