About Us

The Story of DownHome Loan Manager » the Software

DownHome Loan Manager (DLM) is a loan-tracking software tool designed expressly for community lenders.  Originally developed in 1995 for a community lending agency in Washington State, DLM reflects in every particular our commitment to serving the needs of alternative financing practitioners.

Since DLM's introduction, its core features have been progressively enhanced to keep pace with the growing demands of the field and of our users.  In addition, we have developed add-on modules that address highly specialized needs, e.g., reporting directly to the CDFI, to credit bureaus, to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and to Telework and AFP for our assistive technology clients.  Click here to see the full list of add-on modules.

The Story of DownHome Solutions » the Company

DownHome Solutions was founded in early 1998, building upon the success of DownHome Loan Manager©, its established core product. The mission of DownHome Solutions is to provide effective software tools and technical support for organizations engaged in community lending and development.

Who We Are » the Team

Erik Wogstad, President

Erik Wogstad, the developer of DownHome Loan Manager and founder of DownHome Solutions, has a background steeped in community organizing, non-profit management, fundraising, microlending, and database design and development. After many years as a community organizer in Chicago, he joined the Seattle office of CARE, the international relief organization, and subsequently spent five years working for a community lending agency that operated loan programs through the SBA, USDA, EDA, and private funding sources.

Erik was raised in Taiwan (with stints in Minneapolis and Chicago). His artistic bent finds expression in his dabbling with black-and-white photography and in his illustrator son. He holds a B.A. from St. Olaf College in Religious Studies and an M.A. from the University of Chicago in History of Religions.

Marjorie Skotheim, Vice President

Marjorie brings to DownHome extensive experience in the fields of communications and public affairs, campaign organizing, and non-profit management. Following a decade in the political trenches of Chicago and Washington, D.C., she relocated to the Pacific Northwest and now handles management and communications needs for DownHome. The bulk of her volunteer time has gone to Seattle’s public schools and education-related efforts.

Marjorie had an itinerant upbringing in Seattle, Detroit, Los Angeles, Boulder, Colorado, and upstate New York. She has a B.A. in English from Grinnell College.

Beth Clemetson, Director of Technical Support Services

Beth has been DownHome’s chief provider of technical support services since 2004. Wearing myriad professional hats before joining DownHome (ranging from forestry management to accounting), her abiding personal interest throughout has been music. She sings in an international folk chorus, plays guitar in an old-time string band, and devotes many a weekend to musical performances, retreats, and workshops. Social and civic activism also claim a portion of her free time; she has worked with battered women, taught ESL, run a tutoring program for Seattle Public Schools, and for 15 years was a child advocate in Seattle’s court system.

A Minneapolis area native, Beth has been a resident of western Washington since high school. She supplemented her B.S. in Forest Biology from the University of Washington with an associate’s degree in Accounting.

Shauna Haines, Lead Developer

Bio coming soon

Mark Wieder, Developer

Bio coming soon

Vanessa Ihnot, Intern

Vanessa is a senior at Western Washington University in Bellingham, where she is pursuing a major in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Studies. Her strong academic record, special interest in microfinance, and great personal charm won her placement as DownHome’s 2010 summer intern. She is conducting market research and helping with product testing, in addition to keeping the rest of us on our toes.

At WWU, Vanessa reactivated the campus Political Science Association and serves as its chair. She hopes one day to do international humanitarian work improving the lives of women.

In her not-so-copious free time, Vanessa likes to read and hike and hang out with her best friends: her two sisters (one her identical twin) and a 16-year-old tabby cat named Cally.
 

Our Commitment to You » the Customer

DownHome Solutions is dedicated to providing the best possible software solutions at a reasonable cost for our not-for-profit customers. We are firm believers in the importance of your work and will do our utmost to keep your loyalty and trust -- by continuing to give you the attention and service you have come to expect from us.

DownHome Solutions offers full support for its software through a standard technical support contract that covers technical support on demand and automatic software upgrades as they are released. To meet the special needs of our customers, we also offer custom program design services to augment or modify DownHome Loan Manager© components. Custom work is quoted on a project-by-project basis.