Scott Dewald delivered his pitch about REI Oklahoma to local chamber members last week.

Then he delivered some hops.

Dewald was the guest speaker last Wednesday at the BizConnect luncheon, a service of the Kingfisher Chamber of Commerce.

He spoke to about three dozen guests at the Scissortail Crossing Events Venue.

Formerly of Dover, Dewald was lured to Durant and began working with REI Oklahoma about eight years ago. He is the mission-based non-profit’s president and CEO.

“It was an opportunity to do economic development in a whole different way,” Dewald said.

Simply put, REI Oklahoma began as a basic business financing organization. While it still serves that role, it’s grown into much more and is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive economic development organizations in the state, if not the nation.

Dewald told the local group of REI’s mission: “REI Oklahoma expands economic opportunities for Oklahomans by providing flexible financing and development services to individuals, businesses and entrepreneurs with limited access to resources.”

While REI works with lending institutions, Dewald said, “you come to us if you can’t get a loan from a local bank.”

He said REI takes on “riskier loans” for things like food trucks, hotels, USDA lending and much more.

“We have loans that range from $5,000 to $20 million,” he said.

REI offers a number of different resources and programs including, but not limited to:

• Down payment assistance • A women’s business center

• Business lending

• A minority business center REI also features a New Markets Tax Credit program that has enhanced its ability to spur lending by leveraging private investment funds.

Since 2002, that has at- tracted more than $1.3 billion in investments in the state.

Dewald doesn’t just work to bolster small business…. he owns one.

Dewald and his family own Lost Street Brewing Co., a craft brewery.

He said it started one Christmas when the family got its first craft beer kit.

It’s grown from that holiday idea all the way into repurposing a downtown building in Durant to house the operation.

The brewery offers a number of rotating smallbatch brews in a number of flavors and styles.

Dewald brought some selections to the meeting and offered members small samples of five different beers served at the brewery.

The chamber’s next Biz-Connect luncheon is set for June 14.

It’s next major event is April 8 when it hosts the annual Easter egg hunt.