Board of directors Keith
Yurgosky, Nancy Jackson Matthews, John Kokinchak
and Gene Ogozalek attend the "Thanks a Million"
luncheon celebrating $1 million in small business
lending in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
MetroAction,
Inc. is a non-profit community development organization
dedicated to providing financing and business development
assistance to businesses throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Formed in 1977 to revitalize the local community, MetroAction
is now a leading Community Development Financial Institution
(CDFI) that has provided more than $1.5 million to help
build small businesses throughout eight counties in Northeastern
Pennsylvania.
Since 1997, MetroAction has been providing loans and
business development assistance to small businesses. MetroAction
finances small businesses that, for many reasons, may
not qualify for traditional bank financing.
Many of the entrepreneurs that utilize our programs lack
start-up capital and cannot save money fast enough to
acquire the funding they need to finance their business.
MetroAction is an alternative, yet successful and comprehensive,
resource for financing and business development assistance.
Borrower Profile : Little Thinkers Children's Center
The name might be Little Thinkers, but owners Lori Mahoney and Amy Lilley are thinking on a grand scale. Little Thinkers Children’s Center is a childcare facility that offers a safe, clean, loving, state-of-the-art educational environment with highly trained, warm, and sensitive teachers. Little Thinkers provides age and developmentally appropriate curriculum to their infants, toddlers, Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten students.
Lori Mahoney previously worked in her In-laws daycare
center in Massachusetts, and upon returning to the
area realized that there was a void in the childcare
industry. "I loved my in-laws programs, and
always dreamed of starting my own schools,"
Mrs. Mahoney said. "I couldn't find a decent
daycare center to put my own children in so I did
my research and opened my own school."
"MetroAction helped by loaning money used to
make renovations," said Mrs. Mahoney. "I
took an old school and completely renovated it to
bring it up to standard that is beyond compare to
any school in the area. I have all new equipment,
carpets, tiling, and paint."
Little Thinkers has only been open since August
of 2004, but still they have enrolled over 80 children
and have hired 15 people. "We pay teachers
higher salaries than other schools to avoid turnover,"
said Mrs. Mahoney. "We have a highly educated
and experienced team of professional, who give parents
peace of mind when their children are here."
Little Thinkers also participates in a food and
clothing drive to help those less fortunate in the
community.
The name might be Little Thinkers, but owners Lori Mahoney and Amy Lilley are thinking on a grand scale. Little Thinkers Children’s Center is a childcare facility that offers a safe, clean, loving, state-of-the-art educational environment with highly trained, warm, and sensitive teachers. Little Thinkers provides age and developmentally appropriate curriculum to their infants, toddlers, Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten students.