Caterpillar Campus
Stacy Shoemaker
Stacy Shoemaker owns two preschools in Redding: Sweet Pea Academy and Caterpillar Campus. She’s seen her share of working parents experiencing the emotional wringer of leaving their child with a near-stranger for the first time. “Even some of the dads cry,” she reveals.
For Stacy, there two significant qualities that she enjoys about her work: watching children discover the world, and providing parents peace of mind. “It’s so hard to leave your kids,” she says, “we’re giving the parents a place they know is safe.”
Creating that place is a lot easier to do when you own it. Stacy had been in the preschool business for ten years when she started her second school and wanted to buy a building. “I started with Redding Bank of Commerce,” she recalls, “and they recommended Superior California Economic Development to help with the down payment, which makes it more affordable because of all the fees that come with a commercial loan.”
“SCED really is a huge benefit for businesses owners. It’s just an amazing program.”
She had tried another mortgage company before, an experience that proved fruitless when the appraiser undervalued the building…without ever stepping foot on the property. It didn’t deter Stacy from buying, though. She knew she needed a building she could adapt to fit her needs, and she didn’t want to pay someone else’s mortgage.
“Funding was tough, because you do have to put quite a bit down for commercial ventures,” she says, “so SCED really is a huge benefit for businesses owners. It’s just an amazing program.”
So easy and painless, in fact, that her loan was finished in six weeks.
When it comes to tips for other business owners or people considering entrepreneurship, Stacy suggests accepting the process of trial and error, and doing the necessary research. “It’s about finding a service or product that is valuable, and in huge need in the community,” she advises.
When asked if she would recommend SCED to others after her experience, she laughs. “Well that was just the first time I used SCED, and I’ve used them twice since then!” So that’s a yes.
Ultimately, she says, it was easy and painless, which freed her up to care for two campuses of preschoolers… and the occasional crying dad.