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After years of working as special education teachers for students with autism, B.E.S.T. ABA founders, Megan Ciesluk and Rebecca "Becky" Santos, decided to fulfill their dream of building their own ABA practice...
"The payments we receive for our services are often dependent on our clients' insurance providers," Megan explained. "In 2019, just six months after we opened, the insurance industry began the process of changing all the ABA codes and we were told to anticipate a lapse in payment until the process was finalized."
"As a relatively new business, we needed to have a plan in place," Becky elaborated, "so we could continue to pay our staff during that lapse period. That's when we contacted Northern Bank to see if we could get an SBA loan."
"We did a lot of research before we talked with Justin Thomas at Northern Bank and we were anticipating that it would be a really difficult process," Megan said. "We only had six months of revenue at that point, so it's hard to get a loan, but Northern Bank was willing to work with us."
"Justin told us he was impressed with us and our business process," Becky added. "We were really surprised it went so smoothly and was fairly quick. I remember when we told people we got the SBA loan in a short amount of time, they were like, 'wow,' because usually it takes a lot longer."
"We're planning on continuing to grow. Right now, we have a small clinic and ideally, we want to own a property and expand. Northern Bank is a bank we definitely want to continue to work with," said Megan, "because they take care of the details and make things as easy as possible for you."
"Even with our PPP loan, which we applied for this past spring," Becky added, "they were above all other banks and it really was a very smooth process for us."
For Megan Ciesluk and Becky Santos, working with individuals with autism is both a career and a passion. The two met as public school special ed teachers and frequently crossed paths as they continued to work with individuals with autism in public, private, and home settings. Their shared desire to reach and help as many families as possible led them to build their own Applied Behavior Analysis practice where they can apply decades of experience, knowledge, and passion to helping clients and their families.
When Jon Erickson, owner of J. Erickson Plumbing and Heating LLC, was frustrated with his experience at a “big bank”, he turned to Northern Bank for a personal relationship focused on customer service.
For Chilacates, having a partner that understands family business and shares their passion for success made all the difference.
For one business, it chose Northern Bank for its online banking and local community feel.
Contact us now to learn more about how Northern Bank can help you realize your goals and dreams.