ANNUAL REPORT 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

4 Table of Contents
5 From Our CEO
6 From Our Founder
7 Who We Are
8 Five Years of Forza
10 Expanding Our Reach
11 Recent News
12 Our Clients
13 Industries Served
14 Our Donors
15 Community Partners
16 Board of Directors
17 Forza Staff 2014
18 Quick Facts
19 Financials

Being a part of the Forza team for three years now has really
opened my eyes to how far weve come - as a staff, as an
organization, and in the way we are making an impact in
the Alabama community. If you told me three years ago as
a social media intern if I would be standing in the shoes
of Forza CEO, I wouldnt have believed you. But having
this opportunity has been one of the most rewarding and
humbling experiences of my college career.
Forza has seen many great leaders come before me. From
our founder David Bailey, to Tyler Evans, to our most recent
CEO Katherine McLarney. When I took over Katherines
place this January, I knew this would be no easy challenge.
Working alongside a great team of Chief Officers as well as a
tremendous staff, Ive been inspired and encouraged by the
great minds that make up our company every day.
As we move forward, I know that there are great things ahead
for Forza. With the intern class of Fall 2015, I am confident
in the abilities and drive of the new leadership team that is
soon to come. We will continue to strengthen our ties in the
community, work towards helping entrepreneurs reach the
goals theyve always been dreaming of, and seek to leave
Forza in a better place than when we entered it.
I am proud to present to you the Forza Financial 2015 Annual
Report. Our team has worked hard to get to where we are
Written by our CEO, today. I cant wait to come back a few years from now and
Jordan Tucker see what other milestones we have reached. Thank you for
your continued support of our organization and for helping
us build a better Alabama, one small business at a time.

FROM OUR CEO

OUR CHIEF OFFICERS

Erica Boden | Chief Operations Officer

Forza has taught me the importance of being a student while
running a business. It has been a pinnacle of balance, creativity,
and efficiency all in one. Forza has provided me with invaluable
relationships, unmatched experience, and the ability to make a
tangible impact within a community at such a young age.

Caroline Morrison | Chief Investments Officer

The summer after my freshmen year I spent a month living in
Marion, Alabama learning about the culture and challenges
of running small businesses in the area. I had the opportunity to
build relationships with several small business owners
and to write two loans to local entrepreneurs.
Meghan Dorn | Chief Communications Officer
Forza means strength from within, and you really see that across
all of our stakeholdersfrom our employees and supporters
to our clients. When so many people from different walks of life come
together for a common goal, its hard to miss the Forza communitys
passion for success.
Branson Horn | Chief Finance Officer
I chose to work for Forza because I wanted to impact the greater
Tuscaloosa community in a meaningful way. I also wanted to
serve in a manner that aligned with my academic and professional
interests. Forza fit these descriptors perfectly and had wonderful
individuals to work alongside, which was an exceptional bonus.
Peyton Hicks | Chief Academic Officer
The main thing that sets Forza apart is our ability to make a real,
life-changing impact on local entrepreneurs.When we give someone
a loan or provide them with coaching, we are changing the way they
live their lives, and thats something that I find incredibly inspiring
about working for Forza.

Building a better Alabama, one small business at a time.

Since our first loan in April 2012,

Forza has continued to
promote community growth
and the economic development
of small businesses in Alabama.
Because of our microfinance
lending model, these local
businesses with little to
no accessto funding are
able to grow and expand.
We also offer educational support
to encourage financial literacy
among our clients and throughout
the community. These workshops
and business coaching sessions
make us unique.
As Forza continues to grow, we
hope to see more strong businesses
lead to strong leaders and an even
stronger community.

WHO WE ARE

FORZA THROUGH THE YEARS

March 2012
Our First Client
September 2010
Forza is founded!
We receive funding to
start our organization.
Our first advisor was

January 2011
First Class
The staff gathers for
the first time to discuss
company strategies.

April 2011
Website Launch
ForzaFinancial.com
goes live. Our customers
can access information
about our services
more easily.

Just 6 months after our

inception, Katrina
applies for a loan for
his small business.

April 2012
Our First Loan
6 weeks later, Katrina is
approved for a loan to help
rebuild her beauty salon
that was destroyed by the
2011 tornado.

September 2012
Internship Program
Forza increases the rigor
of selecting employees for
our organization.
All full-time staff members
are now required to first
complete a semester-long
internship.

October 2011
Forza joins Lend for America
This opens up opportunities
to network with and learn
from other campus MFIs.

December 2012
Business Plan Competition
Forza wins the UA Business
Plan Competition. The prize is a
new centralized office space in
Downtown Tuscaloosa.

June 2014
Summer in Marion
Two Forza employees
spend their summer
in Marion, AL
writing two loans and
helping expand Forzas
geographical reach.

April 2013
First Workshop
The Academics
Department hosts its
first event, focused on
teaching clients about
guerilla marketing tactics.

June 2014
Successful Coaching

December 2013
First Coaching Session
Forzas Academic
department introduces this
new service to one of our
clients.

Our Business Coaches

have a successful
summer when one of
their sessions helps on
of our clients write a
$10,000 contract.

August 2013
Banking on Youth Grant
Forza employee, Bethany
Carter (pictured), applies for
this nationwide grant and wins
$10000 dollars to contribute to
our loan capital.

May 2014
Awarded 501 (c) 3 Status

After years of hard work, Forza

finally achieves 501 (c) 3 status.
We cant wait to see how this
will help us grow in the future!

September 2015
Gameday Ad
Forza receives its first print ad
placement in a local publication.
The Gameday Magazine is
published every weekend of a
Crimson Tide Home game.

August 2015
Full Staff Meetings
Forza begins to host bi-weekly
staff meetings. Employees hear
company updates and
collaborate across departments
for various projects.

WORKSHOPS

Dr. Rachel Frazier

Research Engineer at the
University of Alabama
Three Things You Need to
Know about Starting a Business
Gorman Houston
Marketing and Management Instructor
at the University of Alabama
Marketing for Entrepreneurs
Lou Marino
Professor of Entrepreneurship &
Strategy at University of Alabama
Low Cost Marketing
Susan Fant
President of Castle Sands LLC
Social Media Marketing

Lexi Lowe
Sales Program Director of Collaborative
Learning at the University of Alabama
Increasing Sales
Nathan Chilcutt
Vice President of New Home Building
Stores, Tuscaloosa, AL
Improving Efficiency

CLASSES
Forza previously hosted weekly classes that allowed our
volunteer employees to earn course credit in exchange for
their hard work.
This year, Forza has opted to change the class format to
bi-weekly staff meetings. This new structure has allowed
our company to meet the needs of our employees and
their busy schedules. At these meetings, chief officers
share departmental updates, and employees across the
companies collaborate on projects.
Forzas staff meetings have also brought about the
formation of our fundraising committee. This group of
dedicated employees is hosting events and reaching out
to potential donors. We want to grow our lending capital
in order to reach and assist more clients in the future.

GAMEDAY AD
This year, Forza had the opportunity to promote the
companys services in the Gameday Magazine. The publication
is run every Saturday of a Crimson Tide home game,
and it is offered for free at newstands around Tuscaloosa, AL.
These advertising efforts, combined with our continuous
social media campaigns, are aimed at potential clients
and local Tuscaloosa entrepreneurs. In the coming years,
we hope to build our client base and
build a better Alabama, one small business at a time.

IN RECENT NEWS

OUR CLIENTS

Our clients represent a wide variety of

businesses in the Alabama community.
Forza Financial is located in Tuscaloosa, but
is working to provide microfinace resources
throughout the state of Alabama.
Right now we are helping build small businesses
in the counties of Tuscaloosa, Jefferson and Perry.
With our partnership with the University of
Alabama Honors College initiative, 57 Miles, we
have been able to make a special impact in
Marion, Alabama after our staff spent a summer
there assessing the needs of the community.
As Forza grows, we hope to reach new regions of
the state that so that we can help build a better
Alabama.

Industries Served

Beauty Salon

Retail

Cleaning

Food Service

Day Care

Automotive

Entertainment

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Culverhouse College of Commerce

and Business Administration
The University of Alabama Business School housed our first ever
Forza office. They now sponsor The Edge, where our office is
currently located. Many of our workshop speakers are
Culverhouse instructors, and the college also helps fund
our annual trip to the Lend for America Summit.

The University of Alabama Honors College

One of our first offices was located in Nott Hall, home of the
Honors College. After outgrowing this space, the Honors
College continued to support us by housing our Forza Alabama
University Honors class. The Honors College also helps fund
Forzas trip to the Lend for America Summit.

Tuscaloosa Credit Union

TCU has supported us by helping us with
our operational expenses as well as
by sponsoring many of our small
business workshops. This partnership has
allowed us to reach more entrepreneurs
in the Tuscaloosa community.

Erica Boden
Chief Operations Officer

Jordan Tucker
Chief Executive Officer

Meghan Dorn
Chief Communications Officer

Caroline Morrison
Chief Investments Officer

Branson Horn
Chief Financial Officer

Peyton Hicks
Chief Academic Officer

Ashley Moorer
Communications

Harrison Martin
Communications

Katie Plott
Finance

Laura LePere
Finance

Jacqueline Yu
Communications

Chandler Flurry
Investments

John-Cole Garwick
Academics

Rachel Dodson
Finance

Maggie Dowling
Operations

Alessia Grijalva
Investments

John Deeble
Operations

Todd Creekmore
Academics

John Rasplicka
Investments

Chris Smith
Investments

Not pictured: Alexis Unger, Kelly Kohlman

FORZA STAFF 2015