We’re closing in on one of the most popular times of year to propose. But for business owner Jeffrey Hapeman, the words “I do” most recently committed him to an SBA 504 loan that allowed him to purchase a 6,902 square-foot office building for his team of 17 jewelers, designers, marketers and managers.
Jeff’s career journey started off in an unlikely place: He holds a master’s degree in Evolutionary Biology, which he earned shortly after exiting his PhD program to found a regional information technology consulting firm in the early 2000s. After six years of rapid growth, he merged with a large national accounting firm where he served as Chief Technology Officer and spent another five years as the CTO of a global finance technology firm. But entrepreneurships and gemstones were calling him.
As a child, Jeff was fascinated by geology and mineralogy and finally decided to pursue his passion in 2012 by joining a California mining crew, earning his MSHA certification as an underground hard rock miner— learning to facet gems shortly after. Today, he is the founder of Earth’s Treasury, Inc. a 100% e-commerce colored gemstone and jewelry retailer.
But where to create such beautiful jewelry? 730 Springdale Drive in Exton, Chester County, PA turned out to be the perfect setting (pun intended) after Earth’s Treasury outgrew its first space purchased with another SBA 504 loan back in 2021. Jeff’s new commercial office building on a one-acre lot has convenient access to major transportation routes 30, 202, 322, 100 and the PA Turnpike. Partnering with Univest and Seedcopa, Jeff was able to secure a below-market interest rate on the property, allowing him to support current and future growth, as well as hire additional employees and have more space for storage and jewelry fabrication.
“As a 100% owner, I carry all the risk. That means making smart decisions about current financing and future investment at every turn,” Jeff says. “The SBA 504 loan allowed me to secure a below-market, fixed interest rate that provides stability in an industry that’s prone to volatility. It was a no brainer.”
Earth’s Treasury provides a wide selection of ethically sourced natural gemstones, which are faceted and sold as individual gemstones or set in made-to-order jewelry hand-crafted by an in-house team of jewelers. While the business specializes in responsibly mined Montana sapphires, they also offer sapphires from other regions, as well as a variety of other gemstones, including garnets, emeralds, rubies, spinel, tanzanite and tourmaline.
Today, sales are based mainly in the United States, with additional sales in Canada and 15 other countries, including those in the EU and the UK, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and China. And as marriage proposal season ramps up, Earth’s Treasury is ready.
“For the team here at Seedcopa, it has been particularly rewarding to not only support the growth of such a promising business, but to see it expand using local talent who are fully trained in the Philadelphia area and invested in the growth of our local economy,” said Seedcopa Senior Vice President, Relationship Manager Marie Shires. “As Jeff said, it’s a no brainer.”
Photos courtesy Earth's Treasury
