03/24/2023
There’s a vital piece of infrastructure without which many businesses can’t function: the portable toilet. Walter Kleeberg, owner of Deerfield-based Carsons Cans LLC, understands that he’s filling a niche. “It’s not for everybody,” he concedes.
And when it comes to the odor emanating from the products he supplies and services for countless farms, construction sites, outdoor recreation facilities, and festivals throughout the Pioneer Valley, don’t worry about Walt. “I don’t smell it,” he said with a smile. “It all looks like cash to me.”
The business he took over in 2012 has come into its own after much hard work and reinvestment. Walt recently was able to purchase a $120,000 truck fitted with a 900-gallon split-tank for servicing the toilets, as well as erect a 30-foot by 50-foot garage on his Deerfield property where he keeps three trucks. He owns a plot of land in the Greenfield Industrial Park that’s just shy of 2 acres where he stores toilets and other equipment, and he hopes to expand elsewhere, eyeing a plot with a 40-foot by 70-foot garage. In addition to Walt and his wife, who manages the office, two drivers and a part-time office worker make up the team.
Financing from the Franklin County CDC’s PVGrows Investment Fund helped secure some of those investments, as his toilets help farmers comply with federal Food Safety Modernization Act rules, along with third-party audited Good Agricultural Practices, which are a requirement for many wholesale buyers.
He’s also a longtime client of the Franklin County CDC’s traditional lending department, seeking out financing–and advice–along the way.
“Without the CDC, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Do you or someone you know need access to flexible financing? Check us out: fccdc.org.
And read more about Carson's Cans on our website:
https://www.fccdc.org/client-focus-carsons-cans/
