In its efforts to evolve and drive the brand forward, BrightStar Care is currently experiencing a pattern of growth. The national private-duty home care and medical-staffing franchise, which operates over 340 locations across the country, is focused on recruitment and retention, recently naming Russ Nykaza as vice president of talent management. By Jessica Jones
With more businesses accepting bitcoin as a method of payment, this global cryptocurrency continues to explode in popularity throughout the world. In addition to sports teams and travel sites, some major industries that accept bitcoin as payment include companies that offer cell phone services, home building materials, home and garden decor, groceries, dining, and coffee. By Cindy Charette
CARROLLTON, Texas — Catherine Monson, CEO at FASTSIGNS International, Inc., began her second year as Chair of the International Franchising Association (IFA), a first in the association’s 60-plus year history.
Catherine Monson boldly led her FASTSIGNS International corporate team, the FASTSIGNS® franchise network and the IFA throughout an incredibly challenging economic year in 2020. Her work included overseeing the creation of a FASTSIGNS Preparedness site as a resource for the entire FASTSIGNS network, holding weekly Connect with Catherine meetings to keep the network fully informed, and creating motivational videos each week–which she continues to do today–first for FASTSIGNS franchisees and then, at their request, for the IFA. In addition to supporting over 740 FASTSIGNS locations worldwide, suppliers, her corporate team, the newly-acquired NerdstoGo brand, and the IFA in 2020, Monson created an inspirational YouTube video series for the FASTSIGNS/NerdsToGo networks and the IFA that highlighted a wide range of topics including optimism, motivation, overcoming adversity and more.
A strong advocate for small business enterprise and franchising, Monson has served on the Board of Directors for the IFA since 2008. Through her service with the IFA, Monson works to help further the IFA’s mission of protecting, enhancing, and promoting franchising through government relations, public relations, educational programs and enhancing member value. Past committees she has worked on include the Women’s Franchise Committee, the Educational Foundation Research Committee, the Franchise Relations Committee, the Benchmarking Task Force and the Franchise Relations Best Practices Task Force.
In 2009, Monson was honored by the IFA with the prestigious Bonny LeVine Award, which is bestowed on a female franchisor or franchisee who has demonstrated ability in franchising through contribution to the growth of the business, contributions to her community through board positions, volunteer work and activities that promote the professional advancement of women, and contributions as a mentor to women in franchising. Monson was involved with the second annual IFA’s fall “fly-in” event in Washington DC (originally called Franchise Appreciation Day and now called the Franchise Action Network (FAN) Annual Meeting) in 2000 and has attended all but one ever since. In 2014, she testified before the US House of Representatives Workforce Subcommittee on the potential negative consequences of the NLRB’s then-expected expansion of the definition of “Joint Employer.” In 2015, she received the IFA’s first ever “FAN (Franchise Action Network) of the Year Award” for her commitment, dedication and efforts to champion franchising and small businesses locally and nationally through her work with the Franchise Action Network, and in 2018, she testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Workforce Subcommittee on Association Health Plans.
Monson has also been a panelist or facilitator in breakout sessions at every IFA Convention since 2006 and has served as keynote speaker for the 2016 IFA Convention, the Australian Franchise Convention in 2016, the Brazilian Franchise Association in 2016, the Canadian Franchise Association Convention in 2017 and the New Zealand Franchise Association in 2018.
“I’m honored to be elected to serve in a second year as Chair of the IFA and help lead the franchising industry through various seasons of uncertainty and recovery,” said Catherine Monson. “The IFA continues to provide franchisors, franchisees and suppliers with resources to successfully achieve their goals as business owners and develop a positive outlook, so they, in turn, can successfully lead through these challenging times.”
As the franchise sector is poised to rebound from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Monson’s work with the IFA will center on leading the organization to protect, promote and enhance the franchise business model through teaching and modeling franchising best practices to franchisors, supporting the IFA’s strong government relations, and growing value proposition of membership in the IFA.
“I love franchising; franchising enables people to own their own business, build wealth for their families, create jobs in the local market and create economic growth by benefiting from the power of a brand along with the brand’s marketing, advertising, training and support. I look forward to serving the franchising community through my appointment and doing my part to protect, promote and enhance franchising,” said Monson.
About FASTSIGNS®
FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 750 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS® centers in 9 countries including the United States and Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE®). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, promote their products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touchpoints.
In 2020, Fastsigns Holdings Inc. acquired GTN CAPITAL GROUP, LLC the parent company of NerdsToGo, an emerging IT services franchise brand. Learn more about sign and graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns, Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS. For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or call 214.346.5679).
One of the nation’s fastest-growing and greenest carpet cleaning franchises poised to continue nationwide expansion in 2021.
LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Despite the difficulties that faced businesses in 2020, Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning – one of the fastest-growing and greenest carpet cleaning franchises in the United States – ended the year strong and is poised to continue its impressive expansion in 2021.
The company opened 46 new units during 2020 and was able to meet the increasing demand for carpet cleaning services as people looked to keep their homes clean and safe during the pandemic. This growth and other factors earned Oxi Fresh both a spot in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500® and the title of a “Top Franchise” courtesy of Franchise.com.
“This past year presented unique challenges for all businesses, but Oxi Fresh was able to remain strong. We added dozens of new locations that are serving more and more communities,” said founder and CEO, Jonathan Barnett. “As we look toward the rest of 2021, we are confident that we will continue to meet the rising demand for cleaning services with our continued innovation, strong network of franchisees, and our committed team.”
In 2020, Oxi Fresh had its strongest week in terms of number of appointments booked; the company also regularly had higher numbers of appointments booked per week in the second half of 2020 when compared to the second half of 2019. This increased demand exemplifies the brand’s excellent position for even further expansion in 2021.
In addition to Oxi Fresh’s accomplishments, the home services franchise category made up nearly 25% of all franchise inquiries in Q4 of 2020. This was an increase of nearly 50% from Q4 in 2019 according to Franchise Insights, which also demonstrates the strength of the industry. As the category continues to see incredible demand, Oxi Fresh’s resiliency and strength continues to position the brand as an industry leader.
Oxi Fresh plans to utilize this increase in demand for home service franchises in 2021 to ramp up its expansion with 70 new locations across the United States. The company is looking to grow its presence in the cities of Boston, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Tampa and Portland while also expanding in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio and Alabama, among other markets.
“With almost 450 locations open throughout the United States and Canada, we want to keep pushing forward to continue our mission of providing communities with access to high quality, eco-friendly carpet cleaning services, especially as the pandemic continues,” said Barnett. “We are eager to surpass the 500 unit mark in 2021 and further strengthen our presence.”
About Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning®
Through innovative products and modern technology, Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning offers green carpet cleaning and exceptional results through a unique, low-moisture process. Oxi Fresh’s advanced franchisee support system – including its centralized Scheduling Center and innovative marketing strategies – provides franchisees the opportunity to focus on growing their business instead of merely operating them. The company’s powerful combination of knowledgeable people, innovative technology, and strong processes has landed the company in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500, ranked in Inc. magazine’s Inc. 500|5000, and saw them named as one of “America’s Best Franchises to Buy,” by Forbes magazine. Oxi Fresh has nearly 450 locations throughout the United States and Canada with more locations currently in development. For more information, visit oxifresh.com.
Independent Survey Shows Franchise Owners Are Extremely Satisfied With Senior Care Authority’s Performance.
PETALUMA, Calif. — Senior Care Authority was once again named a Top Franchise by Franchise Business Review. This is the 16th annual ranking of the best franchise opportunities as rated by franchise business owners.
Senior Care Authority is an eldercare consulting company with a specialty in senior placement. Their franchisees are highly trained and certified advisors who provide support, advocacy and guidance as families face challenging care decisions.
“As an independent research firm, we rate the franchise companies in the marketplace today and identify those with the highest levels of satisfaction and performance among their franchisees in order to educate potential buyers and help them choose which franchise to invest in,” said Eric Stites, CEO of Franchise Business Review.
Senior Care Authority was among over 300 franchise brands, representing more than 28,000 franchise owners who participated in Franchise Business Review’s research. Senior Care Authority’s franchisees were surveyed on 33 benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding critical areas of their franchise systems. Just some of these benchmarks the company rated highly in include:
“Our focus is twofold – provide the franchisees with the tools they need to be successful and, most importantly, provide the families with relief from their stress in caring for a loved one,” says Frank Samson, CEO and Founder. “It is always nice to be recognized, especially when there were tens of thousands of interviews with franchisees, and we were not only one of the top-rated companies but the top company in our particular senior care niche,” he added.
About Franchise Business Review
Franchise Business Review (FBR) is a leading market research firm serving the franchise sector. FBR measures the satisfaction and engagement of franchisees and publishes various guides and reports for entrepreneurs considering an investment in a franchise business. http://www.franchisebusinessreview.com
About Senior Care Authority®
Senior Care Authority® is a Senior Placement and Eldercare Consulting organization based in Petaluma, California. The network is comprised of locally owned and professionally trained advisors who assist families in the overwhelming challenges associated with selecting the best options in assisted living, memory care, nursing care and other long-term care services. www.seniorcareauthority.com/franchise.
BLUE ASH, Ohio — Handyman Connection, a home repair company with more than 25 years experience, held its annual franchise conference virtually last month in order to celebrate a successful year for all its franchisees. To close the conference, the brand announced its esteemed 2020 awards, acknowledging franchise owners, craftspeople and brand partners for their significant achievements.
As Handyman Connection’s highest honor, the franchisee of the year award is given to the top-performing franchisee systemwide that has excelled at various attributes including sales growth, market presence and penetration, online review score and brand leadership. The 2020 franchisee of the year was awarded to Chris Schenk, owner of Handyman Connection of Lexington –Nicholasville, KY. Schenk was the top performer systemwide in 2020, eclipsing more than $1M in sales and increased total sales by more than 88% year-over-year.
“The core of Handyman Connection’s values stem from our long-standing dedication to the people we serve, and that statement rings true from our customers to franchise owners to home office staff. Despite all the challenges due to COVID-19, last year proved to be another successful year for our local franchise owners and we attribute their success to their dedication to employees and customers, flexibility, compassionate leadership style and giving back to their local communities through difficult times,” said Jeff Wall, President and CEO of Handyman Connection. “Chris Schenk is the perfect example of the Handyman Connection brand and his success is a result of hard work, dedication and passion for his company. We are extremely proud to honor Chris as the franchisee of the year and look forward to his continued success for years to come.”
In addition to franchisee of the year, Handyman Connection handed out the following awards:
Ranked as the #1 Handyman Company by Qualified Remodeler, Handyman Connection operates more than 60 locations throughout 25 states and Canada. For more than 25 years, the brand has offered homeowners across North America a complete resource for professional craftsmanship and exemplary customer service. Handyman Connection offers a variety of services ranging from traditional home repairs to painting, remodeling and more.
For more information about Handyman Connection, call 1-800-88-HANDY or visit handymanconnection.com.
About Handyman Connection
Since 1991, homeowners across North America have been calling on Handyman Connection for our professional craftsmanship and exemplary customer service. Each Handyman Connection franchise is locally owned and operated, backed by the company that helped launch the industry. Our values are steeped in a long-standing dedication to the people we serve, and truly differentiate Handyman Connection as a home repair company.
Franchise and Fitness Industry Expert Joins the World’s Largest Fitness Boxing Brand.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — BoxUnion Holdings, the parent company to TITLE Boxing Club and BoxUnion has announced Justin Ghadery as its Chief Operating Officer. Ghadery joins at an exciting time for the boxing brands, as BoxUnion Holdings recently acquired the 163-unit franchisor TITLE Boxing Club as well as its digital platform, TITLE Boxing Club On Demand. In his role, Ghadery will continue to ignite the company’s commitment to innovation, while streamlining systems and processes to position the business for long-term growth.
People, and strong relationships, have always been at the center of Ghadery’s leadership. In his first year as Chief Operating Officer, Ghadery’s primary initiatives will focus on driving consistency across the franchisee system while providing high levels of support as he rolls out a franchisee-centric service model. Ghadery’s passion and focus is centered around improving the team member experience, the member experience and unit economics. He is currently in the depths of a 100-day plan to meet with a substantial majority of franchisees, take classes in Clubs across the country, and connect with TITLE Boxing Club members.
“We are honored that Justin is joining our growing team,” said BoxUnion Holdings’ CEO Todd Wadler. “At every step he’s made in his professional career, he has quickly excelled and risen up the ranks of leadership. Justin exemplifies our core values and brings a track record of operational excellence to lead our team. At a time when it has never been more important to empower small business owners, these traits are also complemented with a partnership mentality. His passion for people, teamwork, technology and combat sports make him uniquely qualified to drive our business to new heights and position our franchisees for success in a post-COVID world.”
Ghadery’s career has been heavily intertwined with fitness, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Global Operations for Gold’s Gym International. In this role, his direct responsibilities included managing over 100 corporate-owned locations across the United States, supporting almost 600 franchised locations across 30 countries, and overseeing approximately 5,000 employees. Prior to that, he worked at 24 Hour Fitness for nearly eight years, working his way up from front desk and Personal Trainer to District Manager in one of the most competitive fitness markets – Los Angeles. Ghadery has also been a franchisee in a couple of industries as an owner and a partner.
Prior to his career in fitness, Ghadery followed his calling to join the United States Marine Corps after the attacks on September 11, 2001, where he served for eight years. While he had a background in jiu-jitsu and boxing prior to enlisting, it was in the military where he truly found his passion for fitness and training, a passion that ultimately led Ghadery on a non-traditional and impressive path. This included earning two honor graduate awards from basic training and infantry school, as well as receiving two meritorious promotions. As such, Ghadery became an instructor of hand-to-hand combat skills for his fellow servicemen and women, an honor typically designated for Marines ranked Sergeant or higher.
“I am thrilled to join BoxUnion Holdings for several reasons,” said Ghadery. “TITLE Boxing Club and BoxUnion are both strong brands with compelling product offerings. I am focused on bringing technology, automation and a data-driven culture to the company. I am equally committed to delivering a high-quality franchisee service model that is coupled with operational excellence to push our brands to the next level. I look forward to further developing our team as well as bringing in top-tier talent to execute our vision. With Todd and Felicia (Felicia Alexander – Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder) at the helm, this is the team I want to be by my side in the ring.”
Ghadery is based in Dallas and will oversee leadership teams at both BoxUnion and TITLE Boxing Club.
About TITLE Boxing Club®
TITLE Boxing Club is a boutique fitness studio that specializes in boxing and kickboxing fitness classes. Based in Kansas City, the company has 163 clubs across the United States, Mexico and the Dominican Republic and another 130 in development worldwide. The brand is currently ranked on Entrepreneur magazine’s prestigious Franchise 500 list and the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing, privately-held companies. To learn more, visit www.titleboxingclub.com.
About BoxUnion
BoxUnion is a fitness brand with three studio locations and a digital subscription service. BoxUnion’s workouts bring together mind, body, music and boxing. Welcoming all experience levels, ages, and backgrounds, their classes feature high-intensity cardio, muscle sculpting strength training and TONS of punches. Their captivating coaches guide you through a powerful mind and body experience designed to bring out your inner fighter. Voted most fun new workout by Self Magazine and Top 10 coolest workout taking over LA right now by Well + Good, BoxUnion has been recognized by everyone from People Magazine to Goop. In one of the most competitive fitness cities in the world, BoxUnion has garnered a sophisticated following. https://www.boxunion.com/
Leading national staffing franchise expands footprint into Ellicott City, Maryland.
BALTIMORE — AtWork Group, a rapidly growing national staffing franchise announced today the opening of its new office in Ellicott City, Maryland, extending its national reach to nearly 100 units in 28 states. The location is owned and operated by Ruby and Vaughn Harvey. Ruby is a former Senior Executive for the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Vaughn is highly regarded psychotherapist in the local area.
“With this expansion into the Ellicott City we’re looking forward to developing a strong presence in the greater Baltimore area,” said Jason Leverant, president and COO of AtWork. “By coupling motivated professionals like Ruby and Vaughn with the knowledge, tools, and resources of AtWork’s national franchise network, clients and associates alike will be able to realize why AtWork is consistently recognized as a leader in the staffing industry.”
“We are very excited to join the AtWork family,” said Ms. Harvey. “I believe that we can help America’s workforce return to full employment following the many challenges brought about because of COVID-19.”
The new office is location at 3505 Ellicott Mills Drive, Suite C1 Ellicott City, Maryland 21043 and will be placing candidates into administrative, call center, light industrial, manufacturing, and professional positions. The business may be reached at 410-203-1714 or by visiting AtWork.com/EllicottCity.
About AtWork Group
AtWork Group was recently ranked in: Staffing Industry Analysts’ 2019 report on the Largest Staffing Firms in the United States, Franchise Business Review’s Top Innovative Franchises, Forbes’ America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms and America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms, Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500®, Franchise Times’ Fast & Serious, Franchise Times’ Top 200+ and Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000.
WACO, Texas — Neighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands, is doing all it can to continue helping homeowners in the aftermath of the harsh winter storms wreaking havoc on countless communities across the United States.
Neighborly, based in Waco, Texas, is the parent company of 28 home service brands represented by nearly 4,500 franchise locations, all focused right now on doing their respective parts to fix the winter damage currently being inflicted on homes and businesses.
Since Monday, Neighborly brands including Mr. Rooter Plumbing, Rainbow International Restoration, Aire Serv and Mr. Electric have been responding to a significant influx in home service requests related to burst pipes, flooding damage and other emergencies caused by the weather. As the ice and snow begin to melt, Neighborly expects that even more damage will become apparent and require maintenance from its service professionals.
“Our hearts are with everyone whose homes and lives have been affected by this extreme weather,” said Mike Bidwell, President and CEO of Neighborly. “Our headquarters and many of our team members were hit hard as well, so we know the severity of damage spanning the southern region. It’s in times like these that our home services are truly essential, and we’re proud to be able to provide some relief wherever we can as we all navigate these serious conditions.”
For a quick list of best practices in the aftermath of recent winter storms, click here. To request services from a Neighborly brand in your area, visit www.neighborly.com.
About Neighborly®
Neighborly® is the world’s largest home services franchisor of 28 brands and more than 4,500 franchises collectively serving 10 million+ customers in nine countries, focused on repairing, maintaining and enhancing homes and businesses. The company operates online platforms that connect consumers to service providers in their local communities that meet their rigorous standards as a franchisor across 18 service categories at Neighborly.com in the United States and Neighbourly.ca in Canada. More information about Neighborly/Neighbourly, and its franchise concepts, is available at https://www.neighborlybrands.com/. To learn about franchising opportunities with Neighborly®, click here.
Leading Funding Solutions Provider Promotes Strategic Leader to Spearhead Finance & HR.
FORT WORTH, Texas — FranFund, a leading provider of franchise and small business funding solutions, announced its promotion of Carly Lywood from Controller to Vice President Finance & Human Resources. Lywood has served as Controller at FranFund, Inc. since 2013. In her multifaceted role, she has responsibility for all aspects of the company’s accounting and human resource functions. As a key member of the leadership team, Lywood will be instrumental in contributing to the strategic development of FranFund.
Carly Lywood brings more than a decade of expertise to her new role at FranFund where she will take charge in streamlining accounting and human resource processes, while maintaining FranFund’s exemplary standards of accounting practices. Prior to FranFund, Lywood earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Texas A&M University, completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. Before joining FranFund, she worked as a financial auditor at a Big Four accounting firm, analyzing accounting practices and records of companies in a number of industries. This was followed by a senior financial accounting role at a large financial services corporation.
“Carly has proven to be a tremendous asset to our FranFund leadership team,” said Geoff Seiber, President and CEO of FranFund. “We are confident that Carly’s extensive finance background, passion for our employees and experience with FranFund will play an essential role in FranFund’s continued growth.”
About FranFund, Inc.
A member of the International Franchise Association Supplier Forum, FranFund, Inc. designs smart all-in-one funding plans that grow with franchise businesses. Founded by a veteran in the franchise industry with first-hand experience as a franchise owner, franchise developer, and new franchise creator, FranFund specializes in funding solutions for franchisees. By utilizing a franchise-specific pre-qualification tool and cultivating an extensive network of lenders who are franchise and small business friendly, clients pre-approved by FranFund have a loan approval rate of 99%. FranFund takes a consultative approach, providing clients a personalized experience that helps them gain the confidence to move forward with a funding solution that makes the most sense for them. For more information, visit www.franfund.com.