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Strategic leadership appointments position multi-brand franchisor for continued expansion following record 2025 performance

RICHMOND, Va. — Empower Brands, a franchisor of home and business services brands, is reinforcing its leadership team with a series of strategic appointments and promotions over the last six months, positioning the company for continued growth in 2026.

Following a record-setting 2025, in which the company achieved significant expansion across its portfolio, with multiple brands earning national recognition and franchisees demonstrating strong unit-level performance, Empower Brands has expanded its leadership bench across marketing, operations, technology and brand leadership roles. These additions reflect a continued investment in franchisee support and platform innovation across its portfolio.

“Coming off a milestone year, we’re focused on building the right leadership structure to support the next phase of growth,” said Scott Zide, CEO of Empower Brands. “These leaders bring deep experience and a shared commitment to helping our franchise owners succeed. As we move through 2026, this team will play a critical role in driving performance across every brand in our system.”

Key leadership updates include:

• Volker Wellman, Senior Vice President of Operations at JAN-PRO
• Chris Donnelly, Vice President of Information Technology
• Melanie Watts, Vice President of Brand Marketing
• Joe Dominiak, Brand Leader for Superior Fence & Rail
• Justin Mayer, Brand President of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
• Ben Wright, Brand President for Canopy Lawn Care
• Cory Lyons, Brand President of Wallaby Windows in addition to his role as Brand President of Koala Insulation
• Jeff Waters, Brand President of FRSTeam
• Andrew Eaton, Vice President of Growth for Bumble Roofing
• Neal Leon, Vice President of Business Development for JAN-PRO

The company’s continued investment in leadership reflects its commitment to building a scalable platform that supports both emerging and established brands. By strengthening expertise across key functional areas, Empower Brands aims to improve execution at the local level while creating new opportunities for franchisees to expand and grow within the system.

“Our strategy is centered on empowering franchise owners with the tools, leadership and support they need to succeed,” Zide added. “With this expanded leadership team in place, we’re well-positioned to accelerate growth, strengthen our brands and deliver long-term value across the entire platform.”

With a diversified portfolio and a growing base of multi-unit franchise operators, Empower Brands enters the remainder of 2026 focused on driving sustainable expansion, enhancing franchisee performance and continuing to build one of the leading service-based franchise platforms in North America.

To learn more about Empower Brands and its array of franchise opportunities across its award-winning portfolio, visit EmpowerFranchising.com.

Multi-brand franchisor earns industry recognition for performance, culture and growth as it continues accelerating through the final months of 2025

RICHMOND, Va. — Empower Brands, a franchisor of award-winning brands in the home and business services categories, is heading into the final months of 2025 with extraordinary momentum, earning recognition across multiple industry platforms for its brand performance, franchise culture and continued innovation. From systemwide rankings to partnership honors, the company’s growing portfolio continues to demonstrate enduring strength and long-term scalability as it looks ahead to 2026.

At last month’s 2025 International Franchise Professionals Group (IFPG) Conference, Empower Brands was named Runners-Up for Loyal Partner of the Year, reflecting the company’s long-standing commitment to collaboration and integrity within the franchise community. Bumble Roofing, one of Empower’s newest and fastest-rising brands, was also recognized as Runners-Up for Top Evolving Brand, underscoring its rapid growth and increasing visibility among emerging concepts.

“These honors are a direct reflection of our people, their consistency, their commitment and their passion for partnership,” said Scott Zide, CEO of Empower Brands. “From newer concepts like Bumble Roofing to legacy brands that continue to outperform, each plays a role in building the culture of trust and success that defines Empower.”

Recognition extended across Empower’s portfolio in Franchise Business Review’s 2025 awards program, which honored multiple brands for franchisee satisfaction, profitability and cultural excellence. Among the distinctions were:

• Top Franchises: Archadeck, Conserva Irrigation, FRSTeam, Jan-Pro System International, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives and Superior Fence & Rail
• Best Franchise Cultures: Archadeck, Conserva, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives and Superior Fence & Rail
• Top Franchises for Women: Conserva and Jan-Pro
• Top Low-Cost Franchises: Archadeck, Conserva, FRSTeam and Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
• Most Profitable Franchises: Archadeck, FRSTeam, Jan-Pro and Superior Fence & Rail
• Franchise Rock Star: FRSTeam

In addition, Franchise Times once again recognized Empower’s portfolio in its annual Top 400 ranking, with seven brands earning a place on the list due to their top-performing global systemwide sales: Jan-Pro System International, Superior Fence & Rail, Koala Insulation, FRSTeam, Archadeck, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives and Conserva Irrigation.

Further demonstrating its commitment to innovation, Empower Brands earned the Innovation in Support of Franchisee Profitability & Validation Award at the 2025 STAR Awards, presented by Franchise Update Media. The recognition highlights the company’s development of EPIC (Empower Partner Information Connection), a first-of-its-kind platform that streamlines how franchise consultants access brand data, territory availability and candidate registration, simplifying the path to ownership and supporting franchisee success.

Together, these achievements reflect Empower’s commitment to building franchise systems that are financially strong, people-first and positioned for sustained success.

These recognitions come during a period of continued growth and momentum for Empower Brands. In fiscal year 2025 to-date, the company has grown its network of franchise owners by 13 percent across the portfolio, increasing the total number of locations by 10 percent. This progress underscores Empower’s commitment to franchisee-first values by adding the right owners in the right markets at the right time and reflects the continued strength of its scalable, category-leading models.

With multiple new market launches, record system growth and a growing list of national awards, Empower Brands continues to build momentum heading into 2026. Each of its 10 franchise brands is actively expanding across the United States, offering franchise opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking strong unit economics, trusted leadership and proven operational models.

“As proud as we are of these accolades, what matters most is what they represent: a network of brands built to endure,” said Zide. “The energy and progress we are seeing across our portfolio right now point to an even stronger finish to 2025 and an incredibly bright path forward in 2026.”

To learn more about Empower Brands and its array of franchise opportunities, visit EmpowerFranchising.com.

RICHMOND, Va. — Empower Brands, a franchisor of award-winning brands in the home and business services categories, announced today the expansion of its Franchise Development Center of Excellence leadership team. R. Scott Sutton, Empower’s chief development officer, made the announcement in connection with its Empower Day event, where prospective new owners meet the Empower Brands team to learn about the company’s culture, support and strategy.

Stephen Schiller has joined Empower Brands as the company’s Vice President of Franchise Development and will work closely with Sutton on franchise development leadership and strategic initiatives while also driving franchise owner growth within the Outdoor Lighting Perspectives brand. Stephen is a franchise industry veteran who formerly served as an award-winning brand developer, Vice President, portfolio Chief Growth Officer and a Sales Excellence consultant for leading portfolio companies such as Neighborly, EverSmith Brands, & Home Franchise Concepts.

“We’re incredibly excited to have Stephen join our dynamic team,” said Sutton. “Stephen is a gifted leader with significant growth experience. He aligns perfectly with our culture to be franchisee-first and will be an integral part of our growth as we expand the reach of our world-class franchise brands.”

“I have tremendous respect for Scott Sutton’s leadership and have long admired the unwavering ‘Franchisee First’ commitment that defines Empower Brands under the guidance of Scott Zide, CEO,” Schiller said.  “When the opportunity arose a few months ago to join this incredible organization and contribute to its next phase of growth, it was simply one I couldn’t pass up. I’m thrilled to be part of what’s ahead.”

Jane Campbell will now serve Empower as its Vice President of Franchise Development Marketing, a new role that will be critical to the company’s aggressive growth expectations. Previously, Jane served as Empower’s Vice President of Marketing, driving consumer marketing efforts for the brands nationally and locally.

“Franchise development is one of the key growth levers a franchise has in its arsenal,” says Campbell. “From a marketing perspective, it requires strategy, messaging, and care. I’m thrilled to take this new role, telling the stories of our wonderful franchise owners and introducing new candidates to our portfolio of brands.”

Both Stephen and Jane join a seasoned franchise development leadership team that includes Sutton and Senior Vice President Erin Zide and Senior Director of Revenue Operations Cristin Smith.

“We’ve built a powerhouse team of leaders that’s firmly focused on growing our brands the right way, with the right new owners, in the right markets. The future is bright at Empower,” says Sutton.

Empower’s commitment to culture, brand excellence, and franchisee success continues to drive its reputation as a trusted platform for home service entrepreneurs and a magnet for high-caliber talent across the industry.

To learn more about Empower Brands, visit EmpowerFranchising.com.