December 2023 Business Finance Group is proud to have collected a record 100+ toys for the Toys For Tots program, with combined donations from the BFG staff, company and Board of Directors members. Thank you to all the staff that participated, we hope to continue this great tradition of service in the community!!
October 2022 – For the past three years Business Finance Group has been a supporter of “Food for Others”. Our staff gathers to shop and assemble “power packs” for elementary school students. These food kits go to food insecure families, whose kids rely on these “power packs” for food when school is closed and on the weekend.
The staff of Business Finance Group purchased and packed over 1,500 items for school-age children’s weekend meals and snacks for the local Food for Others program. It was the third year of participation by BFG in assisting the needs of the community with this project.
Thank you to all the staff that participated, we hope to continue this great tradition of service in the community!!
After much anticipation, the Small Business Administration (SBA) published the new interim final rule for 504 debt refinancing programs as authorized under section 328 of the Economic Aid Act on July 29. The new rule is effective immediately. The updated regulations significantly expand the usefulness of 504 debt refinancing programs to assist small business recovery and growth.
Section 328(a) of the Economic Aid Act revises the conditions and requirements for refinancing debt under the 504 Loan Program as follows.
For 504 debt refinancing WITH expansion:
The amount of the existing indebtedness that may be refinanced as part of a 504 project is increased from not more than 50% to not more than 100% of the project costs of the expansion.
For 504 debt refinancing WITHOUT expansion:
Reinstates an alternate job retention standard – all existing jobs measured on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis can be counted as jobs retained by the refinancing project.
Qualified debt – must be at least 6 months old before the SBA application date to be eligible for refinance, reduced from 2 years old.
Additionally, the SBA is removing language allowing a loan to be eligible for 504 debt refinance if that original loan had been refinanced within 2 years of application date, as the SBA believes this is no longer necessary given the reduction in the debt seasoning requirement to 6 months.
Allows the refinance of existing government guaranteed debt – existing SBA policies related to refinancing existing 504 or 7(a) loans will apply (these are the same requirements that currently exist for the 504 debt refinance with expansion program), including the following:
Current on all payments – Eliminates the requirement that the borrower must be current on all payments due for not less than 1 year before the SBA application date. Because the qualified debt now must be incurred not less than 6 months before the date of the 504 Loan application, the SBA no longer requires that the applicant be current on all payments due on the Qualified Debt for not less than 1 year before the date of application. In accordance with prudent lending standards, the SBA expects the Certified Development Company to consider whether the applicant is current on all payments due and the applicant’s history of delinquency in its credit analysis.
March 2020 – For the past three years Business Finance Group has been a supporter of “Food for Others”. Our staff gathers to shop and assemble “power packs” for elementary school students. These food kits go to food insecure families, whose kids rely on these “power packs” for food when school is closed and on the weekend.
10/31/2019- Business Finance Group donates $50,000 to Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc (FITCI). FITCI is a Business Incubator/Accelerator located in Frederick, Maryland. U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin were also in attendance for the presentation.
Business Finance Group showing our support for Breast Cancer Month by wearing “Pink”
BFG has made a donation to the United Way of South Hampton Roads for the Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund.
Each year our staff enjoys participating in the Red Shoe 5k to support the local Ronald McDonald House.
ServiceSource is an organization with a mission to facilitate services and partnerships to support people with disabilities, their families, their caregivers and community members in order to build a more inclusive community.
Each year Business Finance Group helps support the mission of the Marine’s Toys for Tots program by collecting new unwrapped toys to provide for the less fortunate children at Christmas.
JENNIFER A. RICE, VICE PRESIDENT / LOAN OFFICERJennifer Rice is a Vice President and Business Development Officer for Business Finance Group, Inc. with a primary geographic responsibility for the Frederick, Washington, Montgomery and Carroll counties and the eastern panhandle counties of West Virginia, Winchester and upper Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia.
Ms. Rice has over 19 years of experience in both commercial and retail community banking. Prior to joining Business Finance Group, she was Vice President of Commercial Lending for FCB Bank, A Division of ACNB Bank and had additional prior banking experience with Woodsboro Bank. She was a recipient of Maryland Bankers Association’s Next Leaders in Banking award in 2012. Ms. Rice earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Kaplan University and is a graduate of the Maryland Bankers Association, Maryland Banking School class of 2012. She is also a graduate of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Frederick County class of 2016. In 2018 she earned a Certificate in Business and Commercial Lending from American Bankers Association. She was formerly the Chairman for Maryland Bankers Association’s Council of Professional Women in Banking and Finance and Girls on the Run Mid and Western Maryland, along with serving as a member of Frederick Health’s Development Council.
Marc OhlerMarc Ohler is the Vice President/Chief Credit Officer for Business Finance Group. He is responsible for overseeing the Credit Analyst and Loan Processing team to ensure a smooth borrower experience from application to SBA approval. Prior to joining, he was Senior Vice President/Chief Credit Officer of Virginia Partners Bank. He has over 21 years of Commercial Banking experience with both large national banks and community banks.
Mr. Ohler graduated from Muskingum University with a BA in Computer Science and a BA in Economics.
MELISSA L. BURROUGHS, VICE PRESIDENT/LOAN OFFICERMelissa L. Burroughs was previously Executive Vice President /Chief Lending Officer for Old Point National Bank. She has over 30 years of experience in the commercial banking/financial industry with both community and national banks. Ms. Burroughs earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts Management from Virginia Wesleyan University, an M.B.A. from Old Dominion University and is a Certified Financial Planner TM. She is involved in many community activities that include Chairman of the Board of VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads, Secretary of the Board of the Hampton Roads Chapter for the Risk Management Association, and President of the Roosevelt Area Civic League. Burroughs was formerly the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast, Virginia Wesleyan University President’s Advisory Council, Virginia Banker’s Association Lending Executives Committee and Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity Peninsula & Greater Williamsburg among other leadership roles.
Sharon MasinSharon Masin brings deep experience in the accounting and finance fields to Business Finance Group. As the Director of Finance and Accounting, she is responsible for all accounting, finance, and budget oversight. She also manages the administration of employee benefits, insurance, worker’s comp, health insurance benefit management, liability and property insurance, and Business Finance Groups’ annual audit.
Prior to joining the team, Sharon was Vice President of Finance and Administration for Axis, a leading marketing strategy and graphic design firm, and also worked with CDG Solutions. Dedicated to streamlining process and procedure, Sharon offers unique insight to systems and workflow, creating efficiencies enjoyed by the staff and company alike.
Jason S. Paisley, CPA, Senior Vice PresidentJason Paisley is a Senior Vice President and Loan Officer for Business Finance Group Inc. with over 19 years of SBA 504 lending and underwriting experience. He is responsible for administering the loan application process for small businesses throughout Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. He is able to leverage experience in commercial lending to offer high levels of lending support to clients and lending partners alike. Jason regularly interfaces with bank officers and small business owners of various sized businesses, facilitating the 504-loan program.
Jason graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. Jason is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, and serves on the Board of the Risk Management Association, Potomac Chapter and Regional Carolinas-Virginias Chapter.
Gerald K. Baroudi, Senior Vice PresidentGerald Baroudi has over 20 years of commercial and SBA lending experience working with a variety of industries and startups. He discovered the world of SBA lending early in his banking career and developed a passionate interest in the various programs. Mr. Baroudi has a diverse banking and entrepreneurial background that has served him well in assisting small business owners manage their growth strategically. As a former business owner, he understands the challenges of starting and growing a company organically. He has worked for regional banks and banks with a national presence such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo. He has a Finance Degree from the University of Maryland University College. Mr. Baroudi has spoken at a number of events/conferences on topics ranging from access to capital, managing business growth, hospitality financing, and franchise acquisitions. He has been interviewed by a number of local news publications such as The Washington Post, Baltimore Business Journal and Baltimore Sun. He is a graduate of the Leadership Anne Arundel Flagship class of 2005.
He currently serves as President of the Chesapeake Chapter of RMA (Risk Management Association) and is the immediate past President of the Maryland Commercial Lenders Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of various county, state and federal commercial loan programs. He was recognized by the SBA Baltimore District in 2017 as Financial Services Champion of the Year.
D. WAYNE WILLIAMS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/LOAN OFFICERWayne Williams has over 32 years of experience in commercial banking and small business lending. Wayne joined Business Finance Group in 1997 after a 10-year career in commercial banking and serves as Senior Vice President and Senior Lending Officer. Working with the lending community, small business owners, and a variety of referral partners, Wayne markets and originates SBA 504 Loans in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. Since 1997 Wayne has personally assisted over 700 small businesses finance over $1.3 billion in projects. As the company’s Senior Lending Officer, Wayne supports a team of loan officers in navigating SBA policies and procedures and assists with companywide sales management activities.
A passionate advocate of the 504 Loan Program, Wayne is a director for NADCO, the 504 industry’s national trade association. Wayne serves on the executive committee as Vice Chair of Regulatory Affairs working with industry colleagues to promote the 504 regulatory agenda with SBA leadership. Wayne is also a NADCO national instructor developing and teaching courses on 504 lending. SBA honored Wayne as Financial Services Champion in 2009. Wayne has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the North Carolina School of Banking.
Angela SmithAngela Smith serves as the Manager for Business Finance Group’s Loan Closing and Servicing Teams. In this capacity, she leads teams that expertly shepherd borrowers through SBA closing process and assists borrowers post-funding with servicing requests, loan workouts and liquidations.
Prior to joining BFG, Angela held management positions with two large banks in the Midwest where she increased SBA lending activity and created efficiencies that led to streamlined loan processing. She has also served as a relationship manager where she was responsible for identifying opportunities to offer SBA and conventional financing that supported client businesses. Part of her emphasis was working with underserved markets where she worked to create financial education and lending programs that offered alternative financial options for borrowers.
Elizabeth R Wilson, Vice PresidentElizabeth (Beth) Wilson brings over 45 years of experience in the finance services industry, having been employed by several leading institutions such as Business Loan Express, Patriot Bank, Security Bank, Enterprise Bank and Sandy Spring National Bank. For the past twelve years, Beth has been responsible for working with the local banks and small businesses in the western portion of Business Finance Group’s footprint which includes Western Maryland, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia.
She utilizes her previous experience both as a Commercial Loan Officer as well as her small business experience as Director of Franchisee Finance for Precision Tune to support and service her clients and customers.
Beth has conducted seminars for the Flory Small Business Development Center on ‘Writing a Successful Business Plan’ and ‘Developing Your Own Small Business’ and is a graduate of the Maryland Banking School at the University of Maryland.
Curt Solomon, Senior Vice PresidentCurt Solomon is a Senior Vice President and Business Development Officer for Business Finance Group, Inc. He has been involved in SBA 504 lending for over 24 years. Prior to joining BFG in 2008, he served as Vice President and Regional Manager for Empire State Certified Development Corporation in New York, the 3rd largest 504 company in the country. Curt is active with the Risk Management Association (RMA) serving on the Board of Directors for the Carolina Virginia Regional Chapter of RMA and is past President of both the Richmond and Hampton Roads local RMA chapters. Curt is a graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York and received his Master’s in Business Administration from Union College in Schenectady, NY. He was named one of the 2008’s “40 under 40” issued by the Business Journal, Albany New York. This publication recognizes forty leaders under the age of 40 who demonstrate business acumen, leadership skills and community involvement. Married with two children, Curt enjoys training for triathlons with his Wife, Julie and participating in his two son’s sports activities.