The path to scale for U.S. microlenders has always been challenging, and never more so than during these economically tumultuous times. Yet the experience of some lenders suggests that microenterprise organizations can scale their operations even amidst difficult situations, if they are both disciplined and entrepreneurial.
A new four-page funder guide from FIELD describes the collective experience of five lenders in the Scale Academy for Microenterprise Development that have been working to expand their portfolios even more aggressively, and outlines some of the key steps they have taken in organizational development and infrastructure to lay the groundwork for future growth. The guide also discusses the implications of their experiences for funders interested in supporting greater scale.
Click here to read Scaling Microlending in a Changed Economy. To read other guides in the series, click here. To learn more about FIELD resources available to funders, click here.
Paola-Marie Alvarez de Bennett, Alvarez de Bennett Law, P.C.
Attorney Paola-Marie Alvarez de Bennett founded Alvarez de Bennett Law, P.C. in 2009 after working for a prominent Oklahoma City law firm for two years. Paola-Marie was born in Mexico City, D.F., to her U.S. citizen mother and her Mexican citizen father. At a young age, her family came to the United States where she grew up in Gallup, New Mexico and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Paola-Marie obtained her Bachelors from Oral Roberts University and then decided to attend law school where she felt that she could help people and make a difference in her community. As a law student at the University of Oklahoma, Paola-Marie dedicated herself to several advocacy programs such as Students for Access to Justice Program (University of Oklahoma), Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (Toledo, Ohio), and Corporation for Enterprise Development (Washington D.C.).
Now operating her own law firm. Paola-Marie especially enjoys working on immigration law cases and international adoptions where she helps people come to the United States and take part in the American Dream like her family did.
She also serves in the Oklahoma City community as a:
♦ Volunteer attorney for Trinity Legal Clinic (nonprofit that provides access to legal services for clients who could not otherwise afford hiring their own attorney)
♦ Bi-lingual Tutor for the Whiz Kids program of Oklahoma City (program that provides tutoring for elementary students)
♦ Board Member for Metro Tech Foundation (providing financial assistance to students that could not otherwise afford an education at Metro Tech)
♦ Member of the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Her favorite book is “Banker to the Poor” written by Dr. Muhammad Yunus which has impacted small business owners around the world by showing that a little assistance, training, and mentorship can make a world of difference in teaching others to become self-sufficient.
Paola-Marie lives in Oklahoma City with her husband who serves in the U.S. Air Force.
Dr. Freda Deskin, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the award-winning Advanced Science and Technology Education (ASTEC) Charter School in Oklahoma City. ASTEC serves more than 900 inner-city middle and high school students. Ninety-eight percent of ASTEC graduates go on to college.
Freda Deskin is a nationally recognized educational consultant, known for her expertise in innovative, multidisciplinary curriculum and instruction. She has been a leader and pioneer in education for more than 35 years and has taught at the pre-collegiate and collegiate level and served as a university dean. Dr. Deskin founded several well-known educational programs in Oklahoma. In addition to Oklahoma’s first “start up” charter school in 2000, she established the “Oklahoma Odyssey of the Mind,” an international program that teaches and rewards creative problem solving, in 1978. In 1985, Deskin was selected as a finalist in NASA’s “Teacher in Space” project, becoming one of only 100 individuals in the world with the official title of “U.S. Space Ambassador.” The following year she began the International Aerospace Academy, a pre-collegiate summer camp and the Oklahoma Aerospace Academy and Outreach programs. Deskin established the first “ropes courses” at both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University. In 2007, Deskin co-founded For Youth Initiatives, a foundation that focuses on dropout prevention in Oklahoma. Under Dr. Deskin’s leadership, these programs have received awards and reached tens of thousands of children and adults.
A host of education and business leaders have recognized Dr. Deskin with awards and citations for her contributions. Deskin is listed in Who’s Who in American Education, Who’s Who in the World, Outstanding Women in American and 2000 Notable Women in the US, and the 2002 International Who’s Who of Professional Educators. She was named the 1996 “Woman of the Year” by the Redlands Council of the Girl Scouts, was awarded the 1996 Frank G. Brewer Award for the Southwest Region for outstanding contributions in aerospace education and was inducted into “Women in Aerospace” in 2007. Dr. Deskin was named one of “50 Making a Difference” by the Journal Record in 2006 and 2008 and received the prestigious “By-liner Award” by Women in Communication. She has been honored by more organizations than can be mentioned, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of America and the National Institute of Architects. She has served on many national committees and “think tanks” for organizations such as the Brooking Institute in Washington, DC. She has developed programs, curriculum guides and books for numerous national educational organizations such as the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, NASA, Disney’s EPCOT Center and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).
Freda Deskin is a member of the National and State “Women President’s Organization” (WPO). International Women’s Forum and serves on the State Individual’s with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Advisory Panel. She is a board member of Red Earth and chair of their education committee. Deskin is president of For Youth Initiative (FYI). She is a graduate of Leadership Norman and Leadership Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education will honor Dr. Deskin with their “Career Achievement Award” in spring of 2010.
Jan Hill opened her first salon “My Sister’s Scissors” in 1982 and changed the name to “Eden Salon” in 1994 for a fresh new approach to the salon business.
Her goals were to provide great jobs with advanced education and opportunities. Oklahoma’s first authentic day spa, Eden Salon & Spa was created in 2000 and another followed in 2006.
Jan has been in the beauty business for 37 years both as a published stylist and owner of 3 multiple award winning salons. Jan’s vision for Eden Salon & Spa is to create a business that is on the forefront of fashion and wellness. Jan has developed a team of professional staff devoted to outstanding service and commitment to learning and growing in their careers.
Brushy Creek BBQ Products, LLC is an Oklahoma based company that has successfully combined the creative talents of the owner Johnece Handley-Thompson with the southern charm of a time gone by.
About the owner: I Johnece Handley-Thompson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma but moved to Richmond, California with my parents when I was a year old. I lived in the Bay Area until the age of 21 and decided to move back to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I find Tulsa to be a small but charming city to raise a family but I still consider the Bay Area home and I go back to visit every chance I get. Growing up in a State like California afforded me privileges that I don’t think I would have received in many other States. Looking back I found my teachers to be very creative, thinking out of the box and encouraging us to do the same. I was exposed to a very diverse culture which was fostered in school as well and resulted in a melting pot of cultures more willing to accept differences than to belittle them.
My home life was very much Southern. Both of my parents were born and raised in Oklahoma. My dad was from Inola, OK and my mother was from Chouteau, OK the Brushy Creek area (the two towns were about 3 or 4 miles apart). A lot of my family still live in both towns. My mother was a stay at home mom so we had home cooked meals every day. She was and still is a great cook even though my sisters and I didn’t really appreciate it back then. Any way looking back on my childhood I can reflect back to how my company Brushy Creek BBQ Products, LLC was created. I was able to combine my creative West Coast education with my Southern roots which when combined equals a line of great products that take you back to times gone by. I named my company from the area that my family originated from Brushy Creek in Chouteau, OK. I come from a back ground of GREAT cooks so to honor them all and to honor our Brushy Creek Community as a whole thus the name Brushy Creek BBQ Products, LLC “the flavor that brings food and folks together.”
About the products: We currently have BBQ sauce with three different heat levels Mild (no heat) Hint of Heat and Fire they come in 16oz jars and 64oz jugs(half gallon). We also a have BBQ rub that is great on beef, pork and chicken and a hamburger seasoning that is great for any ground meat including ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey. All of our products are lower in sodium yet high in flavor! Our products are mainly sold as fundraiser to schools, churches and any other organization looking for fundraising ideas. We also sell our products through our website.
An Ada, Oklahoma native and former Miss Chickasaw I am the Vice President of Y.N.Y. Enterprises, DBA Subway. My husband Timothy and I currently have four Subway restaurants 2 in South Oklahoma City and 2 in Purcell.
Every year I host a toy drive for the foster children of McClain County. Involved in the development of a summer reading program for teens with the Pioneer Library System where Subway was a sponsor. Provide scholarships for graduating seniors of Lexington High School and for the Oklahoma Children’s Baptist Home.
Last summer had the privilege of participating in a Health Fair at the LCDA where I put together a slide show of nutrition and healthy snacks for low income families and did instruction of exercises that were safe for children to do while home alone.
We have four children three boys and one girl. Active member of Women of the South, a board member of Club services for the South OKC Rotary, a member of South OKC Chamber of Commerce, and the Tri-City Gun Club.
I am very passionate about working with young women promoting education to combat teen pregnancy. In my spare time I enjoy reading, riding motorcycles, and fishing with my family.
Kim Neese is owner/president of Terry Neese Personnel Services. Since joining the firm in 1998, revenue has increased by more than 75 percent. The firm is a recipient of the 2006 and 2007 Oklahoma City Chamber Top Metro 50.
The company was established in 1975 by her mother, Terry Neese. Kim oversees all company staff and operations. She is actively in-tune to labor issues specific to the Oklahoma market, and works with local and national companies, as well as, government agencies.
Kim is a survivor of the Oklahoma City Murrah Bombing, as she was working in the Oklahoma Water Resources Board just north of the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. She was a team member of the initial planning for the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
She is on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma State Chamber, is a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization, the National Association of Women Business Owners, Women Impacting Public Policy, Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma Staffing Association, Francis Tuttle Advisory Board, Economic Development Generating Excellence (EDGE) Committee and the Oklahoma City Downtown Rotary Club,
Active with causes of March of Dimes, the Salvation Army, American Heart Association, various political campaigns, and served as Co-Chair of the Oklahoma City Sports Headliner Banquet for several years and is a volunteer for the Canadian Valley Football Club.
She is married to Buddy Belt and is the mother of two daughters, Emily and Erin who attend Yukon Public Schools.
Kim Neese is a native Oklahoman, with Cherokee ancestry. She received a bachelor of arts in public administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.
MaryAnn Rodriguez graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Criminology from the University of Texas Permian Basin. She then obtained her Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University.
MaryAnn is now a criminal defense attorney in Oklahoma City. She worked at the Public Defender’s office for two years as an Intern.
Then, she worked for another attorney for one year after passing the bar exam and before starting her own company—Rodriguez Law Firm PLLC.
Rodriguez Law Firm PLLC has been in business for two years and is still growing. Ms. Rodriguez practices in the area of family law, criminal defense, and immigration law.
She is a strong supporter of Restorative Justice and education behind bars.
Mina Acquaye is the CEO of Excell Home Care & Hospice. She graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma School of Nursing in 1982 and the University of Oklahoma in 1988 with a Masters Degree in Public Health Administration.
She started off her career as a Registered Nurse, later became the Nursing Quality Assurance Coordinator and the Director of the cancer program all at Southwest Medical Center.
In 1996 she founded Excell Home Care and later added the Hospice component in 2002. She currently has over ninety employees.
She is a Certified Home Care & Hospice Executive. She is currently serving on the Oklahoma City Community College Foundation board, is a member of Women of the South a philantropic women’s organization and is also a member of Rotary International.
Hayley was born on June 14, 1991 in Oklahoma City to Nathan and Mary Anne Brubaker. She has attended ASTEC for five years.
Hayley’s favorite subject is math. She plans to pursue a career in photography and someday own her own photography studio.
She is a member of ASTEC Charter High School’s yearbook staff, Senior Class Historian, School Newspaper, and participates in Music Theater. Hayley is a member of National Honor Society, Honor Roll recipient, named Outstanding Yearbook Student, and received the President’s Education Awards Program for Outstanding Academic Excellence.
Hayley considers herself as hardworking, caring, intelligent, creative, and fun. When asked, “How do you want to be remembered?” she replied, “ I want to be remembered as for how hard I worked.”
Our 2010 Rwandan In-Country Students will graduate this Saturday, March 27, 2010! We are so proud of these women and all they have accomplished. They have worked the past eight weeks creating business plans and learning how to improve their businesses and their communities. They are a true testament to how lives can be changed [...]
Farzana Ibrahimi has created a new brochure for her business in Afghanistan, Kandahar Health & Development Organization. Way to go, Farzana! Click here to download Page 1 of brochure Click here to download Page 2 of brochure
