This July, we bid farewell and happy retirement to our dear friend and founder, Salam, Salam Nalia was the Chief Executive Officer of Access Plus Capital and the Chief Financial Officer of our parent organization, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (Fresno EOC). He founded Access Plus Capital, then Fresno CDFI, in 2008 and under his leadership, Fresno CDFI grew from an institution with $500,000 in lending capital to one with over $17 million in revolving loan funds. Mr. Nalia has secured over $9 million from microloan programs operated by the SBA, U.S. Treasury, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2008, he was also able to obtain $1 million in revolving loan fund capital from the SBA as one of 20 Intermediary Lending Pilot Program participants nationwide.
Throughout his career he has come to be regarded for his skillful leadership, development and management of financial systems, guiding numerous boards with his strategic financial acumen. He is also an innovator, having founded Fresno CDFI, and lead the effort to bring Self Help Federal Credit Union to Fresno. Internationally, he has served as a Country Head of Finance for American Express and served as Romania’s Honorary Consul General.
We’ll all miss Salam greatly, but his contribution to Access Plus Capital and the communities we serve will not go unnoticed. During his Virtual Farewell, he received a number of certificates for local, state, and federal elected officials and the Fresno Mayor and City Council declared Thursday, July 2, 2020, as Salam Nalia Day.
If you’d like to watch the replay of Salam’s Facebook Live retirement party click here!