Woman-Owned Podiatry Practice Receives PPP Loan and Grant Dollars From BBIF

BBIF Client Spotlight: Total Foot Care & Wellness Center

Total Foot Care & Wellness Clinic is a black-owned, multi-physician podiatry practice, owned and operated by Dr. Candice Kennedy. Based in Jacksonville, Florida,  the clinic specializes in care and treatment for the 40+ senior community.

Dr. Kennedy’s passion for entrepreneurship began in medical school. Her fellowships provided her with the opportunity to shadow other Black physicians’ practices. This early exposure, along with a family legacy of medicine, fueled Dr. Kennedy’s desire to one day open her own practice.

Dr. Kennedy finished her fellowship in California and joined a podiatry practice in Jacksonville. After three months, she realized her professional values did not align with the business’s leadership. She decided to launch her own practice with the support of her husband. Over the past six years, Dr. Kennedy has provided podiatry services to her local community. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, Total Foot Care & Wellness experienced a large spike in their expenses. There was an unprecedented increase in the cost of personal protection equipment (PPE). A box of gloves was no longer $6, but closer to $16! This had a detrimental impact on their budget. With costs rising, Dr. Kennedy and Mr. Kennedy began to fear staff layoffs and the inability to make payroll. To prevent the loss of her talented staff, she applied to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through their primary financial institution. Mr. Kennedy describes his entire experience with this institution as horrible. He completed all the necessary steps for the application, yet he received no communication back. When the initial rollout of PPP closed, Total Foot Care & Wellness was unable to secure funds from his traditional institution.

That’s when Mr. Kennedy was able to connect with a BBIF team member at a local event in Jacksonville. After receiving no financial support, Mr. Kennedy formed a relationship with Black Business Investment Fund (BBIF).

Throughout the Kennedy’s entire experience with BBIF, communication was clear and frequent. The Kennedys were able to receive consistent updates from BBIF’s loan team as they walked through the process. With the help of BBIF,  Total Foot Care & Wellness not only obtained a much-needed PPP loan but also received grant funding to support their payroll obligation. In the end, they were able to retain all 15 employees while still meeting protection equipment needs. BBIF continues to support Total Foot Care & Wellness by providing FREE Business Managerial Consulting services.