Section 7-1-945. Corporate powers

   In furtherance of its purposes and in addition to the powers now or hereafter conferred on business corporations by the laws of this state, the corporation shall, subject to the restrictions and limitations contained in this Code section, have the following powers:

   (1) To elect, appoint, and employ officers, agents, and employees;

   (2) To make contracts and incur liabilities for any of the purposes of the corporation, provided that the corporation shall not incur any secondary liability by way of the guaranty or endorsement of the obligations of any person or corporation or in any other manner;

   (3) To borrow money and to do all things necessary or desirable to secure aid, assistance, loans, and other financing from its members (whether as member loans or otherwise), from any lending institution, or from any agency established under federal or state law for any of the purposes of the corporation and to issue therefor its bonds, debentures, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, whether secured or unsecured, and to secure the same by mortgage, pledge, deed of trust, or other lien on its property, franchise, rights, and privileges of every kind and nature or any part thereof or interest therein without securing shareholder or member approval;

   (4) To make loans to any small minority business and to establish and regulate the terms and conditions with respect to any such loans and the charges for interest and services connected therewith; provided, however, that the corporation shall not approve any application for a loan unless and until the small minority business applying for said loan shall show that such business has applied for the loan through ordinary lending channels and that the loan has been refused by at least two lending institutions that would be qualified by law to make such a loan, it not being the intention of this article to take from any lending institution any such loans or commitments as may be desired by such organizations generally in the ordinary course of their business;

   (5) To purchase, receive, hold, lease, or otherwise acquire and to sell, convey, transfer, lease, or otherwise dispose of real and personal property, together with such rights and privileges as may be incidental and appurtenant thereto and the use thereof, including, but not restricted to, any real or personal property acquired by the corporation from time to time in the satisfaction of debts or enforcement of obligations;

   (6) To acquire the good will, business rights, real and personal property, and other assets or any part thereof or interest therein of any small minority business and to assume, undertake, or pay the obligations, debts, and liabilities of any such small minority business; to acquire improved or unimproved real estate for the purpose of constructing small minority business establishments thereon or for the purposes of disposing of such real estate to others for the construction of small minority business establishments; and to acquire, construct or reconstruct, alter, repair, maintain, operate, sell, convey, transfer, lease, or otherwise dispose of small minority business establishments;

   (7) To acquire, subscribe for, own, sell, hold, assign, transfer, mortgage, pledge, or otherwise dispose of the stock, shares, bonds, debentures, notes, or other securities and evidences of interest in or indebtedness of any small minority business and, while the owner or holder thereof, to exercise all the rights, powers, and privileges of ownership, including the right to vote thereon;

   (8) To mortgage, pledge, or otherwise encumber any property, right, or thing of value, acquired pursuant to the powers contained in paragraph (5), (6), or (7) of this Code section, as security for the payment of any part of the purchase price therefor;

   (9) To cooperate with and avail itself of the facilities of the United States Department of Commerce, the Department of Economic Development, and any other similar state or federal governmental agencies and to cooperate with and assist and otherwise encourage organizations in the various communities of this state in the promotion, assistance, and development of small minority business and the economic well-being of such communities or of this state or any political subdivision thereof;

   (10) To redeem or otherwise reacquire its shares under the circumstances and subject to the restrictions now or hereafter set forth for business corporations by the laws of this state;

   (11) To make, amend, and repeal bylaws, not inconsistent with its articles of incorporation or with the laws of this state, for the administration and regulation of the affairs of the corporation, which bylaws may establish internal governance procedures and standards, including, but not limited to, procedures for voting by proxy at and for giving notice of meetings of directors and of shareholders and members and the delegation by the board of directors of its authority under the articles of incorporation and this article to one or more committees of the board or to officers of the corporation, and which bylaws may give the board of directors or committees thereof the power to pass resolutions necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of the corporation;

   (12) To contract with the Small Business Development Centers of the University System of Georgia and economic development centers of other colleges and universities, which centers shall also be authorized to contract with the corporation, for the performance of loan application and packaging functions, market studies, and such other activities necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of the corporation;

   (13) To provide technical assistance for both public and private sources of contract opportunities for small minority businesses;

   (14) To provide equity funding as authorized for Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Corporations through the federal Small Business Administration;

   (15) To provide for import and export financing for small minority businesses; and

   (16) To do all acts and things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers expressly granted in this article.

Code 1981, § 7-1-945, enacted by Ga. L. 1988, p. 804, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1641, § 3; Ga. L. 2004, p. 690, § 2.