Mark Jewell - Albion Park Cakes & Pies

"IMB is much more than just a financial institution. They listened to what I wanted to achieve and then made sure it happened. They are a part of my team and I think Craig was just as excited as I was when I started work in January.” – Mark Jewell

There’s nothing quite like keeping it in the family and Mark Jewell, the owner of Albion Park Cakes and Pies, has uncles, cousins and his wife sharing the workload at his very successful small business.

And the family connection goes back further than that. The bakery has been in his mother’s family for many years, with his nanna and grandad, Nella and John Hol, starting the business and his mother, Maree, managing it for 15 years.

Now, it is Mark’s turn at the helm and, with the help of IMB Business Banking, he has swapped 19 years at Bluescope Shipping working on the wharves at Port Kembla for 1am mornings, huge mixers and loads of flour and sugar.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without IMB. They helped me every step of the way with my home loan refinance and, when I turned up on the doorstep again looking for help to buy the bakery, the business banking team made it all happen,” Mark said.

Born and educated in the local area, Mark was a full-time cyclist between 1991 and 1995, competing in the NSW and National cycling teams, a sport he loves. He got back in the saddle more recently, winning a Masters World Championship Gold Medal in the 40-45 age group in 2013.

When he returned home from the Masters Games and a family holiday to the USA with an overcharged credit card, he visited Craig Franklin, IMB Bank’s Dapto manager, to see if he could refinance his home loan with IMB. He did and, in 2015, when his mother’s family decided to sell the business, he went to IMB Business Banking to help him with his career change.

“IMB is much more than just a financial institution. They listened to what I wanted to achieve and then made sure it happened. They are a part of my team and I think Craig was just as excited as I was when I started work in January,” Mark said.

Not only did IMB Business Banking help him buy the business, he also bought the entire building on the Princes Highway – comprising of the bakery, two commercial leased properties and two upstairs residential properties.

Through his business-is-personal relationship with IMB Business Banking, Mark has built on his property portfolio, refinanced his home loan, and continued a family and community tradition.

_{1. New lending only. Not available for refinancing of existing IMB loans. Lending criteria, terms and conditions, fees and charges apply. Fixed rates may vary on settlement. Fixed rates convert to variable rates. Security over residential and commercial property required. IMB Ltd. trading as IMB Bank. ABN 92 087 651 974. AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 237 391.}