But growth in professional services – especially when working with government agencies – came with challenges, he said. Chief among them: cash flow.

“This business is different,” Brazil said. “You work for a month, bill the next month and then wait another 30 days to get paid. That gap can put you in a valley pretty fast.”

Those peaks and valleys are familiar territory for business owners, and for Brazil, finding the right financial partner became essential to navigating them.

Meeting the bankers helped bridge a gap

That partnership began with a letter.

Dennis Platipodis, a U.S. Bank business banking relationship manager, was reaching out to potential clients when APEX’s name came across his desk.

“I sent Del a letter, and he called me,” Platipodis said. “That doesn’t always happen – but his company was in a growth phase and he was looking for help.”

Platipodis took a deep dive into APEX’s operating cycle – how the company billed, how it got paid and where the pressure points were.

“We get very granular,” Platipodis said. “We look at receivables, payables and the full cash flow picture so we can identify where the pain points are for a growing company.”

After that analysis, Platipodis brought in Rushang Choksi, a U.S. Bank Small Business Administration (SBA) business development officer, to explore how SBA lending could support the company’s next chapter.

“When I met Del, it was clear he was a visionary business leader,” Choksi said. “The business had momentum, contracts in place and a clear path to growth … but needed a financial structure in place to support that growth.”

Helping build Chicago through SBA lending

For Choksi and Platipodis, the SBA 7(a) program – a long-term business loan partially guaranteed by the SBA and administered through U.S. Bank – as well as other solutions proved to be the right fit for Brazil’s immediate needs.

“Depending on the type of business and their needs, SBA loans can give business owners the three things they need: time, working capital and room to grow to the next level,” Choksi said.

Just as important, he said, the U.S. Bank team also guides clients through the process from start to finish.

“Generally, clients don’t need to know anything about the SBA when they come to us,” Choksi said. “That’s our job – to educate and walk with them from A to Z.”

For Brazil, the process was thorough – but worth it.

“It took a lot of work to get the paperwork together,” he said. “But U.S. Bank was open, honest and transparent. And the funding helped us move forward.”

That support has had a direct impact on APEX’s ability to take on new work, including major traffic signal modernization projects across Chicago. Brazil said the funding helped bridge the cash flow gap and allowed APEX to confidently staff and execute projects that improve traffic flow, safety and quality of life for the city.

Today, APEX is in its 22nd year, with a team of about 25 employees and plans to reintroduce design services alongside construction management, Brazil said. Looking back, Brazil is proud – not just of the projects completed, but of the resilience it took to build the company.

“There are peaks and valleys,” he said. “When you’re in the valley, you work harder, don’t give up, keep grinding … and find partners to help bridge that gap.”

For Platipodis and Choksi, that’s the heart of the work.

“We’re not just providing capital,” Platipodis said. “We’re a conduit for growth. When our clients succeed, we’re part of that journey.”