New startup addresses the dire need for emergency medical transport in Williamson County
03/12/2025
MARION, Illinois (March 12, 2025) — Southern Illinois Emergency Medical Service (EMS) is now providing emergency medical transport services to residents of rural Williamson County, Illinois. The startup, founded by military veteran and EMT Joe Butler, launched late last year and is providing a much-needed service to residents of Marion and the surrounding area.
Southern Illinois EMS secured $756,200 in loans from American Momentum Bank’s Small Business Administration (SBA) lending division to fund the startup. The loans allowed Butler to purchase eight ambulances and equipment and provided working capital to support the business.
“Williamson County is a large county, which has created EMS deserts where certain areas are either poorly served or underserved,” said Butler, president and CEO of Southern Illinois EMS. “In an area like Marion, where you may have one truck serving Marion and one in Herrin, if one truck is tied up, it could be 45 minutes before you get someone on-scene. For someone in an emergency medical situation, that time is precious.”
Butler got his start in emergency medicine as a combat medic in the Army. He founded Southern Illinois EMS after 42 years as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and more than three years serving Williamson County, specifically. In his previous position, he recognized the growing need for reliable transport services in Marion and decided to leverage his experience to start his own service.
Launching Southern Illinois EMS took Butler two years from start to finish. Finding a bank that would fund the venture proved to be a challenge. After connecting with his personal bank and a few others, Butler eventually connected with American Momentum Bank.
“Gary Siddens at American Momentum Bank did absolutely everything he could to get this done and fund us,” said Butler. “In fact, everyone at American Momentum Bank went above and beyond to support me as a budding entrepreneur. They left no stone unturned. I would highly recommend them.”
Texas-chartered American Momentum Bank is a designated “SBA Preferred Lender,” according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. The community bank announced the expansion of its SBA lending division in May 2022 and continues to hire qualified SBA business development officers across the country.
“After connecting with Joe and hearing more about his vision for Southern Illinois EMS, we really believed in him because of his background and the thoughtful business plan he had prepared,” said Gary L. Siddens, Jr., nationwide SBA business development officer for American Momentum Bank. “We’re excited to help him out with a projection-based loan and support his vision to provide a life-saving service to the community.”
Butler will use his fleet of eight ambulances to serve Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado, Franklin Hospital in Benton, Deaconess Illinois Medical Center in Deyoung, and Marion VA Medical Center in Marion. Southern Illinois will respond to 911 calls and provide long-distance transfers. For more information, visit www.SouthernIllinoisEMS.com.
