“If we hadn’t learned about Pursuit and the SBA 504 loan, I don’t think we could have built One Dream’s new venue into everything we envisioned,” says Sandeep (Sunny) Singh. Along with his business partners, Ranjeet Singh and Jaswinder Singh, they now have a sparkling new location for their latest concept business: A combination gas station, convenience market, and fast-casual takeout restaurant where all their offerings are made fresh from scratch.
Here’s how an SBA 504 loan from Pursuit helped them achieve their goal – one that they can’t imagine would have happened with any other loan or any other lender.
One Dream: A new location puts a goal within reach
Sunny and his partners had a long history of business ownership between them, including an Indian restaurant that they operated in Manhattan for nearly a decade, as well as several other One Dream locations throughout New York State.
“When we decided to close the restaurant and relocate upstate, our business plan for One Dream included purchasing existing combination gas stations and convenience stores,” Sunny says. Their ultimate goal, though, was to open a fast-and-fresh takeout restaurant along with their other offerings – but none of the existing locations suited their vision, as well as the market location they needed.
“We worked with a commercial real estate broker, Bill Fitzgerald, who found the Latham location, which was just land,” Sunny explains about the site at 616 Columbia Street Ext. in Latham, NY. “We purchased it knowing that we eventually wanted to make it our flagship One Dream location, complete with a commercial kitchen where we’d offer the freshest and most delicious traditional café and takeout foods, like pizzas and tacos and quesadillas, but combined with Indian ingredients and flavors, making something really special for our customers.”
Financing their dream
Sunny says that planning for the Latham location – which required ground-up construction – began just before the pandemic. “It took about five or six years to really move forward with the project. We had always self-financed our other businesses, but we realized that this was going to take significantly more, so we needed a lender who could offer good terms.”
“The SBA 504 loan program and Pursuit were recommended to us by another business associate, Vin Saini, and that was everything we needed. We didn’t have to look any further because we trusted his recommendation,” Sunny says.
How the SBA 504 program and Pursuit helped
SBA 504 loans are an excellent option for owners who want to purchase, renovate, or construct commercial property for their businesses. They’re made in partnership between business owners, a bank, and an SBA-approved lender, like Pursuit. The benefits include a much lower down payment than conventional commercial mortgages, funding up to $5.5 million for the SBA portion, and a 25-year term for most SBA 504 projects with a fixed interest rate for the life of the loan.
The One Dream team worked with Pursuit Loan Officers Ross Pancoe and Jonathan Dare on the project. Summit Federal Credit Union partnered on the deal. One Dream’s existing brand recognition paid off, too.
“Our Pursuit loan officers were familiar with our other locations and had great experiences there,” Sunny says. “That helped to add confidence to the overall project because they understood our vision and knew our work ethic and high standards.”
Jon adds, “Sunny and his partners had experience owning several smaller gas stations in the Capital Region and this was their opportunity to take the next step with a state-of-the-art gas station and convenience store. Having grown up near the property, I knew it had excellent visibility and high traffic, and it was the perfect location for their project.”
Given the varied uses, the permitting process took a long time, which isn’t unusual for such complex projects. “Ross and Jon were amazing throughout the process,” Sunny adds. “Despite the delays and challenges, they continued to move forward and here we are!”
Finally, with the architects’ plans, financing in place, and a contractor lined up, One Dream’s dream project got underway and was completed in late 2025.
“When their real estate broker, Vin Saini, and his clients approached me about this project,” Ross says, “I knew it wouldn’t be easy. It involved a projection-based, special-use property loan with a significant price tag. However, the SBA 504 program can often stretch funding further than conventional financing, making it the right tool for the job.”
He continues, saying, “It was also clear from the start that they were fully committed to making the project a reality. Their determination never wavered, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see another client achieve their vision and fulfill their dream.”
Round-the-clock fresh food and more
“We spent a lot of time with our architect researching other venues and operations so that we’d know exactly what we wanted with this One Dream location,” Sunny says. That includes a full commercial kitchen, along with a gleaming new convenience store and gas station. For customer convenience, there’s a kiosk to make ordering food simple and quick and to get fresh food from scratch.
“In our industry, convenience is everything, along with great food. We develop the recipes ourselves and have a professional chef who curates our offerings. And the response has been amazing, with lots of influencers posting videos that are going viral.”
One Dream’s Latham location opened in December 2025, with the kitchen following soon after. With a goal of growing “as big as possible,” as Sunny says, the One Dream team hopes to replicate this business model in other locations within the region and well beyond.
Pursuit makes small business dreams a reality
“This One Dream location hasn’t just fulfilled our vision of what it could be – our customers love it, too,” Sunny says. “That’s so important to what we want to build with our brand – and the SBA 504 loan and Pursuit helped to make it possible. We definitely recommend both!”
Pursuit is a leading small business lender serving businesses across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois, and Delaware. We offer loans and a line of credit for working capital, commercial real estate, equipment, and much more.
We’ve helped thousands of small business owners get the funding they need to achieve their goals, and we can help you, too.
