Brock Blake has a very disciplined life. His family, health, early morning routines, and his faith are a few of his daily habits and what’s important to him. Over the past year his company, Lendio, has been thrust into the essential role of processing thousands of transactions for small business owners. In the first round of PPP loans, Lendio processed 115,000 loans worth $8 billion dollars.

When auto repair shop owner Michael Hannah requested a second Paycheck Protection Program loan from his longtime bank, BOK, earlier this month, he was met with the sounds of silence. “I’m on a waiting list. They haven’t gotten back to me. I haven’t even been able to apply,” said Hannah, owner of Hannah’s Mastertek in Aurora.

I write about small business, and even though small businesses generate half of the country’s GDP and employ half of its workers, there's another half to what was a very difficult 2020: the amazing contributions made by big business.