Helping Elevate a Local Business

When Mattie Jordan-Woods started Relative Care LLC more than two decades ago, her goal was simple, to help the people of Kalamazoo turn ideas for affordable housing and small businesses into reality. 

As a long-time community advocate with experience as the former Executive Director of the Northside Association for Community Development (NACD), she knows the challenges that small-scale developers and aspiring entrepreneurs face. That’s where Mercantile Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBI) come in.
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve helped Mattie secure an Elevate Small Business Grant from FHLBI. The $20,000 grant will transform a space on her property into a dedicated office, giving Relative Care LLC the room it needs to: 

• Offer in-person consultations
• Host workshops
• Further invest in an already stable property and enhance the business's ability to drive long-term change. 

Offering more services will make a measurable impact on Kalamazoo’s North Side, providing the much-needed support for local economic empowerment.  

This is what community development looks like to us, one business, one neighborhood, one opportunity at a time. Sonali Allen, our Chief Compliance & Community Development Officer, said it best, “Investing in leaders like Mattie creates ripple effects. It strengthens affordable housing efforts, supports entrepreneurship, and builds a more inclusive economy.”