• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
The Progress Fund

The Progress Fund

The Progress Fund

  • (724) 216-9160
  • Ask about a loan today
MENU
Hide Search
  • Home
  • Loans
    • Small Business LoansThe Progress Fund provides financing from $20,000 to over $1,000,000 to people who are starting, expanding or buying small businesses.
    • Get Loan ReadyLet us help connect you to the right resources to grow your business.
    • Ask About a LoanExplore your loan options.
    • Resources for EntrepreneursOur small business experts can help you plan your business start-up or a new type of venture.
    • FAQFind answers for commonly asked questions about us, how to apply for a loan, our loans, and technical assistance.
    • Application FormsContact us first before submitting the forms.
  • Borrowers
    • Browse Borrowers
    • Explore Borrower Map
  • Stories
  • About
    • About UsThe Progress Fund provides financing and business coaching to help people like you to grow businesses and create jobs for the region.
    • StaffThe Progress Fund staff combine lending experience with dedication to help small business owners.
    • ImpactsThe Progress Fund makes a difference.
    • Praise by OthersWe have provided financing to help people grow their businesses. Learn what people are saying about us.
    • Board of DirectorsOur Board of Directors combines experience and dedicated community service.
    • History and AwardsThe success of our work has brought notoriety and awards for community development impact.
    • Our SupportersWe rely on financial support of state and federal agencies, private foundations, and commercial banks.
    • Community DevelopmentWe have been creating opportunities along the Nation’s Trails since 2007 as well as redeveloping key properties in key communities.
    • The West Newton StoryCommunity development loans and real estate developments projects have supported the start-up and expansion of small businesses that are changing the future of the community.
    • EmploymentView our current job openings.
  • Contact
  • 724-216-9160
  • Display Search
Home Borrowers Manufacturers Red Bandana Winery

Red Bandana Winery

People sitting on deck
Band playing

Location:

265 Allio Drive
Leeper, PA

County:

Clarion

Description:

Business Development

Total Project Cost:

$225,000

Visit Online:

rbandanawinery.com

I see our relationship being much much more than just a check. Everyone I have dealt with … has been supportive and informative. They believe in the vision and understand the process. The Progress Fund is like a family venture. I feel at home with these guys.

Kate Hall, co-owner, Red Bandana Winery LLC

People

Artists must follow their vision, and painter Kathleen Flaherty’s took her from Pittsburgh to Clarion County’s forests and farms. There she met Mike Hall, and their fishing trips through Erie’s wine country helped transform Kathleen Flaherty into Kate Hall. Far from the urban art market, she wondered: “How can I stay here and be successful?” Their winery visits brought inspiration: “I said wow, I really want to do something like this,” Kate says. “My vision is to have my art gallery, make wine and sell wine, and have an atmosphere that is akin to the art.”

Progress

At first, life didn’t mirror art. Banks told Kate they weren’t lending to start-ups. But the Clarion University Small Business Development Center helped her with “the miles of paperwork required by the state for opening a winery,” she said. The Clarion Chamber of Commerce introduced her to The Progress Fund, which initially loaned $137,500 and provided an additional $80,000 as the winery grew.

Impact

Kate and Mike hired local craftsmen to use area timber to build Red Bandana Winery, named for the signature red bandana worn by coal miners who made a stand on Blair Mountain in West Virginia, where hundreds died fighting against their slave driven employers in 1919. They’re buying juices from the Erie vineyards that spurred their dream, and Kate’s art adorns the walls and bottle labels. Folks can enjoy wine and cheese around a fireplace, or have a cigar on the deck, uniting what Kate calls “all those things of comfort and leisure that bring one’s soul together.”

The Progress Fund is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

View Story as PDF
More Manufacturers Stories More Wine, Beer & Spirits Stories

Manufacturers Wine, Beer & Spirits

Previous borrower Presque Isle Passage
Next Borrower Mountain Creek Cabins

Signup for our eNewsletter

See the latest news on our borrowers, stay up to date on events and more.

Privacy Policy

Footer

  • Home
  • Small Business Loans
    • Ask about a loan
    • Application Forms
    • Resources for Entrepreneurs
  • FAQ
  • Our Borrowers
    • Browse Borrowers
  • The Progress Fund Stories
  • About Us
    • Staff
    • Impacts
    • Praise by Others
    • Board of Directors
    • History and Awards
    • Our Supporters
    • Community Development
    • The West Newton Story
    • Employment
  • Contact Us
The Progress Fund

Main Office

724-216-9160
425 W Pittsburgh St
Greensburg, PA 15601-2211

Connect With Us!

  • Follow us on Facebook
Copyright © 2023 The Progress Fund. All Rights Reserved.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. | Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Website by DDS
Scroll Top of Page