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Article in
Asheville
Citizens-Times
2/3/2012
Written by
Jason Sandford
Web Site Article
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Cleaning a green blue streak in Asheville.
 MILLS RIVER — Horace Adell had a friend once describe him as “the workingest guy I know,” and it’s an apt description.
From the time he graduated high school and turned his back on a possible career in professional sports, Adell has owned his own nightclub and his own landscaping business, and worked as a lumber truck driver and as a house cleaner. From humble beginnings as a one-man cleaning crew, Adell has built Clean Streak Inc., a cleaning company in Mills River, into a robust business with 28 full- and part-time employees who tackle dirty jobs across Western North Carolina.
“I started with a Buick and a mop and bucket,” Adell said. “Oh, and a vacuum.”
Since starting Clean Streak in 2004, Adell has been honored as a successful minority business owner and for his efforts to gain a green business certification. Last year, the Asheville Chamber of Commerce chose Clean Streak as its 2011 Operating Green Business of the Year.
Aside from his boundless energy — Adell is known to get so wrapped up in work that he won’t eat for hours on end — the entrepreneur follows a business philosophy rooted in his values. Spend a few minutes listening to Adell, and he can sound as much like a preacher as a small-business owner.
“To own a business, you have to ask yourself: Is it for personal gain, or to empower people to make the world a better place? When you figure out which one you are, that determines your outcome,” Adell said.
“I’m all about paying it forward. If you are truly about trying to help people — by giving them jobs, for example — and you put God in front first, you’ll make it.”
Athletics, military
Adell grew up in Fletcher and was a talented high school athlete. A cousin of former star professional basketball player Brad Daugherty, of Black Mountain, Adell said he turned down university scholarship offers to join the military. With service as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, Adell said he gained “the From there, Adell tried his hand at a number of ventures. He owned a nightclub called Club Biltmore, something he simply calls “a mistake.” He started his own landscaping business and he drove lumber trucks for several years. It was during those years that Adell started side work cleaning banks. He would drive long hours, then work through the night cleaning.
Adell finally heeded a friend’s advice — the same friend who told him he was the hardest worker he’d ever seen — and focused solely on his cleaning business.
Focusing on commercial jobs, such as cleaning bank branches, medical facilities and beauty shops, Adell gradually built up his business. He saw customers, and his industry, move toward cleaning methods that go easy on the environment and he earned a green business certification.
“I want my cleaning supplies to be pet-friendly, environmentally-friendly,” Adell said. “Being green means educating your clients and doing things the right way.”
All along the way, Adell kept his community in mind. He offered jobs to people down on their luck. He collected for local food pantries. He gave out gasoline vouchers when gas prices skyrocketed. And he mentored people.
“As a business owner, I can’t think of self gain. I have to think about the whole that will benefit,” Adell said. “The Bible teaches us that we are to seek out people and opportunities to help. It teaches us that money is a tool to help, and in return, many blessings will be bestowed upon you. I will not lose sight of that.”
Adell’s business has been showing strong growth despite the struggling economy. He’s convinced the way to build a stronger economy is to support small businesses that are willing to give people a shot at a job.
“If you want to help the economy and create jobs, somebody has to be willing to give people a chance,” Adell said, reiterating his philosophy of giving back.
“I’m not driven by money. I’m driven by success stories, by ‘Horace gave me a job and got me off the streets’ stories.”
“It’s my privilege to lead a small group of people to a better way of life,” Adell said. “That gives me such a great reward.”
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