A dance studio and a day care have found new homes in Williston thanks to the North Dakota Opportunity Fund.
The fund recently financed the portion of the funding for the purchase of two commercial properties. Williston entrepreneur Cody Bennett, owner of Chess 5003 2nd LLC, secured the funding for the property purchase. Gate City Bank is the project’s lead lender.
Leases will be given to Coyote Pups Day Care, allowing it to serve more families. The other lease is for Prizm Company Dance & Cheer Studio, which is partly owned by Bennett.
Professional dance and cheer competition training
Prizm is providing the Williston community and area with trained instructors who use the syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dance and U.S. All Star Federation (USASF) cheer standard. Prizm’s studios also offer in-house special needs instruction and behavioral therapy techniques.
Since its founding in 2018, Prizm has seen demand for its services increase. Like almost every other business, the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the dance company forcing it to temporarily shut down in-person operations. But, according to Bennett, the business recovered lost revenue in the second half of last year and throughout this year thanks to its recreational and competitive dance/cheer teams.
“Enrollments decreased when the pandemic began but we were able to offset those decreases by holding more recreational offerings later in the year. We’ve seen a strong increase in 2021 as well,” said Bennett.
Prizm’s teams participate in regional dance and cheer competitions in Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Teams competed in Canada prior to the pandemic and Bennett says plans are to resume participation across the northern border the moment competitions resume. One of Prizm’s teams won first place overall in Canada during their first event.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the support received from the North Dakota Opportunity Fund, Gate City Bank, Bank of North Dakota, Lewis and Clark Development Group, and the City of Williston on this project. It’s allowed Prizm the space we need to meet the enrollment demands as well as bring an additional vital community service to the site in childcare with Coyote Pups. This is truly a situation where everyone wins,” says Bennett.
Leveraging private financing while enhancing a community’s quality of life
The North Dakota Opportunity Fund leverages private financing to help small business owners attain loans and investments to expand and create jobs. LCD Group manages the fund, which is available in 38 municipalities across the state.
Matt Burthold, LCD Group commercial lending director, says its always satisfying to assist every business but helping a company like Prizm provides a special sense of reward.
“When people think of funds like the North Dakota Opportunity Fund, they tend to think of what some describe as more traditional businesses. Retail, grocery, office complexes, manufacturing. The North Dakota Opportunity Fund helps all types of businesses, traditional and unique,” says Burthold.
“Prizm offers opportunities for children and young people that aren’t available in most communities. Coyote Pups Day Care provides an essential service. When you can help a dance studio and day care you are really enhancing a community’s quality of life. That’s very rewarding.”
To learn more about the North Dakota Opportunity Fund and LCD Group’s other business loan programs, contact Matt at (701) 667-7601 or at matt@lcdgroup.org.
Additional program information may also be found online here.