HOUSTON – After years of helping other people get their start in their trades, the owner of a local contracting company is getting support to take her business to the next level.
Sandra Lopez, owner of City-Wide General Contractors, has spent more than 20 years renovating apartment complexes across Houston. Along the way, she has focused on hiring single mothers and workers looking for experience in the skilled trades.
“I saw you could make decent money getting dirty,” Lopez said.
“I was told, ‘Sandra, don’t do it. This is a man’s job.’ … And I said, don’t tell me I can’t do that. I will do it,” added Lopez.
In a male-dominated construction industry, Lopez built her company from the ground up. Today, her work continues to improve apartment communities throughout the Houston area. And her efforts recently got a boost.
LiftFund, a nonprofit that provides loans to small businesses often overlooked by traditional banks, awarded Lopez a $160,000 low-interest loan to help expand her operations.
“This was like a run-down property and I bought it and I said I will make it better,” Lopez said.
LiftFund leaders say supporting small business owners like Lopez is key to their mission of expanding economic opportunity.
“By us helping Sandra, it helps us accomplish our goals on what we want to do for other folks,” said Dahlia Garcia, Senior Vice President of Lending at LiftFund.
Garcia said Lopez’s success can also encourage more investment in underserved entrepreneurs.
“We want those folks to come in and say, ‘How did you help Sandra?’ And we want to do the same thing,” said Garcia.
With new funding and a larger space, Lopez is focused on growing her business—and continuing to open doors for others in Houston’s workforce.
“Don’t stop,” she said. “Just because someone says it’s impossible—it’s possible. You can do it.”
For Lopez, the goal is simple: build more than properties—build opportunity.
If you’re interested in a small business loan with LiftFund, click here.