Founded in April 2006 by the South Eastern Council of Governments (SECOG) and headquartered in Sioux Falls, Dakota Business Finance was created to bring the SBA 504 program to South Dakota businesses, complementing the regional revolving loan work already being done by its sister organization, the South Eastern Development Foundation (SEDF). Led by Executive Director Lynne Keller Forbes, DBF has been the #1 SBA 504 lender in South Dakota every year since 2009 — and was one of four CDCs operating in the state, doing roughly ten times the loan volume of the others. DBF emphasizes personalized lender training, in-depth servicing (including the required first-year site visits), and close relationships with regional banks and credit unions. Recent annual volume has run around 50+ loans for $40-45 million.