SOMERVILLE, N.J., Nov. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognized for
its commitment to those who have served, HouseMaster — a Neighborly
company and the original home inspection franchise — salutes
veterans on this year's Veterans Day. The franchise is nationally
recognized by Entrepreneur Media as one of Top Franchises for
Veterans as well as Franchise Business Review as a leading
franchise for veterans.
"We're so proud of what Hal has done for our country and so
happy HouseMaster is the franchising business our veteran franchise
owners decided to launch their business with," said Kathleen Kuhn, President of HouseMaster. "Our
veterans have proven to be leaders within our system. They embrace
our culture and inspire each and every one of us in the HouseMaster
family."
In the spirit of honoring those who have served in the military,
HouseMaster asked some of our veteran franchise owners to share
their insights about what it means to be a veteran and business
leader.
● Harold "Hal" Kunnen (franchise owner in Phoenix, Arizona): Kunnen spent 20 years
in the United States Air Force as
an officer and was stationed in Germany when the Berlin Wall fell. He retired
as a Major to Arizona with his
wife, who earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. "We were both
still in the Air Force when we researched our HouseMaster
franchise. This was in 1997, but we knew it was a good fit for us,"
Kunnen said. "Home inspection was technical enough for my skills as
an electrical avionics engineer, and my wife understood the
business management side." With 20 years in the armed forces and
now 20 more years with HouseMaster, Kunnen is thankful for
HouseMaster's commitment to veterans. He said he looks forward to
making many more new memories with his franchise in Arizona.
● Dave Toops (franchise
owner in Aurora,
Colorado): Toops retired from the Air Force in 2012
after 21 years as a Chinese Linguist and Intelligence Analyst. He
then worked in corporate America in the years that followed and
attended his HouseMaster training in March of this year. "My skills
as an Intelligence Analyst gave me a keen eye for detail and the
ability to write reports based on my findings," Toops said. He also
noted that to him, Veterans Day is a time when he remembers
everyone he served with and the sacrifices they made for this
country. He's enjoying his new-found passion for understanding the
needs of consumers. "I like meeting them and helping out to the
best of my abilities."
● Jim Fleming (franchise
owner in Alexandria,
Virginia): Fleming served almost 30 years in
the United States Navy. He joined
HouseMaster because he thought the company was unique and really
wanted them to succeed. "I'm an engineer by heart, and I like
meeting a variety of people, even though they bring me
unpredictable and demanding challenges," Fleming said. Looking back
on his nearly three decades of service, he helped integrate the
Kosovo Police during the ethnic
conflicts in the region, escorted strategic assets through the Suez
Canal, and provided strategic air defense for the National Capital
Region on 9/11.
● Andrey Barshay
(franchise owner in Southwest region of Illinois): Barshay spent 23 years in
active duty with the Air Force until 2012. Upon retiring, he
started exploring franchise opportunities, knowing he wanted to own
a business. "When I sat down with HouseMaster, they really gave me
that military team feeling," Barshay said. "They were there to make
sure everyone else is successful." In seven years as a franchise
owner, Barshay has embraced a super-focused HouseMaster home office
supporting his growth. He has expanded with a team of inspectors
and said he values Housemaster's "business model, the culture and
the organization — it's like a family."
● Tim Fisher (franchise
owner in Stafford, Virginia):
Fisher retired from the Army in 2015 as a lieutenant colonel after
28 years of service. Shortly thereafter, he decided he wanted to
work for himself while maintaining the values of years spent in
service to his country. "Being in the military, I learned the
number one thing is always making sure you get your job done. You
also need to be able to work independently to get things done
quickly and effectively," Fisher said. Those skills are helping
Fisher grow his HouseMaster franchise. After several years, he is
"getting ready to hire some additional people" to provide more
inspections in his service area.
● Scott Henschen
(franchise owner in Dover,
Delaware): Henschen spent more than 20 years in the Air
Force, starting as a flight mechanic and later becoming a flight
engineer. After retiring in 2014, Henschen was a systems expert for
a major defense contractor before launching out on his own as a
HouseMaster franchise owner. "I wanted an ownership role and to be
able to succeed by my own work," Henschen said. After doing his due
diligence and shadowing a nearby HouseMaster owner in 2017,
Henschen realized this was the right franchise for him. Henschen
said his business continues to grow since launching a little less
than two years ago and skills he learned in the Air Force help him
as he expands his business. "The ability to adapt and deal with so
many different personalities is crucial. I dealt with a lot of
personalities in the Air Force, too," he said. "With my HouseMaster
franchise, every buyer, every agent is a little different. Being
able to adapt and meet their needs is important."
● Daryl Hurst (franchise
owner in Texas Hill Country): Hurst retired from the Marine
Corps in 2014 after serving more than 20 years. He was deployed all
around the world in over 25 countries in total. He spent 12
different years deployed, including a deployment in Iraq in 2003. After retiring, he spent three
years as a schoolteacher, but he realized he was being driven to do
something else. He wanted an opportunity where "success or failure
is on me." It led him to a franchise and ultimately HouseMaster.
"In less than a year, the business has grown much faster than I
could have anticipated," Hurst said. As he builds his HouseMaster
franchise, Hurst keeps in mind four points about military
implementation that have become a kind of mantra for him: 1)
discipline, 2) organization, 3) planning, 4) adapt and
overcome.
● Joseph Welch
(franchise owner in Raleigh, North
Carolina): Welch spent three and a half years enlisted
in the Army between 2000 and 2004. Afterward, he was in private
security for a decade. When he and his wife had their first child,
they realized he needed something more conventional – a business
that would allow him to be home after hours. He looked at a handful
of franchises and was drawn to HouseMaster. "You can make it as big
as you want or keep it more of an owner-operator model," Welch
said. "I liked the flexibility and growth opportunity with
HouseMaster, along with its great track record." Five years in, he
has two additional inspectors and is looking to add a third to keep
up with demand.
With more than 325 franchise areas across North America, HouseMaster holds a Net
Promoter Score of 92 (a customer satisfaction ranking higher than
that of Apple and Ritz-Carlton). Franchise Business Review
has named HouseMaster a top franchise brand in its franchise owner
satisfaction category since 2009.
Military veterans who apply to become owners within the
HouseMaster franchise receive a $6,000 discount on their initial franchise
fee.
HouseMaster provides homebuyers and sellers an independent
third-party professional evaluation of the major elements of a
home. HouseMaster's guaranteed inspections enable potential
homebuyers and sellers the opportunity to make educated real estate
decisions. From interior systems such as plumbing and electrical to
exterior components like the roof and siding, the HouseMaster Home
Inspection evaluates the visible and accessible major elements of a
home.
For more information about HouseMaster, visit
HouseMaster.com.
About
HouseMaster®
HouseMaster®, a
Neighborly® company, provides professional home
inspection services and high-quality service experiences to
residential and commercial real estate buyers and sellers across
the U.S. and Canada. Founded in
1979, HouseMaster is the first home inspection business to
franchise and includes more than 170 franchise owners serving more
than 300 franchise territories. HouseMaster is part of Neighborly,
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. Neighborly brands are found at Neighborly.com
in the United States and
Neighbourly.ca in Canada. For more
information about HouseMaster®, visit
HouseMaster.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.
For more information please visit http://housemaster.com or call
732-469-6565.
Media contact:
Bob Spoerl
258787@email4pr.com
(773) 453-2444
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SOURCE HouseMaster