Community hero Dan 'The Sausageman' House receives $20,000 grant

He might be Washington State’s 2018 Small Business Owner of the Year, but locally he’s known simply as Dan “The Sausageman,” after his eponymous business that has been a fixture of the Burien, community since it opened in 1988, growing into an online retailer that offers gourmet gift boxes featuring summer sausages and other food products. Danny House was recently selected by KeyBank for a special small business grant for $20,000 to further his ongoing commitment to community service. “The Burien community is lucky to have Dan and his family as citizens because of their spirit of service and commitment to the people who live here,” said Mary Hicks, KeyBank Burien Branch Manager, who has worked with House since he became a KeyBank customer in conjunction with his latest business venture, Burien Pizzeria LLC. House has also owned the Tin Room Restaurant and Theater for the past 13 years. House and his family have always been generous donors to the local community. For the past five years, House has donated more than 1,000 meals to a local school fundraising event, matched local community donations for full-ride scholarships for local trade school students for the last three years and donated more than $41,000 to local events, foundations and fundraisers.   Most recently, he closed his restaurant for an evening to host a fundraiser for Tim Brodigan, one of the victims of the Amtrak derailment, with 100% of that evening’s food profits going to Brodigan’s GoFundMe Account, raising over $15,000. House and his wife Claudia have also recently been recognized for their philanthropy to the local Highline Schools Foundation. To celebrate these achievements, KeyBank recently chose House as the $20,000 winner of its “Small Business is Key” contest, the only grant of its size in KeyBank’s 15 state footprint. Fourteen other companies across KeyBank’s footprint were awarded a $5,000 grant in recognition of Small Business Month. The second-annual contest highlights the lasting impacts of small businesses: Each regional winner was selected based on its impact on the community it serves and the degree to which it makes the community a better place. The contest is an opportunity for KeyBank to invest back in communities and help them thrive, as supporting small businesses is core to its mission. The small business lending market is hot: KeyBank is currently ranked No. 1 as the top SBA lender in the greater Seattle market, and in 2017, extended $318 million in SBA 7(a) loan approvals locally. “Philanthropy is part of KeyBank’s DNA, and we are dedicated to building stronger communities and improving the lives of the people we call neighbors in the places we call home,” said Carol K. Nelson, Regional Sales Executive and Seattle Market President for KeyBank.]]>