Government loans

The Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. approved loans at its Jan. 13 meeting for two businesses in the city.
Behrooz (Bruce) Taher and Jan. D. Taher gained approval of a $148,000 loan for their business, Taher Inc., at 5920 W. Bender Ct. on the city’s northwest side. Taher Inc. is the parent company of two wholly owned subsidiaries, Nutrition Services, and Taher Acquisition Corp., doing business as Signature Dining. The company is primarily a food service management operation providing food services to school districts, nursing homes, senior dining sites and businesses, primarily in the upper Midwest and northeastern states. In addition to the food services business, the company provides vending machine services.
The Tahers want to buy the building at 5920 W. Bender Ct. The building, with approximately 12,000 square feet of space, would be used as a commissary, kitchen, warehouse and office. The primary objective of the growth plan is to provide larger and more efficient kitchen space for the Milwaukee County Senior Nutrition Program.
The company currently employs 1,500 people full time. The Tahers expect to add 19 full-time positions and four part-time.
The $370,000 deal would also involve financing from M&I Bank.
Togo Corp., doing business as Izumi’s Restaurant on Prospect Avenue on the city’s east side, garnered a $210,000 loan.
The 45-seat sushi and Japanese restaurant has been operating out of leased space at 2178 N. Prospect Ave. since 1994. The owners of the business, Fujiko Matsuo and Tatsuya Goto, would like to expand their seating space and had been looking for a new location over the past two years when the opportunity arose to rent 4,042 square feet of space just two doors away, at 2150 N. Prospect Ave.
The MEDC loan will involve leasehold improvements and equipment purchases. The $525,000 deal also involves financing from Delafield State Bank.
State loan
Malcolm McCrae doing business as Sho?Time/Wild Image, Milwaukee, will receive a $13,500 loan from the state’s Minority Business Development Fund (MBDF). Since 1999, Sho?Time/Wild Image has designed and produced original art in various media to customers in Milwaukee County. Sho?Time/Wild Image specializes in T-shirt screen-printing, custom air brushing, and graphic design. It is planning a $178,767 expansion project involving purchasing a two-story building in Milwaukee. The company will use its loan to purchase equipment needed to meet the demands of its new customers. The project will create four jobs, retain one job and leverage $165,267 in additional investment.
Feb. 7, 2003 Small Business Times, Milwaukee