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| Jasper Furniture Maker
Partners with
DCADC |
The Dubois County Area
Development Corporation Enterprise Loan Fund has made
its second loan to Jasper-based furniture manufacturer
Keith Fritz Fine
Furniture.
 Keith grew up in Siberia, IN,
south of Birdseye, and got started with woodworking at a
very young age. He attended seminary in
Washington, D.C. , but his love of woodworking soon
overtook his other pursuits. In 2005, Keith moved
his shop from our nation’s capital to its current
location on the corner of Jackson and 5th Street in Jasper. His shop
currently provides work for 7 full-time and 7
subcontracted employees. He has made furniture for
many interesting clients, including a dining table for
the New
York home of
then-President Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Mr. Fritz was
invited to attend a facilitated luncheon aimed at
picking the brains of local entrepreneurs. It was
here that he learned about the DCADC’s Enterprise Loan
Fund. After a brief discussion about the program,
it was clear that his business is exactly the sort of
project the ELF program is designed to aid.
Keith’s
furniture is sold primarily through an exclusive
showroom network that includes New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. markets. The working
capital loan from the ELF will allow the company to
enter a showroom in Dallas, TX,
a historically strong furniture market, which will
hopefully generate more sales and allow the company to
continue its
growth. |
