West Tennessee Small Business Expands Operations with Support from Pathway

At just 21 years old David Blurton drove a truck with one door to Brownsville, Tennessee to start his business. Just over 47 years later, Southern Industrial Mechanical Maintenance Company II, LLC (SIMMCO) is on track to expand its team and production to meet the demand of many major projects headed their way.

SIMMCO, located in Brownsville, provides heavy industrial construction solutions for industrial facilities across the globe, specializing in the fabrication of tanks and piping. After finding themselves in a position where they were unable to acquire a traditional business loan in 2021, David, SIMMCO’s General Manager, was referred to Pathway Lending by a lending institution. In his own words, “Pathway stepped up to the plate” and met them where they were at.

After securing financing through Pathway, SIMMCO was able to acquire their fabrication plant, which provided sufficient productive capacity to bid on and win a major contract, increasing their revenue significantly and allowing them to employ 500 people since 2022. In addition to capital, Pathway’s education resources helped them create a strong business plan to move them forward with their newfound capacity and production in a sustainable way.

David reflects that with Pathway, he felt like he had advocates for his business. He trusted the staff he worked with and knew that they not only understood his business but would be able to help them reach their goals and tell their story in a meaningful way. David and his wife Ginger shared their gratitude for Jon Eisen, Pathway’s VP Lending, Middle Tennessee, who has worked with them from the very beginning. Ginger remarked that Jon “has always been a great advocate for us. He is a pleasure to work with, always very friendly, professional, and prompt to reply to any of our questions or concerns.”

In addition to Jon, David adds that Bob Lancaster, Pathway’s Director of Business Advisory Services, was instrumental in their recent success. “Bob was useful to us in all aspects of the process” said David, “He understood the business extremely well and provided valuable input to help us reach our goals. It was a team approach.” David also added that the tools Bob taught them are still practices and tools that they use today.

SIMMCO’s growth and success has had a positive impact on the Brownsville community as a whole. At the start of their relationship with Pathway just three years ago SIMMCO employed 14 individuals. Now, the thriving business has 85 employees on their payroll with plans to add even more in the coming months. Though many of their employees are local, some have relocated to Brownsville and invested in the local economy by buying homes and planting new roots in the community.  

David remarks that, “Pathway brought us exactly where we needed to be” and SIMMCO is looking forward to meeting the demand that these new opportunities have brought and feel set up for success with the help of Pathway for many years over many projects. Thanks to the support of Pathway, SIMMCO can now access traditional financing as they continue to grow in capacity and production for their projects ahead.

Small businesses interested in funding can learn more and connect with us here!