Vegun Nutrition

Vegun Nutrition

Derrell Lee and John Pace are U.S. Military Veterans who graduated from Harford Community College (HCC) with Associate degrees in Business Administration. Derrell and John have wanted to start their own business for a while, and it was finally time for them to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit. With a passion for healthy living and fitness, the duo came up with a revolutionary idea with confidence for future success. Before pursuing this venture head-first, they sought advice on how to properly format their business and construct a business plan to enable them to receive the financing needed.

They came to the Northern Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and spoke with Ryan Del Gallo for consultation on how to move their business in a positive direction. Ryan answered all of their questions while providing one-on-one counseling, but also went a step further to assist with developing a marketing strategy, accurate financial projections, forming a proper loan package, and a well-developed pitch for the business.

After receiving assistance from Ryan, Derell and John successfully settled on an SBA loan with M&T Bank, Bulle Rock Branch, for $100,000. Vegun Nutrition has worked with world-renowned dietitians and chemist to develop the first vegan mass gainer on the market. The team is rapidly working to launch their business during the 2018 fiscal year.

The team was very thankful for the SBDC’s assistance and Derrell stated, "Working with Ryan Del Gallo and the SBDC played a vital role in our early success as a start-up. His expertise, knowledge, and outstanding support made the process manageable and allowed us to build a solid foundation to our business. Ryan always had a solution to any problem that we had, and if he did not know, he always knew what direction to point us in to get the answer. We consider Ryan a valuable asset to our team, and he has helped us lay out a path to success. He has been very active during the process from the start and really displays that he cares about others and their aspirations. Ryan truly cares about the success of his clients and he will go out of his way to put you in position to succeed."

Posted: 04/26/2018