Founder-side capital-stack architect packaging KHIC + SBA + USDA-RD + KEDFA + ARC + bank capital for SOAR-region operators across one 22-county catchment.

Post-disaster pipeline. More than 1,500 homes were destroyed or damaged across Laurel, Pulaski, Russell, Trigg, Union, and Caldwell in DR-4875. The FEMA IHP cap for fiscal year 2025 was $43,600 per household. SBA Home Disaster Loans up to $500,000 and Business Physical Disaster Loans up to $2 million plus Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) fill the gap. Business-side packages for a 1,500-home declaration run into the high hundreds and need professional assembly.

Sazerac vendor finance. The Rowland Acres warehouse build-out is on schedule; the first seven warehouses opened in spring 2025 per distillerytrail.com. Tier-2 service vendors loading into Sazerac's vendor bench (forklift maintenance, barrel handling, pest control, cooperage feedstock) need growth capital. KHIC has historically funded that pattern.

LLCEDA 41-business pipeline. The London-Laurel County Economic Development Authority announced 41 new, relocating, or expanding businesses in the Laurel pipeline in April 2025 per WYMT. At a conservative 30 to 40 percent capital-needs rate, that is 12 to 16 founders over the next 18 to 24 months who need a multi-source package.

McDaniel Kentucky Product Development Initiative (KPDI) pre-anchor capex. Governor Andy Beshear announced utility extension (gas, water, electric, sewer, fiber) plus a 1,400-foot entrance road on July 31, 2025, with LLCEDA providing a 20 percent match. Build-ready-site capex is a leading indicator. Future tenants at McDaniel will need acquisition and working-capital financing inside 12 to 24 months of site delivery.

Steady-state CDFI relending. KHIC has deployed more than $275 million across 22 Appalachian Kentucky counties since 1968. Loan size runs from $500 microloans to roughly $10 million packages. Annual deal flow at KHIC plus the adjacent SBA District Office and USDA Rural Development State Office is a continuous pipeline independent of the tornado.

Federal pass-through deal-flow signal. KHIC carries $3.1 million across 12 SBA awards. Kentucky Highlands Community Development Corporation carries $5.95 million across six Department of Health and Human Services awards.

$150-400K total. Low capital intensity — laptop, two screens, professional liability insurance, financial-modeling software subscription, CRM, marketing site, an office (or coworking desk), bar association or AICPA dues, CEcD (Certified Economic Developer) coursework if pursued. Year-1 outlay is mostly working capital to fund the founder's salary through ramp.

Fee model — standard small-business loan-packaging fee is 1-3% of placed capital. SBA programs have specific fee caps (SBA 7(a) packaging fees regulated under SBA SOP 50 10); USDA-RD has its own constraints; KHIC sometimes pays an origination fee directly. Retainer model ($3-8K per engagement up-front, balance contingent on closing) reduces capital-cycle exposure.

Year 1: 8-12 closings, $5-8M placed, gross $75-150K. Year 2: 15-25 closings, $12-20M placed, gross $180-350K. Year 3: 25-40 closings, $20-50M placed, gross $300-750K.

Year-3 owner take-home — at $20-50M placed × 1.5% blended = $300-750K gross. Subtract: solo-or-2-person overhead $80-150K (rent, software, insurance, marketing, professional dues, conference travel), taxes, retirement. Owner take-home Year 3: $150-300K.

Sensitivity — single $2M USDA-RD B&I closing at 2% = $40K. $500K SBA disaster business loan at 1.5% = $7.5K. Complex 4-source $4M package at 2% blended = $80K. Volume mix matters more than rate.

• Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation (KHIC)

  CDFI

  Institution

  362 Old Whitley Road, London. More than $275 million deployed across a 22-county catchment. Post-disaster lending pipeline open.
• SBA Kentucky District Office (Louisville)

  SBA programs

  Out-of-county

  Covers SBA 7(a), 504, microloan, and disaster loans across Kentucky.
• USDA Rural Development Kentucky State Office (Lexington)

  USDA Rural Development programs

  Out-of-county

  Business and Industry, Community Facilities, and Section 502/504/538 housing programs.
• Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development (Frankfort)

  State economic development

  Out-of-county

  Direct Loan, Kentucky Small Business Tax Credit, and the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act.
• Kentucky Highlands Community Development Corporation

  Laurel-resident CDFI sibling

  Institution

  Carries $5.95 million across six Department of Health and Human Services awards. HUD grant-stack.
• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)

  Federal regional commission

  Out-of-county

  POWER grants and state-administered programs. The Kentucky liaison is the Department for Local Government.
• CFSB, Forcht Bank, Cumberland Valley National Bank, Peoples Bank of Kentucky, and First Federal Savings and Loan of Laurel County

  SBA-active community banks

  Institution

  Laurel-resident SBA-active lenders. SBA Preferred Lender status varies by institution.
• SCC Laurel SBDC, LLCEDA, and the Greater Laurel County Chamber of Commerce

  Referral and co-marketing partners

  Institution

  Pre-revenue and early-stage founder referrals, the 41-business pipeline introduction channel, and chamber-directory access.
• SOAR Inc. (Pikeville HQ)

  Regional development

  Out-of-county

  Shaping Our Appalachian Region. Region-wide coordination through soar-ky.org.

Primary cohort — returning-home operator-founder with finance / lending background. Pattern: SOAR-region native who left for 10-20 years to work at a regional bank, an SBA-lender bank's commercial-lending desk, a CDFI in another region, or an accounting firm. Returning to Laurel or an adjacent SOAR county to be near family. The combination of credential + outside-experience + Kentucky-residency + existing relationships is what matters most for fit.

Secondary cohort — existing Laurel or adjacent-county accounting or business-services firm adding capital-advisory as a service line. Pattern: 2-4-person CPA shop in London or Corbin that already prepares the financials for 20-30 small businesses. Adding loan-packaging extends scope of work for existing clients and creates a referral motion from KHIC, SBA lenders, and SBDC. Lower customer-acquisition cost than a greenfield consultancy.

Founder-side positioning is explicit — the packager works for the founder, not against KHIC. The packager brings KHIC better-prepared deals. KHIC underwriting team prepares its own credit memos; the packager is NOT competing on KHIC's underwriting. The packager is on the founder's side of the table assembling 4-6 sources of which KHIC is one.

• — KHIC's current org chart and lending-team named seats. As of May 2026 we have not confirmed against khic.org.
• — The SBA Kentucky District Preferred Lender list for the five Laurel-resident community banks. As of May 2026 we have not confirmed against sba.gov/ky.
• — The USDA Rural Development Kentucky State Office's current Business and Industry guaranteed-loan pipeline and Community Facilities backlog. As of May 2026 we have not confirmed.
• — ARC POWER and Kentucky CDBG appropriations timing and DR-4875 CDBG-DR allocation timing. As of May 2026 we have not confirmed.
• — The current revision of SBA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 50 10, which sets packaging fee caps. As of May 2026 we have not confirmed.

Tonight, this week, this month — in that order. Each step produces a yes/no or a number, not a deeper understanding.