Machine Shop on the Brink of Liquidation
Big Shoulders Refinanced the Company Back to Health
Big Challenge
- Twenty year old minority-owned machine shop in Houston, TX that serves the oil and gas industry
- Sales came to a near halt at the bottom of the oil and gas downturn, and the company couldn't make debt payments, tripping their bank's covenants
- Bank was owed $2MM and despite the company's considerable equity in the assets, the bank called the loan in February 2017
- Company was forced to let go most of its 30 long-time employees, and search for financing
Big Shoulders
- Big Shoulders funded a $2MM term loan, backed by machinery and real estate, and structured the payments to facilitate regrowth
- This allowed the company to avoid foreclosure and continue operating while they rode out the oil and gas cycle and even Hurricane Harvey in August 2017
- The company has emerged very strong – it has re-hired 20+ employees and is adding a second shift to meet demand
- In December 2017, the company was healthy enough to secure traditional bank financing and repaid Big Shoulders in full - 14 months early!

