residential and commercial clients

27 10, 2020

Neighborly® Announces Plans to Open Second Headquarters in Irving, Texas

2020-10-27T11:28:31-04:00October 27th, 2020|Tags: , , , , |

Global franchisor selects site to expand staff and support its rapidly growing network.

WACO, Texas — Neighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands, today announced plans to open a second headquarters office in Irving, Texas.

The new office, which is slated to open in April 2021, will occupy 34,000 square-feet of the 500 E. John Carpenter Freeway office building located in the central, upscale Las Colinas/Irving submarket. Neighborly plans to move five out-of-state brands: Mr. Handyman, Molly Maid, Dryer Vent Wizard, Window Genie and Real Property Management, as well as expand its IT and Digital Marketing teams, to the new location.

“We’ve been looking for some time now for the right opportunity to open a new Neighborly hub in the North Texas area that is perfectly suited for the continued growth of our worldwide business,” said Mike Bidwell, President and CEO of Neighborly. “The City of Irving has already welcomed us with open arms, and we are excited that we will soon be able to call this community our second home.”

Neighborly will continue to maintain its Waco Headquarters office with this second headquarters giving Neighborly access to more franchise resources and a centrally located hub for national and international travel, both of which are especially attractive benefits to the global franchisor.

Irving’s connectivity and accessibility to world-class talent make our community a top contender for business and were key factors in Neighborly’s real estate decision,” said Beth Bowman, President & CEO of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and the Irving Economic Development Partnership. “For this highly-reputable company to select our community as a headquarters site not only means quality job opportunities for our residents but it also is a further testament to the business-friendly environment Irving-Las Colinas offers. The Partnership is proud to welcome Neighborly and we look forward to engaging and integrating their workforce into the community.”

Following its 2021 opening, Neighborly plans for the new office to be occupied by at least 60 associates come December 2022. By the close of 2026, Neighborly projects that this new office will be home to more than 200 full-time associates, including both existing and entirely new positions.

“On behalf of the City of Irving, we are excited to welcome Neighborly and its nationally-recognized home service brands to our community,” said Mayor Rick Stopfer. “I am certain its workforce and executives will find our vibrant and dynamic city to be a premier business destination with quality amenities, diverse assets and a sophisticated pool of employee talent. I look forward to personally welcoming Neighborly to Irving-Las Colinas.”

For more information about Neighborly’s service brands visit www.neighborlybrands.com.

About Neighborly®

Neighborly® is the world’s largest home services franchisor of 27 brands and more than 4,300 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.

6 10, 2020

Neighborly® Acquires ShelfGenie

2020-10-06T11:22:48-04:00October 6th, 2020|Tags: , , , , |

Neighborly’s third acquisition of 2020 grows franchisor to 27 service brands, with more than 4,300 franchises and nearly 1,000 associates across nine countries.

WACO, Texas — Neighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands, today announced the acquisition of ShelfGenie, a custom glide-out shelving solutions franchise headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The acquisition of ShelfGenie – the only nationwide franchise known for designing, building and installing custom pull-out shelving solutions into existing cabinets – furthers our strategy to ‘Own the Home’ through Neighborly’s home services,” said Mike Bidwell, president and CEO of Neighborly. “ShelfGenie’s high-quality service offerings and proven commitment to customer service make it an excellent complement to our existing portfolio of home service brands, providing an ideal opportunity for continued growth of the ShelfGenie franchise network and the Neighborly organization at-large.”

ShelfGenie was founded in 2000 in Richmond, Virginia, under the original name of Shelf Conversions. Since its 2008 rebranding and adoption of the franchise business model, the company has since grown its network to more than 50 franchise locations spanning 275 territories across the United States and Canada.

“As part of our organization’s Noble Purpose, our ShelfGenie franchise owners are committed to turning the frustration and pain points homeowners have throughout their homes into sources of joy and comfort,” said Andy Pittman, President of ShelfGenie. “It is through this dedication to our customers that we are projecting a record year in 2020 despite the challenges of an ongoing pandemic. Joining the Neighborly network will maximize our potential to achieve success in the years to come. I expect great things are in store for our franchise owners and their clients.”

As a result of this acquisition, ShelfGenie will now benefit from new tools for growth and enhanced exposure to Neighborly’s 10 million customers who rely on Neighborly brands for their home service needs.

“Since we began franchising ShelfGenie 12 years ago, our goals have always revolved around franchise profitability and continued growth,” said Barry J. Falcon, Board Chairman and co-founder of ShelfGenie. “Now under the Neighborly umbrella, our opportunity to exceed those goals is better than ever before. Through the continued leadership of Andy Pittman and now Mike Bidwell, the future looks bright for the entire ShelfGenie system.”

Boxwood Partners, a Richmond, Virginia, middle market investment bank, served as sell-side advisor to ShelfGenie for the transaction.

For more information about Neighborly’s service brands visit www.neighborlybrands.com.

About Neighborly®

Neighborly® is the world’s largest home services franchisor of 27 service brands and more than 4,300 franchises 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 www.NeighborlyBrands.com and www.nbly.co.uk.

2 07, 2020

Neighborly® Acquires HouseMaster®

2020-07-02T11:10:34-04:00July 2nd, 2020|Tags: , , , , , , |

Home inspection franchise grows franchisor to 25 brands and more than 4,000 franchise owners under the parent company umbrella.

WACO, TexasNeighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands, today announced the acquisition of HouseMaster, a professional home inspection franchise headquartered in Somerville, N.J. The addition becomes the 25th brand under the Neighborly umbrella and officially expands the organization to more than 4,000 franchise owners around the world.

“Our vision is to ‘Own the Home’ and provide the very best services to homeowners, and this now includes HouseMaster’s premier home inspection network with a stellar reputation that more customers can call upon,” said Mike Bidwell, president and CEO of Neighborly. “HouseMaster is a perfect complement to our existing Neighborly brands and presents a tremendous opportunity to grow more franchise locations.”

Founded in 1979 by Ken Austin, HouseMaster became the first home inspection business to franchise and now includes more than 170 franchise owners serving more than 300 franchise territories across the U.S. and Canada. Since the brand’s founding, HouseMaster inspectors have performed more than 3.5 million home inspections.

Now as part of Neighborly, the brand that pioneered the home inspection business will operate alongside Neighborly’s many home service brands that repair, maintain and enhance the home. The combined reach that results from this acquisition will continue to help more than 10 million customers across the Neighborly organization find and utilize the best home service professionals in the world.

“Having grown up in this business, I recognize that joining the larger Neighborly organization marks a historic moment for HouseMaster as a launching point for growth like we’ve never seen before,” said Kathleen Austin Kuhn, president of HouseMaster and a charter member of the American Home Inspection Association (AHIA). “We look forward to expanding our presence, serving more customers by being all things Neighborly to residential and commercial real estate buyers and sellers.”

Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC provided advisory services to Neighborly in connection with this transaction.

For more information about Neighborly’s service brands visit www.neighborlybrands.com.

About Neighborly®

Neighborly® is the world’s largest home services franchisor of 25 brands (including Neighborly umbrella service brand) and more than 4,000 franchise owners 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 15 service categories at www.neighborly.com in the United States and www.neighbourly.ca  in Canada. More information about Neighborly/Neighbourly and its franchise concepts is available at www.NeighborlyBrands.com and www.nbly.co.uk.

25 02, 2020

Neighborly® Acquires Dryer Vent Wizard

2020-02-25T11:19:00-05:00February 25th, 2020|Tags: , , , , , , |

Domestic acquisition expands franchisor to 24 brands, more than 3,900 franchise owners and over 900 associates across nine countries

WACO, Texas — Neighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands, today announced the acquisition of Dryer Vent Wizard, a professional dryer vent cleaning services franchisor headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The addition includes almost 100 Dryer Vent Wizard franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada, bringing Neighborly’s network to more than 3,900 franchisees representing a total of 24 home service brands.

“We kicked off 2020 with a vision to ‘Own the Home’ through Neighborly’s community of home service experts, and welcoming Dryer Vent Wizard to our family of franchise brands marks an exciting milestone in this pursuit,” said Neighborly President and CEO Mike Bidwell. “In the 15 years since its inception, Dryer Vent Wizard’s cleaning, installation, inspection and repair service offerings have earned high customer satisfaction ratings. We see tremendous opportunities to grow the brand to the next level, making this a great partnership for all parties.”

As a result of this acquisition, Dryer Vent Wizard will now benefit from new tools for growth and enhanced exposure to Neighborly’s nine million customers who rely on Neighborly brands for everything from painting to plumbing and nearly everything in between.

“Every day, we look for opportunities to enhance value for our franchisees, our employees and our investors,” said Jason Kapica, President of Dryer Vent Wizard. “We believe that being a part of Neighborly will not only allow us to give back to our investors but will also bring added benefits to our Dryer Vent Wizard associates and franchisees, advancing us into the next growth stage of our business.”

The Dryer Vent Wizard franchise system was founded in 2004 by David Lavalle, who is also the founder of Neighborly’s own Mr. Handyman franchise network.

“As I’ve seen firsthand with Mr. Handyman, Neighborly has a proven track record of helping brands expand their presence to achieve growth goals through franchise development,” said Lavalle. “I’m excited that another brand I started is teaming up with this respected and successful franchisor, and I am eager to see Neighborly’s support help existing Dryer Vent Wizard franchisees realize their same store sales potential moving forward.”

Boxwood Partners acted as financial advisor to Dryer Vent Wizard. For more information about Neighborly’s service brands visit www.neighborlybrands.com.

About Neighborly®

Neighborly® is the world’s largest home services franchisor of 24 service brands and more than 3,900 franchise owners serving 9 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 14 service categories at www.getneighborly.com in the United States and www.getneighbourly.ca in Canada. The company was founded in 1981 as Dwyer Group and is based in Waco, Texas. More information about Neighborly/Neighbourly, and its franchise concepts, is available at www.Neighborlybrands.com.

15 01, 2020

Leading Dryer Vent Maintenance and Repair Franchise Raises $25,000 to Benefit Children’s Burn Foundation

2020-01-15T15:15:09-05:00January 15th, 2020|Tags: , , , , |

Dryer Vent Wizard Raises Funds for Non-Profit for Eighth Consecutive Year.

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — Exceeding its 2018 donation, Dryer Vent Wizard, North America’s leading dryer vent cleaning, maintenance, and repair franchise, raised $25,000 throughout the past year to benefit Children’s Burn Foundation, a non-profit organization that reached more than 84,644 child burn survivors and their families. The organization provides state-of-the-art reconstructive treatment, emergency family assistance, survivor and family camps, counseling, a teen support program, and prevention as well as education programs.

Every October during National Fire Prevention Month, Dryer Vent Wizard and Children’s Burn Foundation work to raise awareness about the dangers of fires. In 2019, throughout the months of October, November, and December, Dryer Vent Wizard raised funds through donations from franchisees, corporate staff, and family and friends. Additionally, activities were held by the Dryer Vent Wizard home office staff to help raise money.

“We are excited to share it’s been another successful year of raising funds for Children’s Burn Foundation, an organization that parallels our values and is close to our hearts,” said Jason Kapica, President of Dryer Vent Wizard. “As the leading dryer vent maintenance, cleaning, and repair franchise, we place great importance on raising awareness for fire safety, and partnering with Children’s Burn Foundation does just that.”

Since 2012, the franchise has donated a total of nearly $133,000 to Children’s Burn Foundation.

“Every year, we are blown away by Dryer Vent Wizard’s dedication to Children’s Burn Foundation,” said Sharon Townsend, Director of Children’s Burn Foundation. “We are so thankful we are able to partner with a company that has a mission aligned with ours. Our foundation is looking forward to continuing this partnership and raising awareness for this mighty cause.”

About Children’s Burn Foundation

For more than 30 years, Children’s Burn Foundation has provided care to children with severe burns, who because of a lack of financial resources and/or medical insurance, cannot otherwise benefit from medical treatment and much-needed post-acute services. The mission of Children’s Burn Foundation is: to prevent the pain and trauma of burn injuries to children, and; to heal and give children who have suffered severe burns the opportunity to reach their full potential, physically, psychologically, and socially. CBF is the only foundation providing full recovery services to child burn survivors from the date of their burn injury until they are 18-years old. Children’s Burn Foundation now serves more than 84,000 children and families annually. To learn more, please visit www.childburn.org.

SOURCE Dryer Vent Wizard

About Dryer Vent Wizard

Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Mich., Dryer Vent Wizard is a North American franchise that specializes in dryer vent repair, replacement, alteration, cleaning, and maintenance for both residential and commercial clients. The company was founded in 2004 by Dave Lavalle, who also founded Mr. Handyman, and currently operates more than 95 locations across the U.S. and Canada, serving over 9,000 communities. Dryer Vent Wizard is a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). For more information about Dryer Vent Wizard and to learn more about franchise opportunities, visit www.dryerventwizard.com.

13 09, 2019

Largest Ball of Lint: Dryer Vent Wizard Attempts to Set GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title

2019-09-13T10:56:20-04:00September 13th, 2019|Tags: , , , , |

National Dryer Vent Maintenance and Repair Franchise to Create World’s Largest Ball of Lint, Then Set on Fire to Raise Awareness for Fire Safety

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — After months of collecting dryer lint from more than 9,000 communities across the country, Dryer Vent Wizard, North America’s leading dryer vent maintenance and repair franchise, will attempt to set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the largest ball of lint next week. In an effort to raise awareness regarding the dangers of dryer fires, the company’s corporate team and franchisees will gather at 27245 Halsted Road in Farmington Hills, Michigan Thursday, Sept. 19 between noon and 3 p.m. to compile the massive lint ball, weighed on a construction crane, and then set it ablaze with the local fire department.

Dryer Vent Wizard started the lint collection in April 2019 and encouraged the company’s 95 franchisees to save lint they cleaned from clients’ homes as part of the record-setting attempt. At the event, a shipping container full of lint will be assembled into a giant ball, hoping to weigh in at more than 99 pounds to beat the minimum record criteria. The company is hoping to smash this weight, as it has already collected more than 1,000 pounds of lint.

“Thanks to our franchisees’ tireless efforts collecting and sending in lint from across North America, we are ready to set this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title – and then light it on fire,” said Jason Kapica, President of Dryer Vent Wizard. “Setting the lint ball on fire is a symbol of the prevalence of dryer vent fires. Our mission is to create something big that brings awareness to this important home safety issue.”

Dryer Vent Wizard will be partnering with Farmington Hills, MI Fire Department to extinguish doubt as to whether lint is a fire hazard. They plan to hose down the blazing lint ball to highlight how the lack of proper maintenance not only shortens the life of the appliance, but can have severe consequences to the safety of the homeowners.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are an average of 15,970 dryer fires in the U.S. annually. “Failure to clean” was cited as the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires in residential buildings. Hiring a professional to clean dryer vents should be an annual task for homeowners as well as businesses.

For more information about Dryer Vent Wizard franchising, visit www.dvwfranchise.com.

About Dryer Vent Wizard
Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Mich., Dryer Vent Wizard is a North American franchise that specializes in dryer vent repair, replacement, alteration, cleaning and maintenance for both residential and commercial clients. The company was founded in 2004 by Dave Lavalle, who also founded Mr. Handyman, and currently operates more than 95 locations across the U.S. and Canada, serving over 9,000 communities. Dryer Vent Wizard is a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). For more information about Dryer Vent Wizard and to learn more about franchise opportunities, visit www.dryerventwizard.com.

27 06, 2019

Dryer Vent Wizard Awards Top Franchisees

2019-06-27T23:45:31-04:00June 27th, 2019|Tags: , , , , |

Leading Dryer Vent Maintenance and Repair Franchise Honors Noteworthy Achievements

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — Dryer Vent Wizard, North America’s leading dryer maintenance and repair franchise, honored outstanding achievement across its franchise system. The company recognized four franchisees for their contributions to the continued success and growth of the company.

  • Jeff and Lori Knudtzon, owners of Dryer Vent Wizard of Northern Nevada, took home the Franchise of the Year Award. This award acknowledges the franchise business with top sales who fully participates in the network and also makes consistent contributions over the long term. Jeff and Lori truly exemplify Dryer Vent Wizard’s ideals.
  • Kirk Williams, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of Greater Pittsburgh, was awarded with the Rookie of the Year Award. This award is granted to those who excel in performance, sales, customer service, workmanship and marketing during their first year of operation.
  • John Ryley and Jamie Krohmer, owners of Dryer Vent Wizard of Suffolk County, were recognized with the System Builder Award. They received this award because they have gone above and beyond to contribute to the Dryer Vent Wizard System.
  • Katie Allen, wife of Dryer Vent Wizard of Middle Tennessee owner, Jeff Allen, was recognized with the Shining Star Award. This is awarded to a franchisee or employee that is an inspiration to everyone in the Dryer Vent Wizard network. Katie donated a kidney to a friend and is now helping other people who wish to do the same.

“We are so grateful to all of our franchisees for their consistent ability to go above and beyond as well as provide our customers with exceptional service every time,” said Jason Kapica, President of Dryer Vent Wizard. “We believe each of our franchisees is noteworthy, so choosing whom to award is no easy task. These four recipients have done an outstanding job at producing great work and getting involved both in our company and in the community.”

With nearly 100 locations throughout the U.S., Dryer Vent Wizard owners and their employees are committed to protecting the homes and families in their communities as the only international franchise company specializing in dryer vent maintenance and repair of residential and commercial clients. Dryer Vent Wizard technicians arrive at homes equipped with state-of-the-art dryer vent cleaning tools to complete all dryer vent services and get the appliance up to code.

To further the company’s goal of reducing dryer fires across North America, Dryer Vent Wizard is a member of the National Fire Protection Association. The company is also a partner of the Children’s Burn Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing medical and psychological care for child burn survivors.

About Dryer Vent Wizard

Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Mich., Dryer Vent Wizard is a North American franchise that specializes in dryer vent repair, replacement, alteration, cleaning and maintenance for both residential and commercial clients. The company was founded in 2004 and currently operates 95 locations across the U.S. and Canada, serving over 9,000 communities. Dryer Vent Wizard is a home-based, owner operated franchise opportunity that provides the right candidate the ability to start small and scale the business up to their ideal size. Their in-depth training provides the franchisees with the necessary education and skills to work with customers, provide outstanding service and grow their business investment. For more information about becoming a franchisee with Dryer Vent Wizard, visit DVWFranchise.com.