New name, same purpose:

Mill Cities Community Investments + Foundation for Business Equity have become Nectar Community Investments.

Business Profile: Elegant Stitches

Alfred Enchill, Founder and CEO of Elegant Stitches, started by selling garments at trade shows but found that his embroidered apparel gained more traction. In 1997, pivoting his sales strategy to accommodate the growing demand for embroidery, Alfred created Elegant Stitches in his basement and later brought on his son Auric to help him grow it to where it is now. With 25 years under their belt, Alfred and Auric wanted to jumpstart company growth, leading them to enroll in the BEI. The pair knew that through BEI, they would have access to the right resources, people, and financing.

In addition to being matched with a BEI Strategic Advisor, the Elegant Stitches team was coached by a BEI marketing specialist. The specialist helped the team develop a long-term marketing plan consisting of email marketing, social media campaigns, and seasonal sample products to send to corporate prospects. The marketing strategy is backed by proper software implementation to support these efforts. On the sales front, Al and Aurie’s BEI Strategic Advisor was able to help them develop sales targets and create strategies to help them hit their targets.

Elegant Stitches has properly executed their plan, and as a result, has seen nearly 100% growth in sales year over year. Additionally, the father and son duo were able to make two hires adding a full-time administrative assistant to allow them to concentrate on sales and strategy. They are also evaluating the possibility of acquiring another company.