How it works
SBA loans are partially guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, which reduces lender risk and opens the door to longer terms and lower down payments than conventional bank credit. The 7(a) program covers general working capital, inventory, and commercial property. The 504 loan finances owner-occupied real estate and major equipment. You apply through a broker like Hazelcrest Group, we package your file, and submit it to SBA-approved lenders in our network.
SBA loans
Winterville sits along the Athens Highway corridor where retail, service trades, and small manufacturing coexist. A fabricator near the old Winterville Mill might need a 504 loan to buy the building it currently leases, locking in occupancy costs and building equity. A family restaurant on Main Street could use a 7(a) loan to remodel the dining room and add a commercial smoker. SBA loans fit businesses that need patient capital and cannot meet the collateral or equity requirements of traditional bank lines.
Hazelcrest Group operates from 1551 Jennings Mill Rd in Bogart, a ten-minute drive west on Highway 29 from downtown Winterville. We know the lenders who close deals in Oglethorpe and Clarke counties and the underwriters who value rural-adjacent commercial property fairly.
We are a licensed commercial loan broker, not a direct lender. That means we shop your application across multiple SBA lenders instead of forcing you into one bank's credit box. We clean up your financial statements, write the business narrative, and answer lender questions so your approval odds climb. If one lender passes, we pivot to the next without restarting the clock.
SBA loans
A three-person HVAC contractor in Winterville wants to purchase two service vans and a diagnostic computer suite. The owner has been in business four years, shows consistent revenue, but lacks the 25 percent cash down a truck dealer demands. Hazelcrest Group brokers an SBA 7(a) loan that covers the equipment cost with a lower injection and spreads repayment over seven years, keeping monthly cash flow positive during the summer installation season.
Common questions
Why Athens owners trust Hazelcrest Group
Talk to a local advisor and get matched to the right program, no obligation.