Sergeant Built Woodwork Wins Grant from Lender

Seattle, WA—Nav, an online lender for small businesses, awarded one of its annual small business grants to Sergeant Built LLC, a full-service woodworking, cabinetry, and carpentry firm located in Seattle, WA.

Joel McCoy founded Sergeant Built in March 2020 to fulfill his dream of becoming a successful businessman. Sergeant Built does custom woodwork with a focus on high-end carpentry, fine finishes, and exotic woods. Projects range from standard remodel work (interior trim, siding, decks, and finishes), to custom speaker boxes and durable marine cabinetry.

Its team has a range of carpentry and remodel experience. McCoy is a graduate of the Krenov School of Fine Woodworking and has focused his career on high-end woodworking products. Operating a full service shop, Sergeant Built regularly works with some of the best finishers in the state.

Since retiring from the military in 2006, McCoy has followed his passion for woodworking and sourcing exotic wood products. For 10 years he ran his own fine furniture and cabinetry business in California. He worked as a lead custom builder for a number of design groups and firms specializing in luxury free-standing staircases and fine furniture.

McCoy is a national award-winning craftsman, who has worked closely with the Humboldt County Woodworking Society as a member of the board of directors. He was chosen by his peers to jury fine furniture exhibitions, and teach fine woodworking seminars. Jonathan Brighton is the CFO of Sergeant Built LLC, handling bids, invoices, accounting, and contracts. McCoy works from supplied blueprints or his draftsman create professional CAD models of the design.

“One of my passions as a woodworker is in sourcing fine native materials,” McCoy says. “I have spent an extensive amount of time sourcing, milling, and drying my own redwood slabs. In the future I am working toward having my own milling and drying operation to source the very best native woods directly from logging operations.”

With the Nav grant of $5,000, McCoy says he plans to buy an enclosed trailer for his deliveries and installations.

“Seattle is a rainy city, so having a mobile and dry storage space for projects and tools will be a significant help for my business,” says McCoy. “Renting box trucks or trailers takes time away and adds pressure to my timelines, so by owning my own trailer, I will be able to store and deliver projects while also increasing my marketing and branding by wrapping the trailer with my business logo and details.”

Nav created the Nav Small Business Grant in 2018 to raise awareness about the obstacles small business owners and entrepreneurs experience when building and maintaining their businesses. As of June 2021, Nav has awarded $155,500 to small businesses across the country. In the last round of grant winners, Nav provided a $10,000 grand prize to Upcycle Hawaii LLC, a brand and manufacturer focused on creating quality products with reclaimed and repurposed materials.

“The Nav grant was created to help small businesses grow,” says Greg Ott, Nav CEO. “When people think of small businesses, most usually picture a local restaurant in their neighborhood or a small storefront on a corner, but small businesses can truly be anything and it’s inspiring to see the passion every small business owner has.” Nav, a Business Financial Management app, uses real business data to match small businesses with loans and credit cards. Nav’s intelligent business financing solution powers insights and opportunities for daily financial decisions to fuel business success. Nav’s solution is also leveraged by other business service providers to enhance their customer experience. The next round of Nav’s Small Business Grants are open now and will close on August 6, 2021. Nav.com

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