Sugar & Spice Greenhouse and Garden Center Receives FHLBank Chicago Accelerate Grant

Sugar & Spice Greenhouse and Garden Center, a longstanding business serving the Fennimore community for over a decade, has been awarded a $15,000 grant through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago’s (FHLBank Chicago) Community First® Accelerate Grants for Small Business (Accelerate Grants). The grant was secured through a partnership with Royal Bank and aims to support improvements to the store’s accessibility and shopping experience.

Owner Dan Gressman, who takes pride in offering high-quality, locally grown products and gardening supplies, expressed his appreciation for the grant and the partnership with Royal Bank. “We are so thankful to Royal Bank for this support. These funds will help us make essential improvements to our storefront that will benefit our customers in the long run. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t even begin to capture my gratitude,” said Gressman.

Royal Bank loan officer, Jon Reynolds, collaborated with Gressman on the grant application. “As Your Community Partner, we’re dedicated to investing in the communities we serve,” said Reynolds. “We believe that every dollar invested locally helps strengthen and connect our community. We’re excited to partner with FHLBank Chicago to support local businesses and ensure economic vitality for years to come.”

Royal Bank has a strong history of working with FHLBank Chicago by offering fixed-rate home loan lending using the FHLBank Chicago’s Mortgage Partnership Finance® (MPF®) Program. The mission of FHLBank Chicago is to partner with members in Illinois and Wisconsin to provide them competitively priced funding, a reasonable rate on their investment, and support for community investment activities. The Accelerate Grant funds are intended to assist the growth and development of small businesses in Illinois and Wisconsin, creating economic opportunity in the communities that FHLBank Chicago members serve.