Bank of San Francisco was once again honored to sponsor  Working Solutions’ annual Invest in Dreams Breakfast. Working Solutions, a Bank of San Francisco client, provides Bay Area entrepreneurs access to capital, training resources, and mentoring in order to launch or grow a successful business, giving priority to low-income, female, and minority business owners. 

Koji Kanematsu, owner of Onigilly Japanese Restaurant, received Working Solutions’ Inspire Award at this year’s breakfast. Onigilly is a highly successful Financial District lunch spot, serving delicious, traditional Japanese onigiri. Working Solutions provided Koji with seed funding and business mentorship. Koji worked diligently to hone his business skills, and he is now on a path of successful expansion.

Earlier this year, Working Solutions referred Koji to Bank of San Francisco for growth funding. Through the SBA 7A program, Bank of San Francisco was able to help Koji meet his business’ funding needs. “Working Solutions helped make me bankable, and Bank of San Francisco took me the rest of the way,” said Mr. Kanematsu. Today, Koji has a complete banking relationship with Bank of San Francisco that includes an expansion loan with manageable loan payments, which has freed up capital so Onigilly can continue its impressive growth.

Bank of San Francisco is proud to have a partner and client in Working Solutions. Through this relationship, Bank of San Francisco will continue to assist small and medium-sized business owners throughout the Bay Area. Congratulations to Koji and Onigilly, and to Working Solutions for elevating small business owners for the past 15 years!

Dr. Reza Koopah and Dr. Amir Koopah come from a family of dentists. Following in the footsteps of their father, the Koopah brothers’ pursuit of careers in dentistry brought them from their native Iran to the United States to study. The Koopah brothers began practicing dentistry together in 1999, and with the help of Bank of San Francisco, they now own and operate two practices in the Bay Area – in San Francisco and Orinda, CA.

Not only did Bank of San Francisco help get the Koopahs’ business off the ground with a small business loan, but the Bank also helped them expand the scope of services they offer their patients. As Dr. Amir Koopah explains it, “Dentistry has changed greatly over the last ten years – with implants, 3D scanning, and other technologies that offer many possibilities with practically zero discomfort for the patient. Bank of San Francisco has helped us finance these new technologies, keeping us on the cutting edge of our field and allowing us to serve our patients well.”