Northampton County Campground’s New Owners Plan Improvements, Additional Activities
Allentown, Pa. – Camp Charles in Bangor, Northampton County, has new owners this year thanks to financing arranged by Lehigh Financial Group of Allentown.
Pam and Doug Irwin of PBJ LLC, who closed the sale recently are among the many local entrepreneurs who have benefited from a 58 percent increase in the number of Small Business Administration loans reported from Oct. 1, 2015 through March 31, said Lehigh Financial’s Jeff Barber, who has done a number of those loans.
“We helped arrange an SBA 7a loan to purchase the property and business, which has been there for a long time and attracts a lot of local campers,” Barber said. “Pam and Doug were fantastic to work with and they have a number of positive changes and improvements in mind for the camp.”
Pam Irwin is a physical education teacher in New Jersey and her husband Doug worked in hazardous materials for an environmental company. As avid campers, themselves, they had considered purchasing a site like Camp Charles as a retirement business, Pam Irwin said.
“We thought it would be a pretty cool business to get into when we were older. The opportunity came a little early but we think it is a good match for us,” she said. “We are working on landscaping improvements and we are expanding our activities, especially for the kids. It has always been primarily an adult-oriented campground, but because of my work as a teacher, I wanted to add things for the kids.”
Camp Charles has been a popular destination for decades and offers a variety of activities for all ages. “We get hundreds of people here every weekend,” Irwin said. “We do have sites for recreational vehicles and campers, as well as cabins and 10 acres of woods for tent camping. We get a lot of hikers who use it and we have people here all week long.”
The SBA 7a loans are the agency’s flagship program and financing is available for acquisition, expansion and operation of a business. Lehigh Financial Group specializes in SBA loans ranging from $100,000 to $5 million, with the typical or average loan ranging from $200,000 to $700,000, Barber said.
“The SBA program is perfect for most small businesses because it allows the borrower/business owner to finance real estate, acquisitions, equipment, closing costs, working capital and other needs with as little as 10 percent down on the transaction,” he said. “But we also offer a variety of other programs to help our clients find the financing they need to grow their businesses.”
Lehigh Financial Group, LLC is a leading source of innovative real estate capital solutions and financing options for commercial customers. The company, based in Allentown, serves the Lehigh Valley region by providing capital for businesses and investors locally, regionally and nationwide. For more information on how Lehigh Financial Group LLC can help your business, please see our website at http://www.lehighfinancialgroup.com.
