Ice House America Owners in Emporia, Kansas Secure Start-Up Financing Through BoeFly

EMPORIA, Kan. - April 22, 2013 - PRLog -- BoeFly, the premier online marketplace connecting small business borrowers with lenders and a strategic ally of the International Franchise Association (IFA) to expand credit access within the franchise community, announced today that Steven and Shelley Zerr, husband-and-wife owners of an Ice House America “Ice House” in Emporia, Kansas, secured a start-up loan through a connection made by BoeFly.

The Zerrs, who live in Lyndon and have 36 years of management experience combined, currently own and operate three businesses:  Rockin Z Enterprises LLC, a land purchase and residential and commercial development company; Rockin Z Enterprises, farm and ranch operators; and A to Z Handyman Service, a residential renovation and repair company.

With the start-up loan they secured through BoeFly, the Zerrs are now operating Rockin Z Ice, LLC and preparing to open their first Ice House America location. Ice House America, the pioneer in automated ice vending technology, offers its owners and franchisees three bulk ice and water vending machine models. Ice House America’s vending machines are freestanding, 24/7, automated retail destinations offering water and ice that is filtered, clean and made on demand.

“As business owners, Shelley and I realized how important efficiency is in the start-up process, and when we were looking for financing for our Ice House America ice vending machine, BoeFly significantly streamlined our loan search,” Steven Zerr said. “We fortunately bypassed the inefficiency of going from bank to bank and quickly connected with a local bank through BoeFly’s convenient platform.”

The Zerrs’ loan request received interest from several lenders across the country, and after evaluating the financing options, they chose to work with Citizens State Bank in Lyndon.

“We would give our overall BoeFly experience a customer satisfaction and follow-up rating of a 10, and if we need financing in the future, we will definitely use BoeFly,” continued Zerr.

“After reviewing Steven and Shelley’s loan application, I knew the deal would be a great match for Citizens State Bank,” said Kyle Devena, commercial loan officer at Citizens State Bank. “Using BoeFly to find and close this deal was extremely efficient, and we will continue to use the service to seek out other qualified borrowers.”

The Zerrs learned about BoeFly at the recommendation of Ice House America, which is among more than 125 franchise brands that have selected BoeFly to assist their franchisees with financing support.

“Ice House America’s collaboration with the BoeFly platform offers our owners and franchisees the ability to have a short start-up period, as well as easy loan status monitoring," said Rob Streett, chief development officer at Ice House America. "In addition and most importantly, it allows for quick access to capital so owners can get their business up, running and generating income.”

BoeFly Co-president Mike Rozman views this success story as an uplifting solution to the widespread issue of small business credit access in the U.S.

“It is always encouraging to see small business owners, franchisors and banks taking advantage of more efficient solutions to the challenge of accessing capital in today’s tight small business credit market,” said Rozman. “BoeFly has helped the Zerrs and many others efficiently secure financing to start up or grow their businesses, and we look forward to continuing to work with reputable franchisors like Ice House America and lenders such as Citizens State Bank to help drive small business growth and create new jobs.”

About BoeFly

BoeFly makes it easier to obtain small business loans (http://www.boefly.com/) by reducing the time, cost, complexity, inefficiency and frustration associated with small business lending.  Its online proprietary matching technology connects small business borrowers with multiple lenders from among its over 3,600 participating banks, based on the lending profiles provided by the banks and the information provided in the borrower’s loan request.

Borrowers build a complete decision-ready loan request online using BoeFly’s exclusive “SmartForm” technology which, when completed, provides the information that over 3,600 lenders nationwide indicated to BoeFly they want to see before moving forward with a loan request. The SmartForm is easy to use and guides borrowers through the process. Once BoeFly’s matching technology identifies compatible lenders, borrowers then have complete control over which lenders can instantly access their loan request.  Using BoeFly, borrowers can connect with multiple lenders quickly and easily, providing a greater probability of obtaining a loan, as well as more favorable loan terms resulting from the creation of a competitive marketplace.   Lenders benefit by being presented with only those loan requests that fit their lending profile, dramatically lowering their cost and time of origination.   BoeFly is not a broker.  Borrowers pay a small one-time fee and lenders pay an ongoing subscription fee; BoeFly never charges transaction or referral fees.

BoeFly, now a strategic ally of the International Franchise Association to expand credit access within the franchise community (http://www.boefly.com/ifa.cfm), offers a Franchise Solution brings these benefits to the large and growing small business franchisee community and is the choice of more than 125 brands, including Dunkin’ Donuts, Carl’s Jr., Express Personnel and Kiddie Academy, among many others.

BoeFly’s Affiliate Solution is the financing exchange chosen by the Association of Small Business Development Centers, representing approximately 1,000 centers nationwide, which are funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, to serve small businesses, and Franchise Gator, the leading site for information on franchise opportunities.

BoeFly was founded by small business owners and small business lending experts with extensive small business lending experience. The company is privately-held and is based in New York City. http://www.boefly.com.

About Ice House America

Ice House America, headquartered in Jacksonville, FL and founded in 2003, already has more than 2,500 installed ice vending machines in 27 states, which collectively produce over one billion pounds of ice per year. Ice House America operates under two consumer-facing brands, Twice the Ice and IceBorn.  There are over 100 corporate-owned Ice House locations, as well as commitments for an additional 230 franchised locations, with the balance independently owned and operated.  Recently, Ice House America was ranked as “Top 10 New Franchises to Watch” by Entrepreneur Magazine. For more information regarding Ice House America ownership opportunities, please call 888-388-1590 or visit www.icehouseamerica.com.  

Media inquiries:

Bill Fallon/ Keating Co. /212.925.6900/ bfallon@keatingco.com