CSBDF Torch Newsletter

Partner and Stakeholder Newsletter | Volume 8 | October, 2025

CSBDF RESEARCH REPORT: HURRICANE HELENE'S IMPACT ON THE WNC SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY

As one of the three main pillars of our work, Carolina Small Business Development Fund is committed to creating high-quality, data-backed research reports to evaluate our programs, the CDFI industry, and the small business ecosystem as a whole.

After the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene on the western part of our state last year, our policy and research team worked to document the significant personal and professional challenges of more than 130 small business owners in Western North Carolina in our latest report 'Hurricane Helene's Impact on the WNC Small Business Community: Damage, Recovery, and the Long Road Ahead.'

Click here or on the graphic below to read the full report:

STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

At CSBDF, we have a hard-working staff working to serve North Carolina's small business owners through our three-pillar approach of providing capital, technical assistance, and small business policy research. Each newsletter, we will spotlight a few of our dedicated staff members:

Jasmine Harrison

Human Resources Coordinator

Bilal Johnson

Business Solutions Officer

Noel Wagoner

Underwriter

Shanna Moore

Loan Closer

PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

Ignite is a flexible loan program offering loans up to $75,000 to help small businesses thrive, featuring quicker decisions and processing, flexible collateral requirements, minimal paperwork, and special interest rates to rural and veteran-owned businesses to help small business owners get the funding they need.

Learn more here or by clicking the logo below!

CSBDF IN ACTION

CSBDF VP and Chief Financial Officer, Meryl Olson, was recently honored as a Marsha Bailey Leadership Award nominee at the 2025 Association of Women's Business Centers PowerUP Conference!

CSBDF's Carlos Liriano and Zuri Anuel recently attended the 2025 National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders 2025 Conference in Nashville, Tennessee!

CSBDF Business Solutions Officer Bilal Johnson recently spoke at the 2025 Millie CEO Summit in Charlotte, an event founded and organized by CSBDF Board Member Bobby Robinson!

CLIENT IMPACT

Meet Francis Holmes, the owner of Holmes Dental Lab in Durham. At Holmes Dental Lab, Francis is leaning on decades of experience in the dental laboratory industry to forge meaningful connections and provide high-quality results for dentists across the Triangle!

“I believed in myself and I believed in my skill set,” says Holmes. “But it makes it so much easier knowing I’ve got my people behind me that won’t let me fall flat on my face. That includes my family who has always motivated me and believed in me, and it also includes CSBDF.”

Read the full story here!