Not all small businesses are the same, and neither are their banking needs. When John Kirirah started his billboard company, Kenjoh Outdoor Advertising, he knew he needed a bank that would understand his needs and work closely with him.
Read on to hear what John had to say about his relationship with Minster Bank and how they “stepped outside the box” to help make his business a success.
Q: Tell us about yourself and your business.
A: My name is John Kirirah. I am originally from Kenya, but I have been living in the US since 2005. I came here for college and studied engineering, and worked at Honda from 2010-2019.
When I decided to get into the billboard advertising business in 2016, I knew most banks do not speak “billboard language,” and if I was to have a solid business relationship with a bank, it would have to be a local, community one like Minster Bank.
That said, I approached Minster and talked to [commercial lender] Jason Wagner about my business, and the rest is history.
Q: What do you like about working with Minster Bank?
A: I like Minster Bank because it is a smaller bank that was open to considering new business ideas. They are great to work with and are readily available to sit down and discuss ideas of how to help my business grow.
Given that the billboard business is a very unique industry, I had struggled with getting a bank open to hearing me out and funding billboard projects. This was the first time Minster Bank had done this kind of a deal, but they were open to stepping outside the box and working with me on my projects. Many projects later, we are still going strong.
Q: Tell us about working with lender Jason Wagner.
A: Jason has been awesome. He’s very good at what he does and at explaining some of the banking language like UCC filings and memorandum of leases. He has made time on multiple occasions to stop in during some of our construction projects in the field to get to know and understand the industry better.
Q: Is there anything else you want to share?
A: Minster Bank has been great. If you are a small business owner out there, consider working with local community banks. Minster Bank is a good choice.
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