Partner Community Capital works in the spaces traditional lenders often overlook, funding small businesses, trail projects, and community ideas that struggle to get off the ground in West Virginia and across the region.
Louis Argento, who works directly with borrowers at PCAP, joins this first episode of Access Appalachia to break down what that process actually looks like. From early stage ideas to structured financing, he walks through how projects move from concept to capital, and what it takes to get across the finish line when traditional lending is not an option.
A Fayette County native with a background in commercial banking, Argento shares how his perspective shifted after joining Partner Community Capital in 2023, moving from transaction based lending to a more hands on, community focused approach. At PCAP, that means working alongside borrowers through planning, projections, and packaging, and also connecting them to technical assistance funding for things like marketing, engineering, and legal support.
He highlights projects like the Fayette Trails Coalition’s feasibility study for a proposed trail network around Summersville Lake, which would connect hiking, biking, and climbing access with nearby recreation assets. That study came through PCAP’s Recreational Economies initiative, a program that supported tourism focused development across West Virginia.
The conversation closes on a simple but important point for anyone with an idea in this space. Even if you are not ready to borrow, it is worth reaching out early to understand what support exists and what a path forward could look like.
Access Point: Appalachian Motorcycle Adventure Tours
This week’s Access Point is Appalachian Motorcycle Adventure Tours, a guided motorcycle touring company based in Meadow Creek, West Virginia in the New River and Greenbrier Valley region. Founded by Lauren and Paul, the company runs curated routes across West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky, including loops through the New River Gorge, the Clay County 100 Creek Crossing Tour, and the Virginia National Forest Loop.
Learn more about: Partner Community Capital / Angelo’s Sausage / Appalachian Motorcycle Adventure Tours
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