FEATURE STORY

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, May 30, 2017
CONTACT: Natalie Likness, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, 605.773.GOED (4633)

B9Creations Approved for MicroLOAN, doubles employment

RAPID CITY, S.D. – It’s been a pretty remarkable five years since the launch of its first 3D printer, and it’s evident that B9Creations, LLC, isn’t planning on slowing down the pace anytime soon.

“Since our last feature [March 2015], B9 has seen tremendous growth,” said Shon Anderson, B9 vice president. “We’ve launched an entirely new line of 3D printers, we’ve more than doubled in size and employment, and we’ve expanded our customer base. We’re still working closely with jewelry companies because our technology and quality of product can’t be beat, especially at such an affordable price. But we’re excited to announce that we’ve also recently entered into a strategic partnership with Kulzer, a leader in technology and materials for the dental industry based in Germany.”

As part of their plan to scale their infrastructure, B9 applied and was approved for a $100,000 MicroLOAN from the South Dakota Development Corporation (SDDC) in December 2016. The approved monies were used to help pay for tooling that will be used to produce external and internal parts for B9’s next generation 3D printer at the capacity to capture market demand.

“The MicroLOAN program gave us a strategic opportunity to move our business forward,” Anderson said. “We’ve partnered with the GOED and the SDDC on more than one occasion, and found that partnership to be beneficial every time.”

The MircoLOAN program combines a local lender with SDDC’s resources to assist businesses in financing key investments to enable growth. B9Creations teamed up with BankWest, a Pierre-based bank with more than 20 branches in South Dakota and a strong business focus. “BankWest’s Rapid City team of John Way and Jennifer Baloun took a genuine interest in getting to know our business and working with SDDC’s programs. Not many local banks have the desire and capability to work with high-tech businesses but we’ve been very pleased with BankWest.”

B9Creations is exhibiting at the jewelry industry’s largest trade event, the JCK Las Vegas , in June to continue promoting its 3D printer to jewelers. JCK attracts more than 2,300 vendors from around the world to exhibit to more than 23,000 individual retailers.

“We’re excited to return to Las Vegas for the JCK show because the jewelry industry is our sweet spot,” Anderson said. “We want to continue to explore other industries, just like our dental industry partnership with Kulzer, but it’s important for us to foster our returning customers, as well.”

For more information about B9 Creations, go to www.b9c.com. For more information about the MicroLOAN program and other financing programs available, go www.sdreadytowork.com/finance.

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