Armed with an SBA loan and guidance from Bank of St. Francisville, local entrepreneur Matt Estopinal is maximizing business opportunities

‍Matt Estopinal knows the civil engineering and land surveying business inside and out.  

A third-generation dual licensee—he is licensed as both a Land Surveyor and a Civil Engineer like his father and grandfather before him—Matt followed his forebears into the business of precision surveying for transportation projects. When an opportunity emerged to buy the 70-year Baton Rouge engineering firm, SJB Group, Matt relied on Bank of St. Francisville to help him find the right loan to close the deal.  

“They walked me through it every step of the way,” Matt said.  

The acquisition was an interrupted dream finally fulfilled. Matt grew up working at the family firm in St. Bernard Parish, fully expecting to follow in his forebears’ footsteps and take over the business. But Hurricane Katrina thought otherwise, wiping out operations and forcing Matt to relocate to Baton Rouge to restart his career.

“Katrina put about a 15-year delay in my plans,” Matt said. “I had to start over to work toward this goal. I’m grateful to Bank of St. Francisville in getting me to the finish line.”  

‍After settling in Baton Rouge, in late 2019 Matt acquired a small, four-person firm named GWS Engineering from its owner, Wayne Sledge, partnering with longtime GWS employee Karen Kennedy, P.E., to make the purchase. In 2021, he, Kennedy, and the GWS team joined forces with well-known SJB Group, with Matt serving as the company’s chief operating officer. A year later, he began working with Bank of St. Francisville to buy the company from its retiring owner. SJB Group is a well-established provider of surveying and engineering services to clients that include the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development as well as numerous municipalities and private developers.

‍BSF Executive Vice President of Commercial Lending Ricky Sparks and Senior Vice President of Finance and Risk Aimee Cook guided Matt to a Small Business Association loan, a good fit for his needs and type of business.  

“We knew an SBA loan was the right vehicle,” said Aimee, who has worked to secure numerous SBA loans on behalf of bank customers, and understands the level of detail required to complete them.  

The bankers also believed the SBA would look favorably on Matt’s plans to retain SJB’s more than 40 local employees.  

“Those kinds of things are important to the SBA, to understand what benefit is coming to the people in the business for the long haul,” Ricky said. Matt, determined to ensure that the great people at SJB experienced a smooth transition to new ownership, couldn’t agree more.  

It took several months to finalize the deal, but Matt says his lenders gave him confidence every step of the way.

“Ricky was able to help me interpret everything that was happening and make decisions to complete the process and push it forward,” Matt said. “He was never more than a text message away and he showed me how to work through any issue. Every roadblock was cleared easily, and we just kept moving forward.”  

The sale was finalized last April, ultimately enabling Matt to fold GWS Engineering and its employees into operations and retain SJB Group’s staff of 42. The business continues to serve existing clients seamlessly. It’s also planning to expand into new areas of work, including hydrographic surveying.  

Matt says that despite the complexities of the acquisition, he never doubted its ability to close, thanks to his team at Bank of St. Francisville.  

“You can trust these guys. They know what they're doing,” Matt said. “They know their business—and they understand yours and what's important to you. They have the knowledge to get it done.”

To learn more about how Bank of St. Francisville is empowering local entrepreneurs to maximize business opportunities, click HERE to make an appointment. We’d love to work with you.

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