Kelly’s Place Learning Center

Shyla Pinette recognized a need in her community. Childcare in Aroostook County was incredibly hard to come by. After years in the medical field, she decided to purchase a struggling childcare business and make it a safe and welcoming place for local families.

For assistance in making this happen, Shyla turned to Dan Umphrey, business advisor at the Maine SBDC at NMDC. Shyla needed funding to purchase the business and the real estate. She also needed guidance on starting and running her own childcare business. Accessing the funding required patience and perseverance. Over several months, Dan and Shyla worked to find lenders, create a business plan, and build out financial projections.

After several discouraging setbacks and curveballs that threatened to jeopardize the deal, Shyla and Dan were able to create a loan proposal that secured NMDC financing from the SSBCI program, as well as seller financing. In the end, teamwork and a commitment to enhancing access to childcare in Aroostook County led to the successful purchase of the business.

Shyla comments, “They [the SBDC at NMDC] have been with me every step of the way. If they do not know the answers, they will figure it out for me!”