Fiscal fitness.

• Position: SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

BACKGROUND

When parents in the Salt Lake Valley are looking for an early childhood educational facility, Dancing Moose Montessori steps in with the most innovative teaching practices that a Montessori foundation can provide. By offering this high-quality learning environment, the school has quickly earned the trust of its diverse customer base.

Dancing Moose Montessori opened the doors of its first school in 2007 to provide parents with a curriculum for children ages 18 months through seven years old that emphasizes early brain development. In order to implement this specialized curriculum, Dancing Moose Montessori co-founders, Dr. Joyce Sibbett and her daughter, Jennifer Duffield, proactively recruit highly educated teachers who choose to build their careers in the rewarding field of early childhood education.

Along the way, Dancing Moose Montessori has garnered six Best of State Awards, including the Grand Trophy for Excellence in Education.

THE SITUATION

When Dancing Moose Montessori decided to open a second location, the founders set an ambitious goal for completing construction and opening the new school, and they needed a financial partner that had the ability to provide the necessary Small Business Administration (SBA) loan funding within a short, but critical, time frame. That's why they chose Mountain America Credit Union.

"We had a goal to start construction in the summer and be open by January. In order to do that, we had to have the full cooperation and attention of not only our architect and general contractor, but also our financial partner," says Sibbett, president of Dancing Moose Montessori. "Funding and draws needed to run like clockwork."

THE SOLUTION

The Sibbetts have trusted Mountain America with...