THE NEWEST MOVER AND SHAKER IN THE INDUSTRY
April 10, 2004
Entrepreneur Magazine

Every once in a while, when one is interviewing a CEO/founder of a company, you come across a remarkable person with a great vision. Such is the case when I interviewed the founder of 1-800-WATER DAMAGE. Here is a man with as much passion as expertise; with a company expanding so quickly 1-800-WATER DAMAGE is moving full speed ahead to meet the demand for new franchisees.

As we spoke about the growth of his business, the founder explained they have done no formal advertising. However through word of mouth alone the response has been incredible, enabling the company to rapidly expand across the United States . He also stated that this is the type of franchise possessing high quality standards and exceptional customer service; which people have long been waiting for. Their success is due to having proven systems that are easy to implement, marketing operational systems unlike any other in the industry and franchise fees well below the cost of their competitors. He went on to explain they have years of experience in the water damage restoration industry (extracting water and drying saturated structures from homes and businesses, due to situations from outside flooding, overflowed toilets and broken pipes) and their sterling reputation is built upon phenomenal customer service and exceptional quality workmanship.

While we toured the 1-800-WATER DAMAGE Corporate Headquarters I was surprised to find he had a company owned location. He explained he likes to keep his hands on the steering wheel. He wants to stay abreast of the operations, ensuring 1-800-WATER DAMAGE remains at the forefront of cutting edge technology and other advances in the industry. As we approached the second floor of the building we entered a massive construction project that was underway. He explained to me that they are almost finished building their new franchisee customer support center that includes a state of the art training training facility. The training facility will include a one of a kind onsite flood house, which will be used to teach Applied Structural Drying. (ASD), along with course rooms for management, marketing, operations and customer support service instruction. Competition is expected in June of 2004.

On my way back to the airport I took it upon myself to call a few of their franchisees and asked what they liked about owning a 1-800-WATER DAMAGE franchise. Their enthusiasm was inspiring. One franchisee responded, "When I finished the training I knew exactly what to do to make a booming business. I didn't have to reinvent the wheel; it was all laid out for me. Now six months later I am doing even better than I projected." Another franchisee commented, "I have received superb customer support in every aspect of the business, and by following the tried and true systems taught in training, success is inevitable."