Barbara Oldums
Owner of Industrial Solutions Company in Arlington, Texas
In 2011, Barbara Oldums was a single mom who wanted more than anything to have time to support her daughters in track and drill team while they were still young. She also wanted a paycheck that paid what she knew she was worth. To achieve both, she left her media and communications career to start a janitorial supply business, which became Industrial Solutions Company in Arlington, Texas. The woman-owned, Black-owned business took off so quickly that Barbara needed injections of working capital to help her scale, but her loan needs were smaller than mainstream loan products would accommodate. DreamSpring was able to address her needs and provided seven loans between 2017 and 2020 — ranging from $1,000 to $21,000 — helping Barbara take advantage of growth opportunities she otherwise would have had to bypass.
When the pandemic hit, she approached DreamSpring for two Paycheck Protection Program loans. Thanks to that support and the funding throughout her journey, Barbara and her now-husband, Bishop L.C. Oldums, who is vice president and CFO, hired their first two employees. Industrial Solutions Company’s clients now include the Texas Rangers, Trinity Metro Transit, and Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport.
With capital to grow and the confidence to bring her business ideas to scale, Barbara is expanding into construction services. She now provides commercial dumpsters, construction site supplies, and portable toilets, making her business the perfect candidate for DreamSpring's new Fast Forward loan.
“If it were not for DreamSpring, we would not have been able to take advantage of some new customer business opportunities. It was a life-saving opportunity for our business.”