Originally from Tibet, and after having lived six years as a refugee in India, Phuntsok “Phil” Dhargyal came to Virginia, where he attended high school and college. He worked a full-time job during school before being introduced to the property restoration industry through a friend, Tenzin Jigme. Jigme, who is also from Tibet, is now Dhargyal’s PuroClean business partner. By Cindy Charette
Originally from Tibet, and after having lived six years as a refugee in India, Phuntsok “Phil” Dhargyal came to Virginia, where he attended high school and college. He worked a full-time job during school before being introduced to the property restoration industry through a friend, Tenzin Jigme. Jigme, who is also from Tibet, is now Dhargyal’s PuroClean business partner. Initially, the two worked together for a large restoration company, where Dhargyal worked his way up to project manager.
When Dhargyal and Jigme decided to become entrepreneurs, they immediately looked into the property restoration industry since they had built many years of experience in the field. Once they were able to meet with PuroClean at an annual convention, the duo immediately knew the brand was the right franchise for them to join, after connecting with other franchise owners, executive leadership and the franchise development team.
Dhargyal and Jigme joined the PuroClean franchise in July 2018, and they attended an intensive three- week training program at the home office in Tamarac, Florida, prior to opening their first location the following month in Alexandria, Virginia. Having a very successful start, the business partners were recipients of PuroClean’s Rookie of the Year award as a result of the excellent customer service they offer, including about 80 percent of which are from repeat customers during flood season. Continuing along this path of success, when a nearby territory opened the following year in the McLean/Arlington area of Virginia, they acquired it and are currently discussing expanding their territory into a third location.
When asked what he looks forward to in his day, Dhargyal shared how he enjoys working with and helping people in his community, including customers, businesses, insurance adjusters, and real estate agents. He appreciates having the opportunity to learn new things each day, to take on more responsibilities and to grow his businesses. Despite having years of experience in the restoration industry, Dhargyal knows there is always more knowledge to gain that can only come from day-to-day experiences.
The communities that are being served, in turn, appreciate PuroClean’s presence, especially since Alexandria is an area that experiences a great deal of flooding. With heavy rainfall over the past two and a half years, this community needed PuroClean’s assistance to restore their properties.
“We do an amazing job and also show our dedicated support to giving back by providing discounts to first responders, teachers, military, and health-care workers,” Dhargyal stated.
Dhargyal is very active in his community as well. He organizes local events and is a member of several organizations, such as the chamber of commerce and other business networking groups. Also, he teaches free, accredited classes to local real-estate and insurance agents about their services and how they can help property owners.
Additionally, Dhargyal has been named a Brand Ambassador of PuroClean, and he represents the brand by answering inquiries from potential franchise owners. From his personal experience as an owner, Dhargyal shares how PuroClean is a recession-resistant business that not only survived the pandemic but also increased revenue year over year. The brand began providing a COVID-19 cleaning service in 2020, which created an additional revenue stream. PuroClean now services hospitals, doctors’ offices, clinics, and even homes where a resident may have been COVID-19 positive. Dhargyal also shared how PuroClean has always been supportive and answers any questions or doubts, no matter what time of day.
PuroClean, one of the largest restoration and remediation franchises in North America, offers training and support to its franchise owners, focusing on servant leadership, relentless customer service and world-class support, while providing the tools franchise owners need to be successful and scale their business. In particular, franchise owners receive technical training that covers water and fire damage, mold and biohazard remediation and carpet and upholstery cleaning. Also, they learn about sales and marketing, operations and all other areas of running the business. It comes as no surprise that PuroClean’s experienced leadership and support teams are dedicated to franchise owners’ success and treat them with respect.
For more information about a PuroClean franchise, visit purocleanfranchise.com.
– Cindy Charette