Dewayne and Mary Leer know how to deliver.
The veteran postal workers have dependably delivered the mail on
their respective city letter-carrier routes in Buchanan County for
more years than they dare to remember. And now they've added a new
"route" where they jointly deliver good food and good times.
Welcome to Uncle D's Sports Bar & Grill.
The Leers officially opened their first restaurant last summer, at
the corner of 36th and Messanie in St. Joseph. It's been a successful
start.
"We exceeded our projected yearly plan in the first six months,"
says Dewayne. "We have been widely accepted in the community."
That's putting it mildly. Uncle D's attracts a range of customers:
families, college students, grandparents with their grandkids, the
after-work crowd, and everyone in between. They all come for the food,
the fun, the convenience, the camaraderie… and, of course, the
sports.
They have a big crowd most any night of the week, large enough to
keep the staff hopping. It takes six full-time employees and a stable
of 20 part-timers to make sure all the business is covered.
Uncle D's is basically an entrepreneurial dream-come-true for Dewayne
and Mary. They'd been toying with the idea of opening a sports bar
for several years. About two years ago they finally reached a point
in their lives where they could actively pursue it.
"We were set financially and had some extra time now that the
kids were grown and on their own," Mary explains.
So the two would-be restaurateurs started scouting for a site. It
turned out to be a well-located vacant lot with a lot of potential.
Then they approached the next hurdle: finding the financing to buy
the lot and to construct and equip the restaurant. That's when they
realized they needed help to pursue a business loan.
That help came in the form of Jerry Darnell, director of the St.
Joseph Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which is a satellite
office of the SBDC based at Northwest Missouri State University in
Maryville.
Darnell devoted time and energy by pointing the Leers in the right
direction to find money through the federal Small Business Administration's
(SBA) 504 program, which secures business loans to fund the purchase
of major fixed assets such as land and buildings.
With Darnell's help the Leers assembled all the necessary documents
for the loan application such as financial statements, income projections
and project cost estimates.
"And he helped us complete a detailed business plan, which made
all the difference to the financial institutions," says Dewayne.
After several months of gathering data and patiently waiting, the
loan came through. Mary and Dewayne purchased the land, oversaw building
construction and opened for business. They haven't looked back because
they've been too busy making a success of their restaurant.
"I don't think we could have done this without the help of Jerry
Darnell and the SBDC," asserts Dewayne, who is quick to give
credit to the business guidance he and Mary received.
Of course it also took a well-defined vision and immeasurable determination
from a couple who knew where to get the help they needed to reach
their dream.
And because of the entrepreneurial success demonstrated by Dewayne
and Mary Leer, Uncle D's Sports Bar & Grill received an award
and a legislative resolution at a recent event in the State Capitol
in Jefferson City. At that February gathering —
the Missouri SBDC-hosted Client Showcase
— Uncle D's and more than 20 other outstanding
Missouri companies met with legislators to discuss their products
and services, and to receive recognition for their contributions to
the economic development of the state of Missouri.
For more information on the services of the MO
SBDC program, call Jerry Darnell at 816/232-4461 or e-mail him
at darnellsbdc@saintjoseph.com.
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