Financing to Take Mahkahta Trucking to the Next Level

Shelly Holmes is the owner of Mahkahta Consulting and Development Corporation dba Mahkahta Trucking, Mahkahta Properties, and Lotus Corporation. Her initial success came from starting and growing Mahkahta Consulting and Development Corporation dba Mahkahta Trucking – A women owned and DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) certified business for highway heavy road construction. Mahkahta Trucking grew dramatically due to Shelly’s outstanding service and DBE certifications. 

After a few years of growth Shelly struggled to access the financing needed to take her business to the next level. The Entrepreneur Fund was able to help Mahkahta Trucking accessing financing that allowed her to purchase more equipment enabling her to bid on larger contacts. “Without the Entrepreneur Fund, I would be back with six, seven employees and seven trucks, maybe eight, if I was lucky. I would’ve been doing the same thing and would’ve just been happy with that profit. When they came into the picture, I was able to make four times what I was making.”

Since, Mahkahta Trucking has been awarded multiple new contracts with work stretching out as far as 2025. Currently she is under contract with Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, Carlton County, City of Duluth (Lakewalk storm reconstruction), four state projects and a St. Louis County project. Shelly has grown her business exponentially and has created 25 quality jobs. She continues to bring leadership to the region and wants to see the Iron Range succeed.