‘I found my true calling’

CEDAR FALLS — In February, Georgia Beth Arevalo needed financial help to open her restaurant, Don Gomez Mexican Grilled Chicken, in Cedar Falls.

So she launched a Kiva Iowa crowdfunding campaign — and was fully funded in just two days.

That made it the fastest campaign in the two-year history of the program, says Kiva Iowa Capital Access Manager Kaitlin Byers.

  Buy Photo

“What an incredible testament to Georgia, her family, and their combined impact within the University of Northern Iowa and broader Cedar Falls community,” Byers said. “I also see this as a clear reflection of the way Cedar Valley fosters an accessible and inclusive environment for their local entrepreneurs."

For Arevalo, it’s the latest chapter in a journey that started in Los Angeles, led to Waverly and then to UNI’s Wilson College of Business.

“Growing up in a vibrant Latino community in Los Angeles, I was inspired by the small business owners around me,” Arevalo says. “When my family and I relocated to Iowa for a fresh start, I sought a career that I'm passionate about, one that allows me to share my Mexican culture and culinary expertise.”

Following a dream

Arevalo and her husband moved to Waverly in 2018. Arevalo began working as a server at a local Mexican restaurant, where she says the owner became “like a mentor” to her — and she realized that owning a restaurant of her own was something she wanted to do.

Luckily, she also was studying business and entrepreneurship at UNI, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in management and is now pursuing a master’s degree.

Arevalo kicked off Don Gomez Mexican Grilled Chicken last summer at farmers markets in Cedar Falls. She says that success laid the groundwork for opening a physical location at 4302 University Ave.

“I really love cooking. It’s always been a passion of mine,” she says. “I love the look on customers’ faces when they enjoy something new.”

Finding funding

While Arevalo had the passion and the knowledge. The one area where she still needed help was funding. She found a way to solve that problem during her studies at UNI, where she learned about Kiva Iowa.

Kiva gives entrepreneurs access to a microlending platform to raise zero- interest, zero-fee, extended grace period loans. The loans can be for up to $15,000, and lenders can give as little as $25 at a time.

“I found out about the Kiva loan through the entrepreneur center at UNI,” Arevalo says. “The program manager knew about my restaurant dream and how I wanted to pursue that career. She told me about how other entrepreneurs have had success with Kiva loans, and introduced me to Kaitlin Byers.”

Arevalo applied for a $6,000 loan to go toward equipment like a freezer, sandwich prep table and ice machine, as well as covering inspections and initial payroll. The loan was funded in two days.

“Kiva is a great resource for local entrepreneurs, especially underrepresented entrepreneurs,” Arevalo says. “But we’ve noticed that a lot of people don’t know about it, so we’re really hoping that more people can learn that this is a funding option that’s available.

“For us, this loan is the key to turning our dream into a tangible and flourishing reality.”

Arevalo aims to turn Don Gomez into a catering vendor for UNI, and wants to one day expand to other cities in Iowa. For now, though, she’s excited to see her dream taking root in Cedar Falls.

“I found my true calling,“ she says.

To learn more about Don Gomez Mexican Grilled Chicken, visit them on Facebook at facebook.com/dongomezchicken/. To learn more about Kiva Iowa, visit newbo.co/kiva.

Rob Merritt is director of communications at NewBoCo. Comments: rob@newbo.co