Lendio and Heartland Announce Winners of the Lendio Fresh Start Small Business Grant

Two grants totaling $30,000 will help small businesses to begin recovering from the financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic

LEHI, Utah – February 24, 2020 – Lendio and Heartland Payment Systems today announced the two winners of the Lendio Fresh Start Grant, aimed at helping small business owners to begin recovering from the financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wolffy’s of Airway Heights, Washington, has been selected to receive a $20,000 grant from Lendio. BAPS! of Escondido, California, will receive a $10,000 grant.

Small businesses have been hit hard by the economic effects of the global pandemic. Many have ceased operations in order to comply with closure orders. Others have shifted business models in order to continue operating. Amid the challenges, small businesses have shown resilience and commitment to contributing to their communities. Lendio implemented the Lendio Fresh Start Grant program to help small businesses on the path to economic recovery. Lendio and Heartland teamed up to find two deserving businesses to receive the funds.

Wolffy’s Breakfast, Burgers & Brews is a family-owned restaurant run by husband and wife team, Justin and Jessica Davis. The Davis family restaurant business is five generations strong, opening its first restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas, in the 1920s. In 2003, the family opened its fourth restaurant, a 50s-style diner called Wolffy’s, in Spokane, Washington. Ten years later, Wolffy’s expanded to a second location in Airway Heights. Nonessential business closures in Washington state have limited Wolffy’s ability to operate; the Davis family plans to use the $20,000 grant to pay its staff and suppliers until the restaurant is able to operate at full capacity again.

“We are simply treading water. Some days are good; many are bad. The long-term effect of this grant allows me a chance to wait out the pandemic and survive while helping not only my family but the suppliers that have bent over backwards to help us during this time,” said Justin Davis. “Many people forget the trickle-down effect that businesses have on the suppliers. This opportunity allows me to be open in six months, one year, or even long enough to see my kids one day decide to take on this endeavor and be a restaurant owner themselves.”

BAPS! is a 168-seat, full-service restaurant. Founded by friends Brad Solley and Brad Pelletier, BAPS! prides itself on from-scratch cooking as well as supporting the local community through charitable events. What started as a catering company turned into a brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2019. Business was booming for BAPS! prior to the pandemic, but has since slowed dramatically. To stay in business, BAPS! has pivoted to a meal prep program for local residents with contactless delivery. The business has also been giving back to the community and essential workers with its surprise pizza parties. BAPS! hopes to use the $10,000 grant to support a business model pivot that would make its food products available for purchase in grocery stores.

“Lendio and Heartland are inspired by small business owners’ ingenuity and commitment to keeping their staff employed and their businesses running during this challenging time,” said Brock Blake, CEO and co-founder of Lendio. “We know that getting access to relief funds is critical for business owners, and Lendio is thrilled to be able to award these grants to two businesses working hard to keep their dream of business ownership alive.”

Lendio is the nation’s leading small business finance solutions provider. Heartland Payment Systems is a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions. Heartland delivers a broad range of services to hundreds of thousands of businesses in the U.S., including credit/debit/prepaid card processing, payroll and payment solutions. Through an innovative integration of technology, Lendio matches Heartland’s customers with the financing they need to operate and grow their businesses. Since the inception of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Lendio has been facilitating relief funding in the form of PPP loans for Heartland customers.