On the morning of Dec. 21, members of Chester Inc., REGIONAL federal credit union, and Tran Enterprises gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of LA Nails' new permanent location. Chester Inc. and REGIONAL federal credit union are excited to be part of this project because they are helping LA Nails owner Julie Tran’s dream come true while also helping to serve the community of Valparaiso as a whole.
With the rising price of rent, Tran knew it was time to move from renting a space to owning one. Tran has owned a salon in Valparaiso for almost 18 years and she wanted to stay in the area. Knowing that she wanted to stay close, Tran got in contact with Chester and Regional Federal to help make it happen. Tran ended up getting a parched a piece of land directly across the street from her current location, keeping her close to her customers.
Joseph DeCenzo, architect with Chester, Inc., helped design and create Tran’s new building.
“It is a 3000-square-foot commercial retail building,” said DeCenzo. “About 60% of it is going to be her salon and the other 40% is a rental space.”
Chester Architectural & Construction Services is a design and build company, meaning it will first provide all architectural drawings and engineering, then do the construction. The goal is to help guide the client from conceptualizing something to actually making it happen.
“I think a one-stop-shop like Chester, Inc. is helpful to a property owner, somebody who wants to do a development like this,” said DeCenzo. “Especially when it’s their business, it’s their baby and it’s very important to them that everything is handled correctly and smoothly.”
Another key piece in making Tran’s dream come true is REGIONAL federal credit union. The financial institution helped Tran finance her project. REGIONAL is relatively new to business lending, so the company was excited at the opportunity to not only help Tran but help grow the community of Valparaiso as a whole.
“Credit unions are part of the fabric of every community,” explained Kevin Kosek, vice president of marketing and business development for REGIONAL. “Being able to see this through is amazing, I shop right across the street at the grocery store and get my hair cut over there too. To see this dream come true, makes me so happy for the Julie and her family.”
Tran worked with Chester and REGIONAL for the past two years to make her dream become reality. She had positive things to say about working with the two companies.
“They are wonderful,” said Tran. “They’ve been there for me every step of the way. Anytime we need something they respond right away.”
Today was a big step forward for Tran, who hopes to move into the new building sometime next year when her lease at her current place is up.
For more information on Chester Inc., visit www.chesterinc.com. For more information on REGIONAL federal credit union, visit www.regionalfcu.org.
