Bridge Investment Community Development Corporation Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Bridge Investment Community Development Corporation (Bridge Investment) is celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a special event Dec. 17, hosted at Green Current Solutions, a transformative Bridge Investment borrower making a significant impact in sustainability. Led by Tammy Becker alongside Chad Pregracke, Green Current Solutions repurposes plastics recovered from waterways, transforming them into sustainable products like recycled plastic pallets.
During the event, Bridge Investment will present the Vision Award to Steve Ollenburg, Chief Risk Officer at Modern Woodmen of America, in recognition of his leadership in the formation of Bridge Investment following the dissolution of the Quad Cities Community Development Corporation, ensuring that local support and contributions to benefit communities remained in the region.
Additionally, Living Lands & Waters will receive a $50,000 charitable contribution check, made possible through the Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support Fund. This contribution was facilitated by Brian Hollenback and supported through a collaboration with Economic Growth Corporation. As an Advisory Board member of SCORE (the parent organization of the Joint-County Opportunity Benefit Support Fund), Brian played a key role in bringing the contribution to Living Lands & Waters, whose environmental cleanup efforts, tree planting initiatives, and partnership with Green Current Solutions are benefiting communities on both a national and global scale. The funds will support Living Lands & Waters’ Mississippi River Institute, which hosts free workshops focused on river-related careers, conservation, and hands-on environmental learning for students from low-income communities.
In the past 10 years, as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Bridge Investment has provided nearly $13 million in loans, supporting over 100+ small businesses, primarily in the Quad Cities region. Our efforts have directly contributed to economic growth, job creation, and helping entrepreneurs thrive, particularly in areas that face barriers to traditional financing, helping to facilitate nearly $200 million in total investment in the communities we serve. As a non-profit loan fund, Bridge Investment has been a certified CDFI since 2017. A Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) is a specialized financial institution that provides affordable loans, credit, and financial services to underserved communities and individuals, working to foster economic development and address disparities in access to traditional banking.
Chad Pregracke, founder of Living Lands & Waters.
