Jacksonville cleaning business hires back veterans after $20K loan

Jacksonville, Fla. — A Jacksonville cleaning company that employs veterans reentering the workforce is getting going again after receiving a loan.

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As Action News Jax has been telling you, a $20 million program between the city of Jacksonville and Vystar Credit Union is working to help small businesses.

Veterans Elite Services CEO Joe Padlo said the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to let go of 80% of his staff.

“Each of those individual phone calls was very, very difficult,” Padlo said.

But, in the last week, Padlo learned he had been awarded a $20,000 loan from the Jacksonville/Vystar program.

The city said to-date, 326 Jacksonville businesses have been approved for $11.5 million. It said 70% of applicants are approved.

But, as Padlo learned the hard way, loans haven’t been that easy for other businesses. He also applied for the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which ran out of funding within two weeks.

“We did it the right way, but we did not get approval for the funding in time before those doors were closed on us, and that’s frustrating,” Padlo said.

Padlo hopes to be among the first when the PPP gets more money.

But, in the meantime, he said things are looking up, as the Vystar loan let him re-employ a significant majority of his staff.

“My staff is energized and excited to get back, and believe it or not, scrub a toilet,” Padlo said.

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