The Reno Rebuild Project

NORTHERN NEVADA BUSINESS WEEKLY ARTICLE!

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:06:17 -0800

NORTHERN NEVADA BUSINESS WEEKLY ARTICLE!

Get Your Applications In!

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:44:39 -0800

Cheri Hill Radio Show: The Reno Rebuild Project

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:54:25 -0800

Cheri Hill Radio Show: The Reno Rebuild Project

UPDATED CASH BALANCE!

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:52:00 -0800

As of October we now have a cash balance of $14,596.95!!

2 months to go for this year everyone!!

UPDATED CASH BALANCE!

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 13:04:22 -0700

HEY EVERYONE, WE HAVE UPDATED OUR CASH BALANCE TO $11,820.20 FOR THE YEAR!

THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT EVERYONE, IT IS REALL GREAT TO SEE! IT IS GOING TO BE REAL CLOSE ON REACHING OUR GOAL OF $20,000 FOR 2012, BUT WE ARE PUSHING FOR IT.

THANKS

THE RENO REBUILD PROJECT!

Balance Update!!!

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:41:57 -0700

We have updated our cash balance to $8875.45 for Jan. 1st thru June 30th!!! Thanks everyone for the support and for making a difference!!!!!!!

A Local Partnership is Born with SoSu Tv!!!

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:19:29 -0700

The Reno Rebuild Project is teaming up with Dana Hatjakes from SoSu Tv to add another Dimension to our Program with the hopes of making it even more succesful next year!

SoSu TV is a non-proft media company that connects small businesses with mentors, documents the process, and creates content via a TV show to be shared with the masses so others can learn from their experiences and be inspired. Locally.
Their hope is to inspire entrepreneurship and economic development in our small business community.
Check them out at http://sosu.tv/. Thanks for the Partnership SoSu!!!!!!!

KOLO Update on RRP!

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:02:41 -0700

Nickel by nickel Reno Rebuild fund is growing to make loans to support local small business start-ups.

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:32:20 -0700

Nickel by nickel Reno Rebuild fund is growing to make loans to support local small business start-ups.

“What we are looking for is a great idea that will bring something new to our city and improve our lives.”

Every time you enjoy a drink or meal at Legends Grill, Sports & Spirits, the Sierra Tap House, Ole Bridge Pub and the Brewer’s Cabinet, a nickel per item sold goes into the Reno Rebuild Fund at the Community Foundation.

Once a year the fundholders, Michael Connolly, Chris Kahl and Zachary Cage, owners of the establishments listed above, will help select one idea from a Reno based individual to receive a small business loan to make his or her dream a realty.

These low-interest loans will return all principal and interest to the fund to help it grow, so more ideas can be funded each year. All money will stay in our community, supporting the local economy and helping to rebuild our community - one small business at a time.

You can make this happen in a big way. Buy a beer or a meal from the restaurants listed and above your nickles will add up. To be a bigger part of the bright Reno Rebuild Project donate directly ( and more than a nickel! ) to the fund.

Donate to the Reno Rebuild fund and you will help it grow so larger loans may be given and bigger ideas funded. You can help lift our community and make a dream come true.

Donate Online!

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:57:51 -0700

You can now donate online into our Non-profit Fund, The Reno Rebuild Project at Community Foundation Bank of Western Nevada! Help us bring Reno back!
http://nevadafund.org/page33081.cfm

Donate Online

You can make a difference right now to the place you love.

Childhood friends and local business owners have pledged one nickel of every item sold in their restaurants and bars to build the Reno Rebuild Fund. These creative businessmen remember how difficult it was for them to get financing to start their now successful enterprises. They are looking for a way to nurture the hometown they love and to encourage more local business that will propel northern Nevada’s economy. Low interest loans will be given to local entrepreneurs with the right idea and the right business plan. Repayments to the loan will be cycled back to the fund to loan again.

You can be a part of this bright idea. Highlight the Reno Rebuild fund in the drop box below and give (more than a nickel!)

If you have any problems using this donation page please call the Community Foundation at 775-333-5499 during business hours and we will help you.

Our EIN# ( nonprofit tax ID) is 88-0370179. You will be mailed a gift acknowledgement detailing your contribution for your tax records. 97% of your gift will be to the fund of your choice and 3% will be to the Community Foundation. The entire amount of your gift is acknowledged for tax purposes.

Reno Rebuild makes first deposit in loan fund!!

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:43:05 -0700

Reno Rebuild makes first deposit in loan fund

– May, 2012Posted in: May

The Reno Rebuild Project just posted their first financial update for the group’s plan to establish a loan fund for downtown development.

By Holly O’Driscoll

Founded in April by childhood friends who are now local business owners, Reno Rebuild Project captures a portion of every dollar spent at certain local restaurants and puts it into a fund that will eventually help others open a business.

RenoRebuild Guys - photo by Reno Gazette-Journal

Michael Connolly, Chris Kahl and Zachary Cage run the Legends Grill, Sierra Tap House and the soon-to-open Brewer’s Cabinet started Reno Rebuild. The group pledged 5 cents of every sale at these establishments to the fund.

They made their fist deposit into the account on May 1.

“We have a current cash balance collected of $5,485.55! It is definitely a great start with our goal being $20k for 2013, so we are on a great pace,” said Michael Connolly.

After a year of deposits, the fund will be used to award one loan to non-franchised, small, local businesses. The Community Foundation of Western Nevada, which is helping make the Reno Rebuild Project a non-profit organization, will administer the fund and help establish eligibility guidelines. One guideline already set: Each application must include a detailed business plan.

As the fund grows, the trio hopes to award more than one low-interest loan per year.

Reno Rebuild grew out of the trio’s struggle to get funding to start their own venture. Banks and other traditional sources simply wouldn’t lend, so they tapped into family and friends for financing. Realizing that not everyone has family and friends who can provide such support, they developed Reno Rebuild to extend a hand to other entrepreneurs.

“Someone just needs to give them the opportunity to meet their goal if they want to open their own business,” Kahl said. “It’s a cool opportunity for them.”

Other businesses have already expressed interest in participating in the program.

“We also structured it to where other business owners and individuals in general can put money in,” Connolly said.

Find out more at www.renorebuild.com

Current Cash Donation Balance

Fri, 04 May 2012 03:36:21 -0700

Updated May 1st, we have a current cash balance collected of $5,485.55! It is definitely a great start with our goal being $20k for 2013, so we are on a great pace.

We would like to thank everyone, including the local press, for all the support for the project! It is really great to see the local community get excited about it, and has only inspired us even more.

Thanks again everyone!

RENO, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) - Chris Kahl and his...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:33:25 -0700

RENO, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) - Chris Kahl and his business partner, Michael Connolly, are busy constructing the new Brewer’s Cabinet Restaurant. This will be their forth business, but the enterprises almost didn’t happen because banks kept denying them loans, so they had to turn to family and friends.

“Without their support there is no way we could have done any of it,” Kahl said.

The pair knows others might not be as lucky.

“We feel like there are other people out in the community who have great ideas. And we’d love to help them out,” Kahl said.

So the two decided to donate five cents from each item purchased at any of their businesses. That goes into a fund to loan out to start-ups in the area.

“We just want to see people get back to work and ideas that may not have happened, happen,” Connolly said.

The pot of money is open to any type of business, and the guys hope to create a system where the people of Reno will get to choose the winners. You will be able to help out the cause at any of the pair’s businesses like Legends Grill, Sierra Tap House, Old Bridge Pub and the soon to be opened Brewer’s Cabinet. The two also say they’d like to get even more local shops on board with the program in the future.

Channel 8

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:28:21 -0700

Channel 8

Development: Encouraging downtown renaissance, one nickel at a time

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:20:56 -0700

Can a nickel revitalize Reno?

Three businessmen who grew up in the area are behind the new Reno Rebuild Project, which aims to donate a portion of their business’ profit to downtown development.

Partners and former classmates Michael Connolly, Chris Kahl and Zachary Cage are pledging 5 cents from every item purchased in their establishments — from the beginning of the year — toward a fund established to help other aspiring business owners launch their ventures.

The three run Legends Grill, Sports and Spirits, Sierra Tap House, Ole Bridge Pub and the soon-to-be-open Brewer’s Cabinet.

“Someone just needs to give them the opportunity to meet their goal if they want to want to open their own business,” Kahl said. “It’s a cool opportunity for them.”

The partners struggled to obtain financing from banks and other traditional avenues. Family and friends stepped in to back their businesses.

They realize that not everyone has family and friends who can provide such support, so this is their way of extending a hand to other entrepreneurs.

By the end of the year, they said they hope to raise at least $20,000 to $30,000. Other businesses have already expressed interest in participating in the program.

“We also structured it to where other business owners and individuals in general can put money in,” Connolly said.

The Reno Rebuild Project will award a loan to a nonfranchised, small, local business in 2013.

Details of the process and qualifications for receipt still are being worked out, but a local group, the Community Foundation of Western Nevada, is helping them establish the nonprofit. Ideas still are being batted around, but the community should be part of choosing the business who will receive the funds, Kahl said.

“We want people to get involved,” he said. “The three of us can’t single-handedly make downtown Reno come back. It’s going to take a group effort that takes time. It took a long time to build up this city, and then, it got broken down. We want to build it back up again.”

Recipients have three years to repay the loan with low interest rate. Proceeds from interest will go back into the Reno Rebuild Project fund.

The partners said that fund will continue to grow, and the goal is to help more businesses open or expand in the various empty buildings dotting Reno’s landscape.

They also also plan to host several fundraisers throughout summer to bolster the fund.

“Ultimately, we don’t want to help just one person,” Connolly said “We want to help downtown Reno and Reno in general.”

The project, which launched earlier this month, quickly generated excitement. The Reno Rebuild Facebook page has more than 100 likes, and others have expressed interest in contributing to the Reno Rebuild cause.

“I believe in what these guys are doing,” said Matt Polley, owner of Java Jungle and Jungle Vino in downtown Reno. “It is really challenging for small businesses in the food and beverage industry to get a loan from any banks.

“I take pride in what they are doing and am happy to support it.”

Polley already held a fundraiser for the project and said he is looking forward to see what other partnerships might develop.

Kahl and Connolly were surprised by the the community’s reaction.

“I think everyone has had trouble getting a loan, whether it’s for a business or house,” Kahl said. “During these down times, a lot of people can relate to this situation, and they just want to see Reno come back.”

One more round (at bar, not a VC) to fund startups

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:16:17 -0700

From: http://www.nnbw.com/ArticleRead.aspx?storyID=19290

A trio of local guys who own a group of bars and grills in Reno are creating a river of nickels that ultimately will give a boost to other entrepreneurs.

But the river of nickels could become a torrent, they say, with help from other businesses that want to spur the creation of new small businesses.

Michael Connolly, Chris Kahl and Zach Cage — owners of Legends Grill, Sports & Spirits in south Reno and the Sierra Tap House and the Ole Bridge Pub in downtown Reno — are pledging to donate 5 cents from every transaction in their establishments to the creation of a loan fund to help startups and expanding young businesses.

The nickel-per-transaction pledge will extend as well to the trio’s newest outpost, The Brewer’s Cabinet, scheduled to open soon on Arlington Street.

Photo

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:46:08 -0700

RenoRebuild.com

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:00:55 -0700

Welcome! We’ve just secured the domain and are ready to keep you updated.

~Steve Hryniuk

"The Reno Project is a concept of the owners of Legends Grill, Sports & Spirits, the Sierra Tap..."

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:00:00 -0700

“

The Reno Project is a concept of the owners of Legends Grill, Sports & Spirits, the Sierra Tap House, Ole Bridge Pub and The Brewer’s Cabinet—local boys who went to elementary, middle, high school, and college in this town, who in 2012, recognized a community need they passionately hope to fill. The recession, big corporate business, and the financial industry’s refusal to make small business loans have all contributed to the demise of Reno’s small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit that had resonated throughout our city and America for so long. We learned this through our own experiences in dealing with banks and repeatedly being denied while attempting to expand our existing businesses or start new ones; however, we were fortunate to have friends and family who believed in us and loaned us the money necessary to pursue our dreams.

We recognize that not everyone is as fortunate as we have been to have friends and family with enough capital to help them pursue their dreams. There are many intelligent, inspirational individuals in the Reno area with some amazing business ideas that are being put on hold or thrown out entirely simply because they cannot secure the necessary capital to fund their projects.

We hope to help solve this problem. This is our commitment to our community and to our fellow citizens: Beginning in 2012, our four businesses will donate $.05 cents of everything and anything sold at each location to The Reno Project Fund. With these contributions, the fund will continue to grow, and once a year (beginning in 2013), we will select one idea from a Reno-based individual to receive a small business loan to make his or her dream a reality and restore faith in local small business owners and Reno’s potential as a thriving and lucrative home for small businesses in general. This loan will be a low-interest loan with all principal and interest returning to the fund to help it grow, with the hope of eventually funding more ideas each year. This fund will not be used to finance big businesses, franchises or businesses outside the Reno-Sparks area. All money will stay in our community, supporting the local economy and helping to rebuild our community—one small business at a time!
To our customers, please recognize that we are not the ones contributing to the fund—you are! With every item you buy, $.05 cents goes directly to The Reno Project fund. You are the ones helping to rebuild this city and helping to build this fund.

To aspiring entrepreneurs, we are not interested in your credit score, we are not concerned what industry you are in, and we are not worried about your experience. What we are looking for is a great idea that will bring something new to our city and improve the lives of those who call Northern Nevada home. We want individuals who will bring pride of ownership to their business, a sense of community to the Reno area, and a business the city of Reno can be proud of it. And we hope one day that you will “pay it forward” in some way too.

For more information on the Reno Project, please visit Legends Grill, the Sierra Tap House, Ole Bridge Pub or The Brewer’s Cabinet.

”