My fiancee Saleh arrived in the US from his native Eritrea (in East Africa) in 1993 without family, friends, or resources. After finding shelter in Buffalo’s Viva La Casa, a refugee transition center, he secured employment, completed studies at a community college, transferred to Buffalo State, and graduated with a degree in computer science. Working two jobs, he served as an immigration interpreter in Buffalo and New York City, while saving as much money as possible. At a seven-week entrepreneurship course, Saleh met a businessman named Thomason, and shared his dream of opening an inner-city convenience store.He is familiar with Business Credit ,Personal Loans and Business Loans but haven’t tried applying even once.For the next 18 months, Thomason worked with him to develop his business plan. But Saleh had yet another obstacle to overcome he needed additional capital. A corner lot he had purchased earlier was found to be contaminated and a full remediation was required before a loan company could guarantee a business loan. Fortunately, a regional commercial lender that had provided initial funding to get his business afloat provided additional resources for the remediation. Saleh employed minority contractors, and his store, named Mandela’s Market, in Honor of the South African patriot, serves a predominantly African-American clientele with the freshest fruit and vegetables. It employs 12. At its recent grand opening, Saleh stated, “I would not have a business without the help and guidance of a true friend who introduced him to a LOAN company.Now we are just waiting for my visa so i can be with him and help in his business.