BCRS Business Loans is growing its team once again to meet the demand for access to finance from Midland’s based businesses.
Zoe Wilkinson and Ian Gardner have both joined the now 14-strong BCRS team, as Business Development Managers, to support the increasing number of businesses requiring loans.
Zoe who spent over 13 years within the financial industry, recently left Lloyds Bank in order to work at BCRS within her preferred demographic – the SME market.
“My remit is to help people who have workable business plans but can’t get all the finance they need. I hold great enthusiasm for helping our customers to grow their businesses.
“The past few years have been very tough on the SME sector. BCRS is an organisation with a clear vision and a drive to implement change within the finance sector, which I am very much drawn towards. I find this an exciting prospect and my position within BCRS represents a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact on the local business community”, said Zoe.
Zoe’s lending geographical locations include Stoke on Trent and Cheshire. Zoe’s main role will be to manage the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Business Loan Fund, which is run in conjunction with Staffordshire County Council and Stoke on Trent City Council. In total, £2 million is available from the Staffordshire and Stoke Loan Fund for lending to local companies in that area, that are experiencing problems gaining the funding they need.
“I live in Stoke on Trent and have close links with Cheshire so feel I can bring with me a wealth of insider knowledge as to what businesses need in order to grow and flourish”, concludes Zoe.
BCRS Business Loans was created to meet the needs of businesses that are unable to get loans from traditional sources such as the banks. Its sole purpose is to provide access to finance to enable businesses to grow and prosper by providing loans ranging from £10,000 to £100,000.
Ian Gardner joins BCRS following a diverse career in the banking and finance industry, most recently with Santander. Ian will be drawing upon his extensive knowledge to promote BCRS’s established capabilities in providing financial help to businesses who are unable to access finance.
Ian will be working with SME’s based in Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire.
Paul Kalinauckas, Chief Executive of BCRS, said, “We are delighted that people of Zoe and Ian’s calibre have joined our ever expanding team.
“They have certainly joined BCRS at a very exciting time. We have just celebrated hitting a lending milestone of £20million since our launch in 2002 and we are also seeing an increased demand for our services which subsequently peaked last year when we witnessed an increase in business lending of over 40%. ”
A BCRS loan can be used for a wide range of projects including expansion, purchasing equipment, recruitment and marketing. BCRS lend to most market sectors including construction, engineering, IT services, manufacturing, service providers and wholesalers.
Any Midlands based business can expect a fast response when they apply for a loan either by contacting 0845 313 8410 or going online at www.bcrs.org.uk
