ABC’s & 123’s Learning Center opens in Noblesville with SBA 504 financing from Community First Bank and Indiana Statewide CDC

Nazli Khan, an entreprenuer with nearly 30 years of experience in Central Indiana education has opened ABC’s & 123’s Learning Center for children in and around Noblesville. The new ABC’s & 123’s is located in the remodeled former Lutz’s Steak House restaurant in Noblesville (3100 Westfield Road, just west of Noblesville). Ms. Khan received a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loan program through Community First Bank of Indiana and Indiana Statewide Certified Development Corporation to help with financing her new school. Indiana Statewide CDC works with local lenders to provide SBA 504 loans to owners of small businesses. SBA 504 loans can give small business owners long-term, fixed rate financing similar to commercial loan terms available for large companies. Loans from Indiana Statewide CDC and partner lenders in 2016 provided more than $31 million to 44 Hoosier small businesses, creating or saving 480 jobs. Ms. Khan also operates ABC’s & 123's locations in Avon and Indianapolis. She opened her first her first ABC’s & 123’s in 1989 after looking for high quality preschool education for her own children. Her background in business and elementary education helped her develop the learning centers. ABC’s & 123's employs more than 40 people, including a three-person management team at every location. Khan says, " We start at infancy to educate and develop our student's cognitive abilities to achieve the highest capabilities to prepare them for kindergarten and beyond." Of the SBA 504 loan, Khan says, "I have been able to obtain optimal financing without the restrictive requirements of conventional loan down payments and changeable interest rates." Casey Arnold of Community First Bank says, "Ms. Khan is a very knowledgeable borrower who did her homework. She was very interested in the fixed interest rate for 20 years at a historically low level for 40 percent of the loan. Community First Bank feels it is a great project due to her experience and the protection the SBA 504 program offers to lenders from and loan-to-value standpoint." Background: Indiana Statewide CDC has provided more than $475 million to 1,157 Indiana companies since 1983, creating or saving 26,500 jobs, and is the most prolific CDC in Indiana. Nationally, since Congress created the 504 program, SBA 504 loans have funded over $67 billion to more than 135,000 small businesses in the U.S. In turn, those small firms have created or retained over 2.1 million jobs. Jean Wojtowicz says, "SBA 504 loans help small businesses grow because borrowing companies can put as little as 10 percent down and receive a low, fixed interest rate for as long as 20 years.  The SBA guarantees bonds sold privately to finance a portion of the loan.  With the guarantee, we can offer loan rates more favorable than generally available to small businesses." Community First Bank (www.www.cfbindiana.com) When Community First Bank of Indiana was founded in 2003, it was the first bank chartered in Howard Count in 55 years. It now includes more than 60 employees and three branches in its home county and a location in Noblesville with plans to expand in Hamilton County. ABC’s & 123’s Learning Centers (www.abc123learningcenter.com) sprang from one mother’s need to give parents an option of quality early childhood education and care for their children at an affordable price. ABC’s & 123’s Learning Centers pride themselves on providing a safe, nurturing environment that prepares children for kindergarten and beyond.