The Countertop Shop Partners with Croghan Through Challenging Times

After operating a profitable and growing business through a recession, The Countertop Shop owners, Mike and Karen Langenderfer, hoped they would never see a repeat of that time. But when a global pandemic caused most businesses to shut down and they needed help understanding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application, they knew where to turn - Croghan Colonial Bank.

"The form to apply for the PPP loan was really short and simple if you could understand what information they needed. Trying to figure out what was included in the list of forgivable items and what was not would cause most businesses to just throw the application in the trash," said Mike.

"But, thanks to Croghan's understanding of the process, it became a pretty easy task to fill out the application. The entire team at Croghan was a life preserver in a sea of government paperwork, rules, regulations, and requirements."

This wasn't the first time Croghan was instrumental in helping Mike and Karen through a challenging time. In 2015, the Langenderfers didn't expect any obstacles with a plan to expand their business by building a new manufacturing facility to replace leased headquarters.

But the loan process turned out to be harder to cut than one of their custom granite countertops.

"Several of the larger banks we met with said the timing wasn't favorable, even though we were positioned well financially and were a profitable and growing business; they wanted us to wait another year. So, we were resigned to the fact we would have to continue leasing the small building we were in," Mike said.

Then a close friend recommended they reach out to Croghan Colonial Bank. Mike and Karen contacted Croghan, which resulted in a visit from Shannon George, VP/Commercial Loan Officer.

"Our job is to understand our customer's business, and you can't do that by simply reading financial statements or loan applications," Shannon said. "You have to visit the site and understand the business and the people."

For the Langenderfers, who pride themselves on customer service, meeting the staff at Croghan Colonial Bank was like a reflection of themselves.

"I remember Shannon called after that initial meeting, and I expected him to do the same song and dance we had already heard, but to our surprise, he said, "We (Croghan) can do this. From that moment on, he kept us informed and was very responsive throughout the entire process. At times, we were under the impression that we were his only customers."

Croghan Colonial Bank has become a true partner with The Countertop Shop, providing support, help, and solutions to all their financial questions and needs.

"Our sales have grown significantly over the last five years, and along with that, our credit needs have increased, too. Financing an addition to a new building, purchasing new equipment, increasing lines of credit are just some of the areas Croghan has assisted us with. The staff at Croghan has always been there to answer the questions and offer ideas and solutions. Without Croghan's help, I will honestly say we probably would not be the business we are today."

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