SBA Success Story Jacksonville Company uses SBA funding and resources to achieve success Jacksonville, Fla. - Hester Taylor Clark, President of the Hester Group started the company in 1998 from her home. Today the company has over 25 employees throughout Florida, Mississippi and Virginia. Founded as a public relations and community outreach agency, its core services include public involvement, advertising and public relations. In 2009, the company began working in the government sector and is currently under contract to provide program management support to the United States Food and Drug Administration and the United States Navy. Ms. Clark’s story started 24 years ago, when her infant son was in need of a liver transplant. In an effort to save her son’s life, she reached out to the public and media for help. On May 1, 1987, her 10-month-old son received a liver transplant, and today he is a healthy young man. The Hester Group has worked with the SBA in many instances including SCORE counseling and training, Women’s Business Center emerging business training, and most recently the company received a CAPLines loan through American Enterprise Bank of Florida. CAPLines is an umbrella loan program that helps small businesses meet their short-term and cyclical working-capital needs. The Contract Line finances the direct labor and material cost associated with performing assignable contract(s); it can be revolving or non-revolving. For more information related to the CAPLines program please visit http://www.sba.gov/content/caplines. Ms. Clark was recently named American Express OPEN’s Woman Government Contractor of the Year-2011 and continues to give back to the Jacksonville community. Ms. Clark has served on several boards such as JCCI, Baptist Health Foundation, Ronald McDonald House of Northeast Florida, Hope Haven Children’s Clinic, Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, United Network for Organ Sharing, and the Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum. Hester Taylor Clark, President of the Hester Group may be contacted at 6320 St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville, FL 32217 or (904) 739-2338 or by visiting www.hester-group.com. ###