Housatonic Industrial Development Corp. We're Celebrating!...    With more than 150 clients, we're celebrating our 36th year. HIDC is a Danbury-based, non-profit organization with an impressive history: six HIDC clients have been recognized as Entrepreneurs of the Year by the Hartford district office of the SBA [Small Business Administration]. It is our goal to expand horizons for small business owners all over Connecticut. OUR HISTORY-     The Housatonic Industrial Development Corp. was founded in October of 1969 as a not-for-profit corporation formed to do long-term fixed asset financing for small business clients. The financing would be guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration loan programs, (currently the SBA 504 program). As an alternate form of expansion/relocation financing, it would assist small businesses in acquiring real property needed to grow their companies.    Don Launder of HIDC sums up his experiences with HIDC and its clients: "Most of our clients meet us for the first time with a concern about whether we can help them...and leave with a smile because they know they've discovered one of the best kept secrets for a small business concern. HIDC is here to serve. We are the strong, helping hand a small business needs to know they can count on, in order to grow." Launder finishes with a smile "we get to know our clients... all of them end up becoming friends...it's a great feeling," he said.

HIDC Gives Fairfield Equine a Leg up on Growth...    Equine Associates initially came to HIDC in 1998. The group, now located on a 14 acre property off I-84 in Newtown, is described as a "horse exclusive" veterinary practice. It is a spacious 14,000 square foot facility, employing six vets and 19 full-time employees. The practice has become known nationally and internationally for its specialty: sport horse medicine, (hunters and jumpers individuals/teams) employing everything from nuclear medicine to acupuncture to massage in its roster of capabilities. Interestingly enough, most work goes on "in the field"---literally. The vets travel to an owner's stables or to various competition/show venues in the Westchester, Fairfield and Long Island area. So, why build the new facility if much of the work goes on "out in the field"?  Mark Baus DVM, Managing Partner of Fairfield Equine Associates:    "We wanted everything under one roof. Originally, we had a similar facility on a smaller scale: a hospital in one building and a surgical facility in another. We met with HIDC and gave them our wish list and were able to get everything we hoped for: land, a new facility built to our specs and state of the art equipment. Through HIDC, the SBA loan was incorporated into a deal with the bank which was in three parts: our bank held first position on the lien, HIDC/SBA held the 2nd and the third, our own cash."  Baus feels the SBA part of the package was critical mainly because it specialized in the one-use facility (i.e., the design features chosen were not adaptable to another type of facility.) "HIDC streamlined the whole process, made it simple and held our hands and explained what we needed to do. Don Launder and Chuck Wrinn of HIDC were extremely professional, courteous, patient and, most of all, encouraging. HIDC and the SBA 504 program made these dreams come together and is making it possible for our continued growth," he says.

HIDC Helps Harley Dealership Owners Ride Their Dream...   Set on a 1.75 acre lot, the 10,000 sq ft storefront of Harley-Davidson of Danbury (51 Federal Road) is a veritable playground filled with toys just for grown-ups. Chrome sparkles on everything: side pipes to sunglasses, bike bags to belt buckles.     Owners, brothers Al and Carl Lucchino, were first introduced to HIDC through their realtor. "We wanted to purchase the assets of an existing company and move it from New York to Conecticut. We were exploring all the possibilities of finding an appropriate property to house the business," says Carl.    Al, a nine-year veteran in charge of leveraged buy-outs for a New York- based financial institution, explains that there were many bonuses to working with HIDC. "The paperwork went very smoothly...working out a deal with HIDC helped us to purchase our property. Having access to senior financing allowed us to complete the deal. Bottom line, the proposal was more attractive to our banks, the senior lenders, because it was presented with the HIDC and SBA program in place," he said.     Harley-Davidson/Buell of Danbury is one of the largest and most glamorous dealerships in the Metropolitan area selling bikes, accessories, offering impeccable service, and hosting a series of events to benefit the community.