Stuart Elrick
Principal, Canada Business Loan Experts
I started in commercial finance in 1997. Nearly three decades later, most clients still come to me after hitting a wall somewhere else. I work with businesses across every industry and credit profile, structuring financing from $10K to $20M through a network of 30+ lenders. CBLE does not lend money directly. I find the lender that fits your deal, package the application, and handle the negotiation on your behalf.
Background
I founded my first commercial finance brokerage, Signature Financial Group, in Vancouver in 1997. We syndicated commercial mortgages, acquired a franchise from The Loan Consultants, and built a team of brokers through the late 1990s. When the business was wound down in 2003, the core of what I had learned, deal structuring, lender relationships, and how to navigate a client through a financing process, stayed with me.
Between 1998 and 2003, I also led the acquisition, full renovation, and repositioning of a distressed 108-room hotel in Edmonton, Alberta. We converted it to a Comfort Inn & Suites under a Choice Hotels franchise and sold the asset in 2003. That project gave me direct experience on the operator side of a real estate and capital transaction, covering acquisition financing, capital expenditure management, and disposition. It is background that comes up more often than you might expect when I am working with hospitality and commercial property clients.
Canada Business Loan Experts is the active evolution of that practice, rebuilt in 2024. The name is new. The experience behind it is not.
How I Work
Most business owners who call me have already spoken to their bank and either been declined, quoted terms that don't work, or been asked to wait longer than the deal allows. My job is to take that situation and find a path through it.
I start with a quick intake call to understand your business, your timeline, and what you have already tried. From there I structure the file, prepare a lender-ready package on your behalf, and handle the outreach and negotiation with the lenders in my network. You stay focused on your business. When the deal closes, I stay available for what comes next.
Pre-qualification typically takes 24 to 72 hours. I work with businesses across all industries and all credit profiles, including situations that traditional banks classify as subprime or near-prime. What I need to know is your deal, not just your credit score.
What CBLE Arranges
- Working capital loans and lines of credit
- Equipment financing and leasing
- Merchant cash advance
- Accounts receivable factoring
- Purchase order financing
- Bridge financing
- Commercial line of credit
- Mezzanine financing
- Construction and heavy equipment loans
- Business term loans to $20M, OAC
Why Clients Choose a Broker Over Their Bank
A bank has one set of products and one credit policy. If your deal falls outside that policy, the answer is no. A broker with access to 30+ lenders, including banks, credit unions, alternative lenders, and specialty funders, has a different set of options. I know which lenders move quickly, which ones take on early-stage businesses, which ones are comfortable with asset-heavy or cash-flow-thin applications, and which ones will look at a deal the major banks won't touch.
I am based in Vancouver and work with clients across every province. BC, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec are the most active markets, but there are no geographic restrictions on what I can arrange. If you are a Canadian business owner and you need financing, it is worth a conversation.
Start with a No-Obligation Call
Tell me about your business and what you are looking for. I will tell you what your options look like and what it takes to get pre-qualified.
