History

Community Enterprise Investments, Incorporated (CEII), is a non-profit Community Development Corporation (CDC) located in Pensacola, Florida. First incorporated in 1974 as People Organized for Community Development (POCD), CEII is one of the original CDC’s funded by the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity’s “War on Poverty” in the late 1970s. In 1980, POCD became Community Equity Investments, Incorporated (CEII). In 2003, we changed our name to Community Enterprise Investments, Inc., to better reflect our primary mission – that of investing in small-businesses and housing enterprises. With over forty-five (45) years of operation, CEII has amassed an outstanding record of achievement. In addition to being a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO), CEII has also been designated as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), and a Certified Development Entity (CDE), by the U.S. Treasury Department.

CEII provides small business lending throughout North West Florida and Alabama. Our primary mission is to create and develop opportunities among low and moderate-income residents with housing and business ownership. Since 1982, CEII has developed single family homes and manages multifamily housing throughout Northwest Florida, while helping thousands of entrepreneurs to realize their dream of business ownership, lending over 20 million to small and micro business (9 million in SBA Micro loans) throughout North Florida and Alabama.