ABC Program Recipient Spotlight: PopUP CleanUP
3.27.2023
—
LISC StoriesEconomic Development
PopUP CleanUP is a recipient of Growth Capital from LISC LA’s Asset Building for Communities of Color (ABC) Program. With support from Wells Fargo, ABC is investing directly in small businesses and startups operating in communities of color across LA County by offering flexible financial products designed to remove barriers to growth that small businesses face.
Spanning the South Bay to Santa Fe Springs to Downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach, Kenetia Lee’s eco-friendly commercial and event cleaning company has been servicing clients large and small to maintain the health, safety and integrity of buildings and the people who work in them.
PopUP CleanUP’s commercial clientele includes technology, media, and entertainment offices, manufacturing facilities, dance studios and co-working spaces, but they are most renowned for their pre, post and live event cleaning services.
Since 2018, they’ve cleaned at weddings, galas, street festivals, sporting events, corporate product launches, and private estate parties for an array of clients, including Nike, the NBA All-Star Games, Laura Mercier, Adidas, Proctor & Gamble, Amazon Fresh, Clifton's and many more. In 2022, PopUP CleanUP was designated as an approved supplier of the Super Bowl LVI Business Connect program. They were one of 225 local diverse businesses in the Los Angeles area identified as a certified, experienced company approved to compete for contracts related to the Super Bowl.
LISC LA: How is the ABC Program helping you scale PopUP CleanUP?
Kenetia Lee (KL): With the funding we’ve received, we’ve purchased equipment to expand our range of service offerings. This has allowed us to train staff in skilled labor, provide higher pay, and keep business in house. We’ve purchased floor machines, walk behind sweepers, vacuum cleaners, a hydro window washing unit and Unger Stingray system. These new tools have allowed us to acquire contracts with 11 Sephora stores, where we do deep cleaning services for them using the equipment we purchased. We would not have been able to take on this work without this new equipment.
LISC LA: What is your connection to the local community?
KL: PopUP CleanUP is based in the Crenshaw District, and we believe in hiring locally from the community. We partner with re-entry programs including Amity Foundation, HealthRIGHT 360, and AADAP to build our workforce and provide opportunities to rehabilitated individuals.
LISC LA: Can you tell us about the technical assistance you’re receiving from ABC?
KL: I have started working with our Technical Assistance advisor, Ron Fong, who is great! He has been key in us staying focused and encouraging me to apply for LISC LA’s ASCEND LA program to really learn the contracting process. Last week, we started ASCEND LA where we will be working closely with them to learn the contracting process to obtain government and corporate contracts.
LISC LA: What’s next for PopUP CleanUP?
KL: Our current technology is pieced together from multiple platforms and insufficient at handling the volume of inquiries we receive to convert them into paying customers as well as manage the logistics of fulfilling the service requests and scaling up the business. With the funding from ABC, we plan to purchase new software, create better automated systems, and hire additional staff, which will allow me to dedicate more time and energy to sales and business growth.
