This story is one of our 40th anniversary stories celebrating the people who make this region home and the partners who make our work possible.
Hired at Southwest Initiative Foundation in 1998, Berny Berger worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs to turn their dreams into a reality.
“I had a small business of my own for a short time, and we farmed, and I just was always involved in our community. I wanted to see our community grow; that desire was just always in me,” Berny said.
With her dashboard covered in sticky notes, Berny crisscrossed Southwest Minnesota answering questions, offering technical support, and lending a listening ear through the ups and downs of business ownership.
“I felt like it was a mission to help these entrepreneurs,” Berny said. “I wanted to help people realize their dreams, and to succeed. And it was always stressful for people that started businesses, and so a lot of times, you ended up really becoming part of their lives.”
From small business owner to loan officer
A failed business idea brought Berny to SWIF.
She and her husband, Jim, had everything lined up to open a Subway restaurant near Winthrop. They had taken out a loan and bought a building. Berny quit her job as an office manager and accountant for a local plumbing and heating company. She’d completed a franchise training in New Orleans and was scheduled to attend another on the East Coast. Then an issue with their loan brought the business to a sudden end.
“I thought, ‘OK, what am I gonna do now?’” Berny said.
She saw an ad for a part-time role for administrative support in the economic development department at SWIF. It was something she’d always been interested in, and she needed a job, so she applied.
“Actually, everything I did to prepare for my own business — the business plan I had to do, the spreadsheets and the cash flow projections, everything I created — that is what I used to help start the microloan program. So, it was a blessing in disguise. Sometimes, the Lord, closes the door and opens a window, and that’s what happened, really,” Berny said.
Taking on new challenges
A staff departure shortly after Berny started quickly pushed her into lending, a role that would define the next two decades of her career.
“I had to prepare loan documents, work with our legal group, and handle loan closings. I had to learn a lot in a short time!” Berny remembers.
In 2001, Berny founded our Microenterprise Loan Program, which would go on to receive national recognition in addition to helping launch small businesses across Southwest Minnesota. Over time, the program became one of SWIF’s most visible tools for strengthening local economies and supporting people with big ideas.
For the first five years or so, Berny managed the microloan program largely on her own. But other coworkers were always close at hand.
“It was very much family. We got to know each other well. We used to get together, the whole SWIF group, at different times of the year,” Berny said.
Award winning lending
Loan programs have been a key function of SWIF since its inception. The original proposal from Southwest Minnesota’s regional taskforce to the McKnight Foundation in 1986 outlined “improving economic self-reliance” through expansion of existing businesses and formation of new businesses. Since those early days, we’ve invested nearly $65 million to help launch and grow businesses.
The impact of SWIF’s Microenterprise Loan Program has been recognized at the state, national, and international levels over the years. The program has received honors from the International Economic Development Council, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and other organizations for its innovation, community impact, and commitment to helping entrepreneurs succeed.
“As we enter our next 40 years, it’s a joy to honor Berny’s legacy and her powerful impact on SWIF, our small businesses, and our region’s people,” said SWIF President Scott Marquardt. “Berny’s passion, values, and tireless energy were instrumental in how we designed and delivered access to capital and technical assistance to advance our mission and vision. It’s an especially fitting tribute in this moment, as we continue our journey toward becoming a Community Development Financial Institution and next-level impact.”
The people behind the loans
Over nearly two decades of lending, Berny worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs. A few stand out in her memory not because of the loans themselves, but because of the relationships that grew alongside the businesses.
“Somebody that stayed with me the whole time—and is still with me—is Maria Parga,” Berny said. “It was great working with her and helping her with all the things that she accomplished and changed over time.”
When Maria opened a video rental store in 1991, it was one of the first businesses in Worthington created specifically to serve the local Hispanic community. As her customers’ needs evolved, so did her business. She added Mexican groceries, gift items, wire services, and travel services, eventually transforming her vision into Mini Market Lupita, a bakery, restaurant, deli, and meat market that has become a community institution. Along the way, SWIF provided financing that helped support the business’s continued growth and expansion.
For Berny, Maria’s success reflected one of the most rewarding parts of the job, working with diverse entrepreneurs and helping fuel their passion and hard work.
Still supporting entrepreneurs
After helping build the microloan program and supporting entrepreneurs for nearly two decades, Berny wasn’t quite ready to step away from the work she loved. When she retired from SWIF in 2017 following successful cancer treatment, she found a familiar next chapter through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
“At SWIF, I focused more on the lending, but I still was helping people all the time, get ready for a loan application, which is what I’m doing now,” Berny said. “I will keep going as long as I can because I enjoy it. I’m lucky that I can do what I do,” Berny said.
Jim is retired too, and the couple lives on the same farm where Berny grew up and they raised their two kids. They’re active members at church, where Berny is a music director and president of the Council of Catholic Women.
Recently Berny stopped by our 40th anniversary open house in nearby Fairfax at the Sweet Spot Bake Shop, owned by SWIF loan client Tina Castillo. Berny was happy to reminisce and connect as she remains a supporter of SWIF as a donor and friend, and she still believes firmly in what we do.
“I think SWIF has to continue being that economic engine for the region. That role is just so important. It’s the part of the work I know best, and what I hope continues—that SWIF is there for people, stays flexible, and responds to what the region needs.”
Share Your Story
As Southwest Initiative Foundation marks 40 years, we’re celebrating the people who make this region home and the partners who make our work possible. We’d love to include your story.