Soldier Becomes Local Entrepreneur
Korey Kaigle is one of the youngest franchisees in The Dwyer Group® family. At 23-years-old, Korey is employed fulltime by the Army and owns his own The Grounds Guys® franchise, a business he started at 22.
Born and raised in Swanton, Vt., Korey served in the Army National Guard for six years as a medevac Crew Chief on Blackhawk helicopters. He served in Iraq from 2010-2011. Upon his arrival back to the United States, Korey began researching opportunities to own his own business and saw opportunity in The Grounds Guys.
“They allow me to be myself, but made me an entrepreneur and gave me potential. I see a lot of groundskeepers in the area but they limit themselves because they can’t expand,” Korey said. “The Grounds Guys gives me an opportunity to grow and have a support team. I’ve never been in business, and they gave me the tools I needed.”
Recently, The Burlington Free Press featured the incredible story of the local soldier turned entrepreneur.
Korey is one of more than 230 military service men and women and veterans that own a Dwyer Group franchise business. Through the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative the company has given nearly $1.5 million in franchise discounts to transitioning military personnel and current veterans.
In 1991, The Dwyer Group the founded the VetFran program, a voluntary effort of International Franchise Association (IFA) member companies to encourage franchise ownership by offering business franchise opportunities and financial incentives to honorably discharged veterans. The company’s mission with VetFran program is to help veterans achieve their dreams and goals by being in business for themselves. Learn more at http://www.leadingtheserviceindustry.com/VetFran.asp.
IFA Partners with Government Officials to Provide More Career Opportunities for Veterans
The franchising industry has a long-standing history of supporting veterans. In 1991, IFA launched VetFran, a program to give Gulf War veteran’s access to business ownership opportunities through franchising. In 2011, Operation Enduring Opportunity was launched to expand that initiative to include hiring and the franchising industry began to support the White House Joining Forces initiative.
Recently, IFA President & CEO Steve Caldeira joined President Obama, Vice President Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden onstage to announce the hiring of 290,000 veterans and military spouses who have been hired or trained since the launch of the initiative. Impressively, franchising has contributed almost a quarter of the total hiring.
Hiring our veterans and military spouses is so important because it not only helps them adjust to a new lifestyle but also shows them that our nation honors them with actions, not simply words. In a recent FranBlog, First Lady Michelle Obama commended the work the International Franchise Association has done to help veterans and said, “The IFA has helped more than 4,300 veterans [find jobs] since 2011.”
The franchising industry, led by IFA and 562 other franchised businesses from IFA’s VetFran strategic initiative, were the first to commit to the White House Joining Forces initiative in 2011. The IFA and its association pledged to hire and recruit 80,000 veterans and military spouses in three years. In the first year alone, 65,000 veterans had started careers in franchising using discounts offered by VetFran member companies.
IFA President and CEO Steve Caldeira offered his opinion on this franchising initiative saying, “With its rapid training opportunities, scalability, and need for operational execution and excellence in following proven systems, franchising provides an ideal structure to enable returning veterans to become leaders of and productive participants in the U.S. economy.”
Franchising is clearly a promising decision for many job-seekers today. For current franchising opportunities, veteran discounts or to learn more about the impact of franchising you can visit The Dwyer Group’s website www.leadingtheserviceindystry.com or contact The Dwyer Group® at 1(866)-656-1504. For more information regarding the IFA and the work that they do you can click visit their website at http://www.buildingopportunity.com/index.aspx.
A Rising Tide: Housing Market Improvements Buoy the Home-Service Sector
A strengthening housing market in 2013 is giving the home-service sector a boost.
The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Index reported this week that home prices rose last month to the highest rates since 2006. Although sheltered from the worst of the housing bubble, repair and maintenance services reap the benefits of a healthier housing market, as homeowners and property managers invest more in retrofitting their properties and new construction adds more properties to be serviced.
On March 27, the International Franchise Association released its March economic report conducted by IHS Global Insight, its quarterly “report card” for franchise growth. The report touts Commercial & Residential Services as a “growth leader” in 2013. The output of franchises in Commercial & Residential Services grew by 4.9 percent in 2012 and is expected to expand by another 5.2 percent in 2013. Read more
We Are the Job Creators. We Are the Dream Makers.
Mary Kennedy Thompson accepts the Bonny LeVine Award from Robert Funk, Founder of Express Employment Professionals
On February 20, Mr. Rooter® President Mary Kennedy Thompson accepted the Bonny LeVine Award, the highest award for women in franchising, from the International Franchise Association at its 53rd Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nev. Click here to watch a video of Mary accepting the Bonny LeVine Award.
I am humbled, honored, and grateful to be here today. It’s an honor to be in the company of such amazing franchise leaders like Joanne Shaw, the first Bonny Levine recipient, Melanie Bergeron, who leads with grace, Catherine Monson, who leads with a lion’s heart and Dina Dwyer-Owens, who leads with values first.
There are really only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who walk in a room and say “Taa-Daa, here I am!” and then there are those rare few who look right at you and say “There you are!” Dina is that person who makes everyone she meets feel truly special. Dina, your friendship and mentoring through the years has meant the world to me. Read more
Amidst High Unemployment Rates, Veterans Stand Tall in Franchising
This Veterans Day, we at The Dwyer Group are choosing to celebrate new hope for returning veterans amidst discouraging veteran unemployment numbers, particularly young and female populations. Rather than focus on the negative, we’re proud to join with the International Franchise Association and fellow member companies in recognizing veteran success stories– bold men and women who have been able to find business opportunities, franchise opportunities, and new careers in the face of obstacles, economic or otherwise.
Rowley Mayo, Mr. Appliance owner in Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, is one such individual. After serving in the Marine Corps from 1970 to 1974, Mayo entered into a corporate career as an executive in finance and IT. However, in the August of 2009, like many other Americans he found that his position had been eliminated. Late in his career, wtih lots of experience and higher salary requirements, he knew that it would be difficult to find a comparable position, so he decided to open a business. Read more
The Grounds Guys Joins Forces with First Lady at Mayport Naval Station
On August 22, The Grounds Guys of Jacksonville owner and veteran, Rick Santo, joined forces with First Lady Michelle Obama at Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida for the announcement that more than 2,000 companies had hired or trained 125,000 veterans and military spouses since the initial launch of the Joining Forces White House initiative in 2011.
The Joining Forces campaign was launched in an effort to support American veterans and their families during their employment, education and wellness endeavors. President Barack Obama asked the first lady to direct Joining Forces, while challenging for-profit businesses to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013. According to White House officials, this effort has resulted in a 20 percent decrease in veteran unemployment compared to last year.
“I want to send a very clear message to the men and women who are wearing – or who have worn – our country’s uniform and to their spouses: when you have finished your service to our nation, you’ve got 2,000 great American companies ready and waiting to bring you on board,” First Lady Michelle Obama announced at Mayport Naval Station.
In June 2012, Santo, who served in the army for four years, opened his own The Grounds Guys franchise in Jacksonville, Fla., serving commercial Read more
Veteran-Owned Franchises Gain Momentum through VetFran, Operation Enduring Opportunity
The International Franchise Association announced this week that the number of veteran-owned franchise businesses among the top military-friendly franchises jumped 35% in the last year. The number of veteran-owned franchises among this elite group rose by nearly 4,000 to total 11,469 franchises across the country. All of The Dwyer Group®’s brands were listed among G.I. Jobs’ top 10% of Military Friendly Franchises in 2012. Read more
