Blue Clover is an expert in the world of polymers and polypropylenes. The company has an in-depth understanding of the marketplace and helps companies by providing market intelligence in addition to products, logistics, financing and contracts to help streamline the operational environment.
Need
Blue Clover was working with a large bank that had little understanding of their industry and wasn’t prepared to offer solutions that addressed the unique terms and timelines involved in plastics and chemicals distribution.
When Blue Clover sought help from its existing bank to get a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, it was difficult to get them to respond. “The only answer we were getting at that point was: demand is too strong, you’ll have to wait at least six weeks before you hear back from us,” explains Thomas Scalf, CFO at Blue Clover. At that point Blue Clover started consulting its network for banking referrals.
Solution
An existing PNC client in a similar industry referred Blue Clover to PNC. The PNC contact immediately assembled internal resources from the bank’s Chemicals and Plastics group to help craft a competitive strategic offering that considered the unique needs of Blue Clover. While little public information exists on the plastic resin wholesaling industry, PNC's Chemicals and Plastics group was able to assess Blue Clover’s unique collateral to understand the business at a granular level. From there, the PNC team was able to offer advice and solutions, including support throughout the PPP application process.
“We connected with PNC as soon as we received the referral and they got back to us the same day. That would never happen with our previous bank,” Scalf says. “It seemed clear to us from the first conversation that they had people on the team who understood our industry and could then understand our specific business. That changed the types of conversations we were having right away – it was much more productive. We could immediately start negotiating on terms and financing options.”
Now, when Blue Clover assesses new business opportunities, the PNC team can offer a financial context for the deal. “Our discussions with PNC have changed how we view opportunities and how much risk we are willing to take. If PNC tells us they wouldn’t take the risk, we listen to that because we know that they already understand our business,” Scalf says.
The Chemicals and Plastics group shares a quarterly newsletter that provides media coverage and market intelligence about the chemicals and plastics industry. Occasionally, coverage from the PNC newsletter ends up in Blue Clover’s bi-weekly update on the resin wholesaling industry as well.
“This kind of information sharing is really valuable,” Scalf says. “We’re a niche industry. Having that additional layer of information helps us stay informed and we like being able to cross-check what we know with outside sources.”
Results
PNC was able to support Blue Clover with a line of credit, a full suite of treasury management tools, and deposit accounts. Blue Clover has subsequently moved its entire financial relationship over to PNC and will consider adding services as the company continues to grow.
Blue Clover has been able to expand with PNC through:
- Improved line of credit and financing terms that reflect the realities of its unique business
- Digitized and streamlined treasury management, improving internal controls and implementing enhanced account security measures
- Managing payments and deposit accounts through a single provider
- Effectively assessing new business expansion opportunities within a broader financial framework, thereby limiting risk
- Gaining new insights about the chemicals and plastics industry through PNC’s expertise and its weekly market intelligence updates
PNC’s advice also helped Blue Clover craft a long-term strategic succession plan.
It’s been really valuable to us to be able to talk to our bankers and have technical business and financial discussions without having to go through an intro course on what our business is each time. We really feel like we are working with business partners, not just a bank.
— Thomas Scalf, CFO, Blue Clover