Firm expands despite sour economy

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Mike Helenthal

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March 19, 2009

BY MIKE HELENTHAL The Commercial-News Thu Mar 19, 2009, 09:13 PM CDT

DANVILLE — Slow and steady wins the race.

That’s the credo owners and managers of Danville-based EnvirOx LLC, maker of “environmentally friendly” cleaning products, have followed since the company started in 1998.

The company’s sales, which have grown every year since the business started with a patent filed by CEO Patrick Stewart for his hydrogen peroxide solutions, continue to grow despite a rocky economy, according to numbers released Thursday.

EnvirOx reported a 28 percent increase in sales in December as compared to last year, as well as a 12 percent jump in January and February combined.

Company officials credit a new line of cleaning fluids unveiled in September, fluids touted for their lower toxicity and increased biodegradability. The company sells its chemicals to schools and commercial businesses through 300 distributors in the United States and Canada. Its production facility and corporate offices are housed at 1938 E. Fairchild St. and employs 35 locally.

Josh Clemence, company vice president speaking on behalf of the vacationing owners, said company officials are even somewhat surprised at the continued increases in sales.

“We took the approach of planning for the worst possible scenario,” he said. “We thought we were in a good position to at least maintain where we were.”

Reduced costs, the formation of an “internal efficiency team” and a renewed focus on sales of the new line of cleaners, now being touted “on the road” by the CEO, have led to a rosier picture than expected.

“Part of the reason things are still going so well is people are still aboard the green movement,” said marketing director Kristen Sackley. “Our new line of products is more sustainable and completely replaces the old technology that started this company.”

Clemence said the company is in a somewhat recession-proof industry, mostly because, “Buildings still have to be cleaned.” But the continued success of EnvirOx will not change their slow-and-steady approach, he added, though they are looking at the downturn as an opportunity to better compete with larger companies who have had to retrench.

It has even stirred conversation about the possibility of expanding the business, which could lead to more hiring in the future. EnvirOx has already added two sales representatives, a customer-relations representative and has expanded the marketing department. Clemence said company officials are still being cautious and will re-evaluate their hiring situation in another year.

“We see this is a time where some of the smaller businesses can leap over some of those bigger ones,” he said.

Todd Lee, director of business development government relations for Vermilion Advantage, said EnvirOx is one of several local success stories, even as times are tough.

“What we’ve seen with them is a company that’s not willing to participate in the recession,” he said. “Certain industries are having a tough time, no doubt, and that’s what you usually see these days, front and center.”

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