A recent ribbon-cutting in Houston, hosted by LiftFund, celebrated more than a new building. It marked a transformational milestone for entrepreneur Sandra Lopez, founder and president of City-Wide General Contractors.
Through LiftFund's GLUEE (Growing, Leveraging, Uplifting, and Educating Entrepreneurs) program, Sandra became the owner of her commercial property, achieving a goal that had remained out of reach for years due to the barriers many small business owners face in accessing commercial real estate financing.
Sandra built her business through years of determination, hard work, and a commitment to creating a better future for her family. For years, she invested in rent while working toward the dream of owning a permanent home for her company. Through GLUEE, that dream became reality.
"Instead of investing in rent, I'm now investing in my own company and in our future," Sandra shared during the celebration. She described the opportunity as a chance to build a lasting legacy for the next generation while creating stability for her business and employees.
Sandra's story demonstrates how expanding access to ownership can transform a business's future. For entrepreneurs like Sandra, ownership creates more than equity. It creates stability, preserves jobs, strengthens local business corridors, and allows wealth to be built and passed to future generations. Ownership changes the math. Money that once left the business as rent can now help Sandra build equity, stabilize her company, and create something her family and employees can count on.
LiftFund is grateful to Wells Fargo for its $2.5 million investment in GLUEE, helping create new pathways to ownership for Houston's small business owners. Together, we are helping entrepreneurs convert monthly expenses into long-term assets, creating pathways to wealth building that strengthen families, businesses, and communities for generations.
Sandra's story is one example of what's possible when entrepreneurs have access to ownership opportunities. Partner with LiftFund to expand programs like GLUEE and help more entrepreneurs build wealth through business ownership and commercial real estate.
