Bay City Sausage, Westport, WA. With the help of Cascadia and the Olympic Microloan Fund, a partnership between Cascadia and nine Washington counties, Ronda Strode purchased a sausage making company where she had worked for five years. Having grown up in Westport, Ronda was thrilled to have found a steady job and stay in the small coast town. She and her one employee grind, mix, pack, and smoke the sausages by hand using traditional and speciality recipes. They also prepare and sell homemade jerky, hot dogs, pepperoni, bacon, and smoked fish and cheese. A single mother, Ronda recently qualified for a home loan. With the help of Cascadia’s business consultant, Ronda is improving her business financial statements so that she may one day qualify to purchase space for the business.

Márquez Child Care Center, Sunnyside, WA. Maria and José Márquez moved from Mexico to Sunnyside in 1986. After working in the agricultural and service industries for five years, they started a child care business in their home. The business has shown remarkable growth since then and recently expanded with the help of a loan from Cascadia. This loan enabled the Márquezes to purchase a larger facility. They now have 41 children enrolled at the new center. All of the children are from low-income families and most are Hispanic. A third of their enrollment is attributable to the expansion financed by Cascadia. Three new jobs were also created. The Márquezes, who offer bilingual education and individual tutoring for school-age children, now hope to open their original, smaller child care center building for the agricultural season in order to care for 20-30 additional children, from migrant worker families.

Columbia Pacific Food Bank, St. Helens, OR. This nonprofit organization distributes food to needy people in Columbia County via local food pantries, senior centers, child care facilities, and other agencies. It serves one out of every eight residents in this rural county northwest of Portland. Following a doubling of the county’s unemployment rate, the food bank experienced a significant increase in requests for food. Cascadia’s loan enabled the organization to purchase the office and warehouse it had previously leased, providing a permanent space for its operations.

West Coast Timber Company, Jacksonville, OR. This four-year-old company is a leader in the recycling, remanufacturing, and sale of vintage timbers salvaged from demolition sites. WCTC has one of the largest inventories of reclaimed wood in the nation and employs thirteen people, paying above-average wages in a rural area. Owner Shannon Megarity has a background in engineering and environmental education. He started the company with the goal of running a profitable business that provides important environmental benefits. In addition to reusing timber, the company contributes a portion of its profits to reforestation efforts. WCTC used a loan from Cascadia as working capital for a large demolition project and to purchase a truck.