On Trac is more than an industrial and private cleaning company. It provides second chances to folks who need stability, support and life skills. Through their non-profit arm 93rd Back to Basics, Owner Angelique Patton, is a mentor to her employees. "The cleaning part is easy, it's the program that's hard," Patton says. "They have been taught to survive. They don't know anything about living."
Patton is particularly well suited to help nurture her employees because she has been there before. Growing up, she was told lies about herself and it molded her into someone she wasn't, while distancing her from her family. One day, she had an epiphany that her identity was built upon a societal viewpoint, and not who she truly was. Patton decided she wanted more out of life and had to make a change. She completely turned her life around and is now working on her masters, owns a for-profit and non-profit organization and has built trust with her family again.
When her employees get easily frustrated and try to give up, she won't let them. She uses her past to help others who personified the same lies and experiences, to show they can overcome their traumas too with persistence and confidence.
Due to financial difficulties in the past, Angelique was nervous about taking on debt for her business. COVID-19 forced some of her clients to reduce their cleaning needs or cancel contracts entirely. On the flip side, there were more opportunities for deep cleans, but she needed additional equipment to get more of those contracts. That's where ECDI came in. She worked with her relationship manager, Aleen Mix, to secure a loan she felt comfortable with and fine-tune her business plan, so she was confident about her strategy to use the loan to grow.
Angelique was able to pay bills, hire two more employees and purchase equipment to expand the business and types of contracts. "ECDI gave me an opportunity to secure a foundation" says Patton. "That's all this is about. A chance. You give me a chance, I can make it happen, I know I can."
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