Press Releases

Bellevue, Wash. (DATE) – During a 1998 humanitarian trip to Guatemala, Roger Varner of Hocking Hills, Ohio, collapsed alone on a jungle tour. After being found by locals, he was flown semi-conscious to Guatemala City, where he underwent emergency surgery to save his life. His near-death experience forced Varner to reexamine his life and to seriously pursue a dream that had been brewing for many years.

Before his life-changing experience, Varner had been traveling over the course of several years to Guatemala and other Central and South American countries to support numerous hands-on humanitarian projects. During some of his visits, Varner worked with coffee bean farmers to help bring new wealth and jobs into impoverished communities.

“I was working in the villages where the farmers were picking and roasting the beans, and I got to really connect [with them],” he says. “Coffee is directly connected to the people who grow it and, since my passion is working with people in underdeveloped countries, I thought it would be wonderful if I could someday have a business that opened a pathway to visiting these countries and connecting with the companies that are growing these beans.”

A few years and one near-death experience later, Varner had quit his job as an associate director at SBC (later AT&T) and opened Hocking Hills Roasters, a coffee roasting business situated in the foothills of the Appalachians. Hocking Hills Roasters is the enterprise that now allows him to merge his love for coffee and his humanitarian efforts in Central and South America.

Varner’s dream was nearly derailed when his quest for funding left him well short of the necessary capital for his venture. Fortunately, he came across a financing option that enabled him to breathe life into his business blueprint and avoid scaling back his vision. This option also allowed him to access capital he already had instead of incurring additional debt-type financing.

“It was kind of a fluke that I uncovered this information about Guidant Financial Group,” he says of the company that helped him secure business capital. Guidant specializes in facilitating business purchases using IRA and 401(k) funds without incurring taxes or penalties. “It was fortunate for me, since I had no other way to finance my original concept.”

By using retirement funds to finance his business, Varner, 44, reports he has more of a vested interest in his company’s success. Additionally, since his new 401(k) now owns shares in his business, his retirement funds will grow in value as the business grows. Varner says he “couldn’t be happier” with the investment he’s made.

Varner recently celebrated Hocking Hills Roasters’ one-year anniversary, and he has plans for future humanitarian and business trips back to South and Central America. ”Many of the people who come into my store express envy of my current situation,” he states. “I ask them, ‘What are you doing today to work toward your goal? If you have a dream, you have to work at it now.’”