The South Dakota Development Corporation (SDDC) recently recognized Marie Darling, a Business Lender at Black Hills Federal Credit Union in downtown Rapid City as the January Lender of the Month.
“As a relatively new member of the commercial lending space, I was very honored when I learned I’d been named Lender of the Month,” Marie said. “It’s pretty exciting to be recognized by an organization like the SDDC, which cheers for the success of our members just as hard as we do.”
The SDDC is a certified development company that helps facilitate the SBA 504 program. This program allows South Dakota business owners to make large purchases with lower down payments, often assisting them in moving from renting a space to buying and owning their own building. Simply put, BHFCU and the SDDC help business owners achieve their goals.
Marie was born and raised in Trier, Germany, and moved to the United States in 2002 after falling in love with her Army husband. She has been in financial services for nearly two decades, starting as a BHFCU teller in 2006. Marie discovered her calling in financial lending because she genuinely enjoys finding a solution for any borrower’s needs.
As a Business Lender, Marie shares that she most enjoys building relationships with and working alongside her members to help their dreams come to fruition. For a similar reason, she looks forward to working with the SDDC.
“Every business loan is unique, and sometimes we do not have the perfect in-house solution for our member’s needs,” explained Marie. “That’s where the SDDC comes in – having them on our side allows us to offer a wider variety of options to help small business owners achieve their goals.”
When she’s not working for her community, Marie likes to spend her time in the wide-open spaces South Dakota offers. She and her husband own a small hobby ranch and strive to give their plethora of animals the best life. Most notably, Marie rescues and rehabilitates pigs.
