SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Nav, a free site and app that gives business owners the fastest, easiest and most trusted path to financing, announced Alex and Jennifer Morton, the founders and owners of Junk Star Handcrafted Furniture, as the grand prize winners of the company’s quarterly Small Business Grant.
Junk Star Handcrafted Furniture, which opened in San Antonio in 2014, specializes in designing and building handcrafted, custom furniture.
“Each day our team hears first-hand about the challenges small business owners face due to a lack of capital — it’s heartbreaking and all too common. The Morton’s story is no different. They’ve faced endless personal and business challenges over the years,” shared Greg Ott, Nav’s President and COO. “Their application was honest about their struggles and immediately captured the attention of our judging panel. Their plan for how to use the money is going to make quick and drastic changes to their business’s output and services, and we are excited to see the positive impact $10,000 has on their small business journey.”
The Mortons will use the $10,000 grant to fix broken equipment, buy new tools, install an automated vacuum system to streamline their workshop’s cleanup process, purchase design software, and invest in a trailer, allowing them to deliver furniture rather than outsourcing to a third party.
“Due to a lack of capital, we haven’t been able to fix or upgrade equipment that we use on a daily basis,” said Alex Morton. “We’re working twice as hard to finish projects and wasting precious time.”
To be considered for Nav’s Small Business Grant, business owners must share a challenge their business is facing, explaining how the Grant money will help them overcome that hurdle. When the Mortons applied for the Grant, they shared that mistakes in their personal life had greatly impacted the financial standing of their business, pushing them several times to consider closing.
“Over the last few years, we’ve thought about giving up and closing our doors on more than just one occasion,” shared Jenn Morton. “Finding Nav has been instrumental in helping our business, not only have we been blessed with the company’s Small Business Grant, but we’ve used the platform to better understand our business’s credit and the types of financing options that are available whenever we need them. Nav’s services, expertise and vested interest in small businesses is unwavering — we’re forever grateful to the company.”
Nav has awarded more than $60,000 to small businesses across the country since launching the Grant in 2018. Each of the Grant winners have shared a common theme amongst their businesses — their businesses’ greatest challenge is figuring out how to easily and successfully access capital.
To learn more about Nav’s visit to Junk Star Handcrafted Furniture and the couple’s vision for the future of their business, read Nav’s latest blog post.
Two other small businesses were also awarded grants in this round:
- Russo’s Ravioli, a son and mother owned business in Cincinnati, Ohio received $2,000 to help bring their product line into national retailers.
- Center Stage Clothier, a costume shop in Vancouver, Washington, was awarded $1,000 to expand her wardrobe collection to meet customer demand.
The next round of Nav’s Small Business Grant is now open. Applications will be accepted on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn until December 20, 2019. More information about the Grant and details on applying are available at Nav.com/grant.
About Nav
Nav is a free site and app that gives business owners the fastest, easiest and most trusted path to financing. The leading Business Financial Management app, Nav gives free access to personal and business credit reports from major consumer and commercial credit bureaus including Experian, Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax and TransUnion, and hosts a robust marketplace with more than 110 business financing products including loans and credit cards. The marketplace uses a unique, lender-neutral approach to help business owners find the best financing options for their needs. Nav services related to credit card and alternative financing recommendations may not be available in all states. Nav’s solution is also leveraged by other business service providers to enhance their customer experience. The company has offices in Silicon Valley and Salt Lake City. To learn more, visit Nav.com.
CONTACT:
Amanda Triest
Nav PR Manager
atriest@nav.com
801-890-5024