Featured Loan:
Windy City Computers – Small Rural Loan facilitates business transfer of ownership

Small loans may be where Evergreen's USDA Rural Loan Program fits best.

Windy City Computers was established in November of 2006 by Patrick Wilson as a sole proprietorship to provide computer and technical consulting. Consulting services include computer repairs, training, networking, and service upgrades. Technicians are certified through Toshiba and Hewlett Packard. Customers include both small businesses and home PC users. Small business PC users make up the majority of Windy City Computers customers. In a rural area such as Ellensburg, the majority of the small business owners do not have a full-time Information Technology specialist on staff. Windy City Computers provides an affordable, on-demand service for these customers as well as the option for extended maintenance contracts so that small business clients can have technical support and repair services budgeted as a single line-item expense. 

Windy City leases a retail storefront in the central business district of Ellensburg, WA, one block away from Main Street, the main thoroughfare in Ellensburg. The retail storefront brings in home PC users who are looking to upgrade their current software, need to repair their PC, or wish to have their computer professionally cleaned of viruses, spyware, malware, and the like. Windy City Computers also provides at-home services where a technician travels to a customer's residence to provide service or training.  Windy City Computers also has a service where the technician performs computer service remotely on the customer's home computer by "taking over" the customer's computer via a high speed internet connection. This service has proven to be popular for customers that live in remote areas outside the city of Ellensburg.

Windy City Computers has teamed with the Meraki Networking Platform to bring a WiFi Network on-line throughout Ellensburg. This unique strategy involves signing up volunteers to plug in a wireless repeater (node) in their home. Instead of relying on one large antenna, a network is created through the volunteers who can then access the internet throughout a designated area. This type of project is important in a rural community which has limited internet options. This type of network brings high speed internet to areas at dial-up prices. There are nodes that extend from downtown to the edge of Central Washington University.

Lee Gobroski came to an agreement with Patrick Wilson to purchase the business assets of Windy City Computers. Patrick Wilson was selling the business in order to relocate his family out of the Ellensburg area.

Evergreen Washington State Rural Loan Program financing provided just under $40,000 to purchase the existing equipment and existing customer contracts. The purchase of Windy City Computers entailed the purchase of furniture, fixtures, equipment, inventory and goodwill. There was no lending partner in the project.

Evergreen Washington State Rural Loan Program recipients must be located in one of the following Washington counties: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Thurston and Yakima. They must be located in a population center of 25,000 or less. Major ineligible areas include Aberdeen-Hoquiam, Bremerton-Port Orchard, Mt. Vernon, Olympia-Tumwater, Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma, Yakima, Kelso and Vancouver

USDA Rural Development is an Equal Opportunity Lender, Provider and Employer. Complaints of Discrimination should be sent to: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410.