Community Spotlight

Eric Glickstein, president and owner of Commercial Loans Made Easy LLC, is a customer-centric entrepreneur whose career spans more than 27 years in retail finance. Raised in an entrepreneurial family—his father a small business owner—Eric developed a deep appreciation for providing access to resources that allow people to achieve their goals on terms they can afford. In 1992, he launched his first company, growing it into a thriving enterprise with $11 million in revenue and 52 employees before its acquisition in 2019.

In 2024, Eric founded Commercial Loans Made Easy, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based financial consulting firm designed to help startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and emerging enterprises secure the capital they need. Leveraging a network of more than 50 institutional lenders and 17 different loan products, the firm has provided solutions for hundreds of businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide. The company specializes in commercial business loans, real estate and investment financing, unsecured personal loans, and third-party consumer financing for industries including home improvement, professional services, retail, medical procedures, and veterinary care. Their consulting services and lending solutions span both conventional bank lenders and alternative lenders for borrowers who may not qualify for traditional lending.

What sets Commercial Loans Made Easy apart is its problem-solving approach. While many consultants emerge from rigid lending backgrounds, Eric’s perspective is rooted in his own entrepreneurial journey. Having built and scaled a successful business, he understands that entrepreneurs rarely fit into boxes—when a solution doesn’t exist, one must be created. This mindset, combined with accreditation from the American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers and membership in the North Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, underscores the firm’s commitment to helping clients succeed.

WeFixIt Garage Door’s goal is to provide their clients with exceptional commercial and residential garage door services, including repairs and installations. They believe in contributing to the community while also providing affordable garage door services. In addition to their standard services, they repair automatic gates and dock levelers for businesses and institutions with warehouses, like FedEx and Duke University.

Quality service has been a big part of this business from day one. Because of their commitment to quality, they have partnered with several nonprofits, including Vets to Vets United, a nonprofit dedicated to uniting veterans with dogs. Additionally, this company provides a 10% discount to emergency responders, law enforcement, military personnel, and senior citizens.

We’re grateful to have WeFixIt Garage Door as one of our clients. The next time you need someone to come and look at your garage door, consider giving them a call!

The construction industry desperately needs skilled workers, and there are so many capable folks who historically have been excluded from these opportunities! By the end of November 2023, Hope Renovations will have graduated over 80 people from its free Trades Training Program, while its Construction Program has completed 200+ jobs for seniors of all incomes in our community. There’s no end to the demand for a free workforce development training program targeted to women, or to skilled and considerate tradespeople performing safety-related repairs for older adults, so Hope Renovations was thrilled to get TWO important grants for expansion in the past few months! They’re headed to Wake County and Durham County in 2024 through partnerships with our community colleges.

Sign up for their newsletter and keep an eye out for upcoming events and workshops on their website, and please consider supporting Hope Renovations when you plan your end-of-year giving, as community support is crucial to ensuring their expansion is a success!

They are currently working with their partners at GiGi’s Playhouse Raleigh (a nonprofit that provides services to people with Down Syndrome and their families) and have the opportunity to move Moon Angel Sweets to a new production facility and store in Cary, North Carolina.

This expansion is an exciting step, but it is also a big investment, especially with the recent rise in equipment and construction costs. To help raise funds for this social mission, Moon Angel Sweets started a Kickstarter campaign. If you’d like to support another local business in our community with a great purpose, you can check out their cause here.