Cascade Bank Helps Keep Evergreen Environmental Services Fueled for Growth

It's a cool, foggy morning and you've just stopped to gas up your car before you get to Starbucks for your morning mocha. Gas pump in hand, you begin to wonder: Who makes sure this gas pump works so efficiently every time I pick it up? It can't be the guy behind the counter or the mechanic lying on his back working on that '79 Honda Civic's transmission. So who takes care of all this technology?

Well, it might just be Evergreen Environmental Services, a state-of-the-art general contractor that does everything from testing fuel systems to building the gas station or 7-11 store you visit every week. Evergreen Environmental Services, Inc. opened its doors in 1994 in Mill Creek, Washington. President and owner of the company John Hines wanted to provide quality construction and environmental testing services to his customers at a fair price. EES offers a full range of compliance management services for petroleum systems throughout the Northwest, conducting many types of tests, from tank and line tightness to liquid blocking testing. EES might be the group that repairs the gas pump you take for granted, or you might have seen EES heavy equipment moving an underground fuel storage tank.

EES specializes in building convenience stores, tunnel and rollover car wash buildings and stand-alone service stations from the ground up, and also does convenience store remodels and conversions. The company works with companies like Arco, Safeway, Chevron, Tosco and Costco, as well as independent operators. Usually the oil companies design their own facilities and hire EES to build them. Evergreen's team of 20 employees works closely with these companies to produce quality facilities.

EES owner John Hines had a banking relationship with Cascade Business Banker Mike Spencer even before Mike began working for Cascade Bank. When Mike joined Cascade, so did EES — and the company's partnership with Cascade works! Mike arranged financing for the company's very first truck and the property EES now occupies in Mill Creek, and all the heavy equipment and office supplies in between. He was there when EES was a company of one and is there for the staff of 20 who put in long hours there today.

EES has experienced very rapid growth over the past few years — in fact, its business has more than doubled, causing temporary cash flow problems at times. Mike set up a Line of Credit so the company is covered in all kinds of situations, and he gives John and his staff advice on how and where to invest the extra capital they're bringing in now that they're growing so quickly.

Mike is there to help the company handle day-to-day banking needs and give them ideas for time saving solutions like online banking. Because of Mike's full-service attention to Evergreen's money, EES can concentrate on its full-service approach to fueling the stations that keep us going.