Indiana-Based Candle Company Wins National Small Business Grant

SALT LAKE CITY, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nav, a service that gives business owners the fastest, easiest and most trusted path to financing, has announced Brittany Whitenack, Founder & Owner of Antique Candle Co., has received a $1,000 business grant to streamline her candle-making process and fill orders quickly.

"COVID-19 has affected small businesses in a variety of ways," shared Greg Ott, Nav CEO. "For many, the unprecedented situation has created supply chain management issues well as problems with processing and fulfillment. Antique Candle Co. is a prime example of how a small amount of money can help overcome hurdles brought on by an unforeseen challenge. We look forward to seeing the company not only get through its coronavirus-related problems, but exponentially grow as a result of its new streamlined process." 

Started as a hobby with about $200 worth of candle making supplies in 2014, Whitenack has grown Antique Candle Co. into a profitable, mid-sized enterprise in Lafayette, Indiana. Today, the company employees 34 people and produces approximately 2,000 hand-poured candles a day. The shutdown of businesses across the country due to COVID-19 brought another layer of challenges to the small business ? an overwhelmingly large backlog of orders.

"We are currently behind on pouring 30,000 candles," shared Whitenack. "While we're blessed to be a business that hasn't had to completely shutter its doors due to COVID, the closing of our business for a few weeks has left us with a burdensome backlog that we wouldn't have been able to get out of for months without this grant." 

Whitenack will put the $1,000 grant toward the purchase of new equipment to make components of the candle-making process more efficient, allowing team members more time to hand-pour candles.

"The new equipment will triple our daily output, allowing us to pour nearly 6,000 candles a day," shared Whitenack. "Without the grant money to buy the new equipment, our team would have been behind on orders for weeks. Now, we're looking at being fully caught up within the next few days."

After the backlog is cleared, the streamlined process will afford the Antique Candle Co. team time to pursue new wholesale customers and larger orders.

To learn more about Antique Candle Co., read Nav's latest blog post or visit the company's website.

The Nav Small Business Grant was established to bring awareness to the roadblocks that entrepreneurs encounter while chasing their dreams, and help them overcome these challenges. Since launching in 2018, Nav has awarded more than $80,000 to small businesses across the country.

The next round of Nav's Small Business Grant is now accepting applications. Details on applying are available online.

About Nav

Nav gives business owners the fastest, easiest and most trusted path to financing & SBA funds. The leading Business Financial Management app, Nav hosts a robust marketplace with more than 110 business financing products, and gives business owners free access to personal and business credit reports from major consumer and commercial credit bureaus including Experian, Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax and TransUnion. The marketplace uses a unique, lender-neutral approach to help business owners find the best financing options for their needs. Nav's solution is also leveraged by other business service providers to enhance their customer experience. The company has offices near Silicon Valley, Philadelphia and Salt Lake City. To learn more, visit Nav.com.

CONTACT:
Amanda Triest
Nav PR Manager
[email protected]
801-890-5024

SOURCE Nav