Oakridge Business Loans, a small-business funding broker in Bellingham, WA, works with four sectors lending partners cover: building and trade contractors, restaurants, medical and dental offices, and stock-holding retail and wholesale firms. Construction is Whatcom County's largest sector by employers and payroll. Lending partners make credit decisions and set rates and terms.
Whatcom County, WA sectors in Census figures
| Sector | Employer establishments | Paid employees | Under 5 employees (share) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 972 | 9,677 | 70.1% |
| Retail trade | 793 | 11,198 | 44.6% |
| Ambulatory health care (incl. physician and dental offices) | 549 | 5,875 | 53.6% |
| Food services and drinking places | 553 | 8,011 | 26.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 296 | 2,962 | 54.1% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Across all sectors the county had 7,146 employer establishments, 58.1 percent with fewer than five employees.
Sectors matched to funding types
| Sector | Most common needs | Funding types to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Machines and vehicles; payroll between progress payments | Equipment loans or leases, working capital, credit lines |
| Restaurants | Kitchen equipment, build-outs, payroll for larger crews | Machinery loans or leases, a term loan for fit-outs, working capital for insurer lag |
| Retail and wholesale | Stock ahead of sales, fixtures, POS systems | Inventory financing, credit lines, equipment for fixtures |
| Medical and dental | Imaging and treatment equipment, fit-outs, timing gaps from insurer payments | Machinery loans or leases, a term loan for fit-outs, working capital for insurer lag |
A merchant cash advance, which is not a loan, is sometimes offered to card-heavy businesses such as restaurants and shops; price the alternatives first.
Medical and dental practices
Whatcom County had 549 ambulatory health care employer establishments in 2023, with 5,875 paid employees and an annual payroll of about $425.7 million. That includes 113 offices of physicians and 99 offices of dentists; dental offices tend to be mid-sized, with only 22.2 percent under five employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023).
Practices typically finance chairs, imaging, sterilization and practice-management systems through equipment financing, fit out new operatories or a second location with a term loan, and bridge the gap between treating patients and receiving insurer payments with working capital. Partners will usually ask about payer mix and the timing of insurance receivables.
Wholesale and inventory businesses
The county's 296 wholesale employer establishments employed 2,962 people in 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Distributors buy stock ahead of orders and often sell to other businesses on terms, so inventory financing and lines of credit are the usual tools. Retail stores are covered on their own page.
Sectors we do not cover
Oakridge Business Loans does not arrange financing for agriculture or trucking businesses. The county business profile has a broader view of the local economy.
By Oakridge Business Loans ยท Updated