Meet Justin Grimes
Business owner. Operator. Founder of Heritage Factoring.
I've spent most of my career building and operating businesses. Heritage Factoring came from experiencing firsthand one of the most frustrating realities of growing a company: you can have good customers, profitable work and plenty of opportunity — and still have your cash tied up waiting to get paid.
Sometimes the problem isn't profitability. It's timing.
I'm a business owner first. Factoring came later.
I've spent most of my career building and operating businesses — dealing with customers, payroll, vendors, banks, equipment, employees, growth, and all of the other things that come with owning a company.
That experience is a big part of why I built Heritage Factoring. I understand what it feels like to have a profitable business, plenty of work in front of you, and still have cash tied up because a good customer takes 45, 60, or 90 days to pay.
Sometimes the problem isn't profitability. It's timing. And timing can put enormous pressure on an otherwise healthy business.
Why I Built Heritage
I've lived the cash-flow side of this myself. We once took on a project with an incredible margin, but the customer wanted 90-day terms while we had to front all of the labor, materials and equipment. The project was highly profitable, but we couldn't afford to take on more work like it simply because of the timing.
I also know what it's like to wake up at 1:00 a.m. knowing payroll is due Friday while three customers have had their "checks in the mail" for two weeks.
Those experiences are a big part of why I understand that a good business can still have a cash-flow problem. Sometimes you don't need more work or better margins — you just need the timing of your cash to catch up with the business you've already built.
You don't need more work or better margins — you just need the timing of your cash to catch up with the business you've already built.
I've Sat on the Other Side of the Table
My background is in building and operating businesses, primarily across construction, steel, technology and real estate. I've dealt with large projects, long payment cycles, retainage, mobilization costs, payroll, equipment, vendors, banks and the constant balancing act between pursuing growth and protecting cash.
So when a business owner tells me:
"I have the work. I just need the cash flow to keep up with it."
I understand exactly what they mean. That perspective influences how I approach every Heritage relationship.
A Few Things I've Built
I've always been drawn to building things — companies, projects, systems and places people actually use. My work outside Heritage has given me the opportunity to be involved in businesses and projects across construction, steel, technology, real estate and development.
Those experiences are a big part of the perspective I bring to Heritage.
SNAP Buildings
SNAP Buildings has given me the opportunity to work directly in the world of construction and steel — where projects are capital intensive, schedules matter, vendors and employees have to be paid, and customers don't always pay on the same timeline as the work.
That experience has influenced the way I think about working capital and ultimately helped shape the philosophy behind Heritage.
Lagoon Ranch RV Resort
I've also been involved in the ownership and development of Lagoon Ranch, a 40-acre destination RV and cabin resort on Lake Livingston. I led the development as the general contractor, taking the project from the ground up through construction of its commercial water and sewer systems, miles of concrete roads and site improvements, an approximately 8,000-square-foot resort pool, restaurant and bar, and the infrastructure required to support what is essentially a small city. Today, I remain an owner and have transitioned from building the project to overseeing its performance, working with the management company responsible for day-to-day resort operations. It has given me experience on both sides of a major development — deploying capital and managing construction to create the asset, and then operating it with a focus on performance and long-term value.
Growth usually requires spending money before the return arrives.
That reality is one of the reasons I understand the importance of dependable access to working capital.
Visit Lagoon RanchBusiness is important to me. But it isn't the most important thing.
I'm a husband and a dad to three boys. Like most business owners, a lot of what motivates me professionally ultimately comes back to my family — creating opportunities, building something lasting, and hopefully teaching my boys something about hard work, responsibility and entrepreneurship along the way.
My wife and I are building our life in Texas, and our three boys keep us plenty busy outside of work. Between business and raising a family, life moves pretty quickly around our house.
That perspective has also shaped the way I approach Heritage. When I'm sitting across the table from another business owner, I understand that I'm rarely just looking at a company.
There's usually a family behind it.
There are employees and their families depending on it. There are years of work invested in it. And there are plans for what that business could eventually become. I don't take that lightly.
I Look at Your Business Like an Owner
When you send financial information to Heritage, I'm not simply looking for reasons to approve or decline an account. I'm trying to understand your business.
- —Where is the opportunity?
- —Where could cash get tight?
- —Which customers are strong?
- —Where is there concentration risk?
- —What existing debt or liens could create problems?
And most importantly:
Does factoring actually make sense for what you're trying to accomplish?
That last question matters to me. If I determine that Heritage isn't a good fit for a company, I'll say so. I'd much rather identify a problem during underwriting than discover it after we've entered into a relationship.
The same underwriting that protects Heritage should also help protect our clients from building their businesses around receivables or customers that may carry more risk than they realize.
It is much easier to identify a problem before we start than to unravel one after we're financially connected.
What You Can Expect From Me
I'm fairly straightforward. I'll tell you what I think. I'll ask questions about your business. I'll try to identify obstacles early. And I won't try to force factoring into a situation where it doesn't belong.
If we move forward together, my goal is to understand enough about your company that Heritage can become a dependable source of working capital as the business grows.
For some clients, that may mean occasionally factoring a few invoices. For others, it may eventually mean financing millions of dollars of receivables. Either is perfectly fine.
The facility should serve the business — not the other way around.
Why Relationships Matter to Me
I want Heritage to grow into a significant business, but I don't want it to become an impersonal one. I'd rather know the owners we're funding, understand what they're building, and be someone they can actually call when something changes.
That also means being willing to have difficult conversations. If I see something during underwriting that concerns me, I'll tell you. If I don't think we're a good fit, I'll tell you that too. Because once we enter into a factoring relationship, we're financially connected to one another.
I'd rather build that relationship on trust from the beginning.
A Look Behind the Scenes
Heritage is intentionally personal, but it isn't a one-person operation.
Behind every relationship is a team of experienced professionals supporting the underwriting, compliance, funding, technology and day-to-day management that make the business work.
And what you see here is only part of it. Each of these leaders has people working alongside and underneath them who help support Heritage and our customers every day.
Debra
Compliance
Helps ensure our facilities, documentation and processes are structured properly and that we stay disciplined as we grow.
Magdalena
Underwriting
Leads the detailed review behind each opportunity — helping us understand the business, its customers, credit exposure and the risks we need to identify before entering a relationship.
Brandy
Active Account Management
Once a facility is operating, Brandy helps manage the day-to-day relationship — keeping invoices, funding, collections and account activity moving.
Tina
Controller
Supports the financial controls, accounting and reporting behind the operation.
Cole
Finance & Capital Markets
Works on the capital side of the business, helping ensure Heritage has the financial resources and relationships necessary to support our customers as they grow.
Matt
Technology
Supports the technology and systems behind Heritage — helping us build a better experience for our customers while giving our team the information and tools needed to operate effectively.
Carson
Business Development
Works with prospective customers and relationships as they begin exploring whether Heritage and factoring are the right fit for their business.
More Than the Names You See
These seven people represent the leadership you may interact with, but they aren't the entire operation.
Behind them are additional professionals supporting underwriting, administration, account management, compliance, technology, funding and other daily activities.
The goal is to give our customers the best of both worlds: a relationship that still feels personal, backed by the people, systems and capital infrastructure necessary to support a growing business.
If You're Considering Heritage
You don't need to have everything figured out before we talk. Tell me where the business is today, where you're trying to take it, and what's getting in the way.
We'll work through the numbers and determine whether Heritage makes sense. And if it doesn't, I'll tell you that too.
Work with good people.
Do what you say you're going to do.
Build something worth keeping.
Justin Grimes
Founder · Heritage Factoring