Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs

ACE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and community development financial institution (CDFI). Our mission is to provide loans and business consulting services to help borrowers throughout Metro Atlanta and North Georgia create and grow stable, sustainable businesses that generate jobs.

Ardina Pierre, Nature’s Own Herb Shop, Inc., Hapeville, GA

Ardina Pierre, a Registered Nurse and licensed nutritionist, owns Nature’s Own Herb Shop, Inc. in Hapeville. “My goal is to use my products and expertise to nourish and improve the overall health of this community,” she says. The nutrition shop has 3 employees and is bustling with customers from open to close – people come from near and far to consult with Ardina for health advice.

When she began pursuing her long-term goals in 2011, Pierre approached several banks for funding. “They were not welcoming at all despite my good credit record,” she says. “Then I heard about ACE.” ACE performed an energy efficiency audit and provided her with a green loan to upgrade her insulated windows and freezers for sustainability. Better refrigeration allowed her to have a juice bar, which noticeably improved her bottom line. She also gave the exterior of her building a facelift. Our Healthy Food Financing Initiative enabled her to expand her inventory of supplements and fresh fare. “I pay off one loan, and then I get another to keep growing,” says Pierre, who has had three loans with ACE so far.

Ardina Pierre is not finished yet! She has moved from leasing her space to purchasing the shopping center, so she now presides over a valuable asset in one of the fastest-growing communities in the metro Atlanta area. “There’s a need around here for more housing,” she says. Pierre hopes to partner with the city to convert her property into a mixed-use development with condominiums.

John and Juanisa Kimbrough, Ms. Niecy’s Home Away from Home Learning Center

As one of the premier daycare facilities in Southwest Atlanta, Ms. Niecy’s is more than a daycare center. They are a student-focused affordable preschool and learning center that accepts infants, toddlers, preschool and after-school children. Juanisa and John Kimbrough boast revenues over $600,000 annually but have also shown dedication to improving their business and keeping it sustainable. In 2009, Ms. Niecy's started helping students reach their early childhood development potential. Their implementation of an integrated curriculum, which has been designed to accelerate their student’s brain development, has proven to be a success. Stimulating their students developing minds through utilizing engaging learning activities has resulted in creating strong educational foundations for their students.

Ms. Niecy’s makes a difference in its community as well, by creating jobs for those in the community. A recent expansion in their After-Care division has allowed them to have a staff of almost 30 employees, which is making a tremendous economic impact on their southwest Atlanta community.

The Kimbroughs came to ACE for funding in 2015 and have had a total of three loans to continue their growth. They are building more than just a place to drop your kids off while at work; they are building a strong educational foundation and making a very positive impact on our Leaders of Tomorrow…Changing the world, one student at a time! John and Juanisa Kimbrough were recognized as ACE’s “Commercial Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2018.