Clean Advantage

Linda Black and her husband, Bob, own and operate Clean Advantage, Inc. in Taylors, South Carolina. The company was established back in 1991 when the Blacks purchased a private formula for a superior concrete cleaning solution. Clean Advantage is now a thriving manufacturing company, manufacturing and packaging cleaning products for widely known distribution companies who distribute under private label to major suppliers of these products at well-known outlets such as Home Depot and Lowes. In addition, Clean Advantage sells products to smaller home centers, paint stores and the like.

With all of this in mind, Linda was faced with a problem. She said “Our business just grew and grew and we didn’t have enough space in our existing location to fill the orders we were getting. When we found the perfect building for us, we couldn’t break our existing lease. In the meantime, someone else bought the building! I called the realtor daily for six weeks. I really felt that we should be in that building” she exclaimed. Six weeks later, the buyer broke their contract.

Mark Moreno, Regional Account Manager with CIT Bank - Small Business Lending, knew the Blacks for years and kept in touch with Linda on a regular basis. So, when Linda learned that the building was back on the market, she found Mark’s number in a directory of the top SBA lenders in South Carolina and she contacted him immediately. “I knew that Clean Advantage was growing beyond their existing space and would that eventually I would be able help her with financing for the purchase of her own building” said Mark.

“Mark was so persistent and he had the foresight to see the potential with Clean Advantage. He made a real effort to understand our business and he had the patience to stay with us until we were able to make a decision” Linda commented. From that point on, everything seemed to fall into place. The seller of the building lowered the purchase price which made it more affordable. “It was a miracle for us!” Linda stated. “CIT was able to finance the building with only 10% down, which made a big difference” she said. “We checked with several banks and their requirements were so overwhelming. We really knew that CIT was the right place for us to get a loan” remarked Linda.

Linda is extremely happy and feels as though she has been blessed with good fortune. Notably, she also gives back to her community. Linda has established “Joseph’s Pantry”. She and her employees donate food, clothing and other items on a regular basis to various churches and charitable organizations.

Clean Advantage has now been in their new building for over a year and Linda expects to remain in this location for many years to come. Linda and Bob are considering a new building on the three acres in the rear of the present facility.