From India to Indio – Living the American Dream

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The Southern California region of the United States seems to epitomize the American dream – where, with hard work and dedication, anything is possible. Those with the determination to do so find a way to extract gold from our literal and proverbial hills – and deserts. Nachhattar S. Chandi, President and founder of The Chandi Group recently approached Enterprise Funding Corporation to provide SBA 504 financing to continue building his own American dream that brought him all the way from India to Indio.

 

Chandi had always wanted to come to the United States, and in 1992, he fulfilled that dream when he left his father’s agricultural business in India and moved to Indio in the Coachella Valley. He began working day and night as the manager of “White’s Black Gold Gasoline” with the vision of someday owning his own station. By 1994, Chandi had saved enough money to purchase the station and begin transforming it into his first Arco AM/PM franchise. Then, in 1999, Chandi invested all of his earnings, purchased another Arco franchise, and created the Mecca Travel Center in Mecca, CA, just above the Salton Sea. The travel center opened in 2002 and currently houses Arco AM/PM, Del Taco, Subway, Juice It Up!, Starbucks, and Chelo’s Café, providing many jobs to the local economy. As the years passed, Chandi purchased many more franchises and currently owns 13 Arco AM/PM’s, and multiple other franchises including Del Taco, Subway and Juice It Up!. His business empire provides employment to over 400 people in the local area.

 

On March 29, 2014, Chandi held a very successful and well attended grand-opening ceremony for his most recent venture, the Arco AM/PM on Jefferson near Indio Blvd. in Indio, CA. The seasoned businessman turned to the financing experts at Enterprise Funding Corp. for an SBA 504 small business loan to make this $5 million project a reality. The down payment on the loan for The Chandi Group was 16 percent of the project cost, while Enterprise Funding financed 34 percent. The remaining 50 percent was financed as a construction loan by Community Valley Bank.

 

Chandi attributes his success to the opportunities that are only available in America and is passionate about helping the youth he employs stay on track and follow their own dreams; working with them very closely to help them avoid making mistakes. The work of the Small Business Administration is much the same; revitalizing local economies, working with business owners to fund their dreams through revenue-neutral programs like the 504 loan, and walking alongside them through the work of CDCs like Enterprise Funding who are not just there to dole out money, but to be a community partner.

 

Know a business owner who’s ready to expand and could benefit from a low down payment, low fixed-rate loan? Give us a call at Enterprise Funding Corp. (909) 792-3803.