Former Active Duty Helicopter Pilot Chooses AdvantaClean’s VetFran Program
DuPont, Wash. (PRWEB) July 11, 2015 -- Jared Toppenberg, former active duty helicopter pilot and National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3, could be the poster child for the International Franchise Association’s VetFran program, and for AdvantaClean Systems’ wholehearted participation in it.
The program, in which franchisors offer a 10% discount to qualifying men and women of our armed forces, ranks AdvantaClean Systems among the Top 100 best franchise fits for veterans.
According to the IFA, one in seven franchises in the country is owned by a vet, and AdvantaClean is proud to claim Veterans as 15% of its franchise ownership, owing in part to the VetFran value of up to $10,000 toward vets’ initial franchise fee.
At press time, CW3 Toppenberg was in the middle of his two-week annual National Guard training at Fort Lewis, Wash. By day, it was helicopter training, while the evenings found Toppenberg “flying” in his AdvantaClean rig to meet with customers and finish jobs.
Here’s what Chief Toppenberg has to say about the factors that make AdvantaClean and veterans such a great match.
Q. Why franchising?
A. My dad owned his own plumbing and contracting business. As a helicopter pilot, I’d fly over the nice houses in Washington and I knew that owning my own business, rather than working for someone else, was my vehicle to getting one of those nice houses for myself. I chose franchising over independent business ownership because it mitigates the risk with a proven and tested business plan.
Q. How did you know that AdvantaClean was the right fit for you?
A. It came down to the details; the Franchise Disclosure Document and AdvantaClean’s Meet the Team Day. I knew the geography of my market made a lot of sense for our Light Environmental Services™ over that of, say, a restaurant-based franchise. With all of the moisture here in the South Sound area, mold is quite prevalent, so I knew there would always be a need for my services, no matter the economy. That, combined with the higher gross margin per job, moved AdvantaClean quickly to my top choice.
I called other AdvantaClean owners, past and present, and what was said confirmed what AdvantaClean claimed in their FDD. They answered two simple questions for me: “Are you making progress?” And, “Are you doing better today than when you opened for business, however many months or years ago that was?” Their answers to both were, “Yeah! For sure!”
Q. What Army skills have helped you with growing your AdvantaClean business?
A. As a military helicopter pilot, you’re always in service to somebody, always busy trying to find someone or something—no excuses. You get the job done – find the target and see it through to completion. For me, this relates to helping the customer solve their problem, no matter how difficult. There were many times in the military when I had to get creative on how to get things done, and I’m glad that component is still present. No day is just like the next or the one before it.
Jared Toppenberg, owner of AdvantaClean of the South Sound, is available for interviews and expert appearances through the following agent:
GinaCuza
Marketing Content Manager
AdvantaClean Systems Inc.
gina.cuza(at)advantaclean(dot)com
http://www.advantaclean.com
Phone: 704.766.2437 |877.800.2382 | Fax: 877.455.5546
About AdvantaClean Systems, Inc.
Founded in 1994 as a contracting business handling cleanup and repairs in southern Florida, AdvantaClean, now headquartered in Huntersville, N.C., is now the leading national franchised provider of Light Environmental Services™ in the country. The company currently ranks 85th on Entrepreneur Magazine’s fastest-growing-franchises list, and is among Franchise Business Review’s Top 50 in franchisee-satisfaction ratings. In 2013-14, USA Today and the International Franchise Association recognized AdvantaClean as a Top Franchise for Military Veterans. Today, more than 200 AdvantaClean franchised territories operate in 20 states, serving 100+ commercial and government clients, and thousands of residential customers nationwide.
#####
Gina Cuza, AdvantaClean Systems Inc., http://advantaclean.com/franchise/, +1 7047662437, [email protected]
Share this article