veterans

For 50 years Jacksonville, Florida based Paul Davis has restored residential and commercial properties damaged by fire, water, mold, storms and disasters. The company seems to be highly suited to veterans looking for careers post service.

Paul Davis franchisee 1SG Scott Pittman (pictured), retired, claims his military background has served as a tool for running his business. According to Pittman, the Army taught him the importance of being in the right place, at the right time and having the right equipment. He now says he incorporates that in everything he does and his customers appreciate it.

“I always enjoyed the on-call aspect of being in the Army and the 82nd Airborne Division”, says Pittman, who now lives right outside of the gate to Fort Rucker in Alabama. “Our mission was to be anywhere in the world within 18 hours of that initial phone call. At Paul Davis we have a shorter response time for the people we are providing services to, it feels just as important. It feels great being able to go in during someone’s time of need, see where they need assistance and become their hero for a day or two.”

Pete Wilson, a franchisee of Cincinnati, Ohio based Window Genie, a national home service franchise specializing in residential and light commercial window cleaning, window tinting, pressure washing and gutter cleaning, not only served his country proudly, but makes a point of hiring veterans for his business that serves Butler and Northern Warren Counties in Ohio.

“I was an active duty Marine officer for 11 years, then worked in the corporate world for 8 years,” says Wilson. “Understanding and being able to follow processes and procedures is a big part of running a franchise, and I learned a lot about that in both the military and corporate worlds. I focus on employing veterans, and am proud of the veterans that work for me.  I often tell customers that their home is well protected when Window Genie shows up, as many of my employees have combat deployments or have served in a variety of missions around the world.”

Founded in 1991, Oaks, Pennsylvania-based CertaPro Painters is the largest and most referred painting company in North America. The company provides a customer-driven painting experience for both residential and commercial properties.

This appealed to former Navy Surface Warfare Officer, Tom Thoma who is no stranger to giving back to others. After six months of working as a contract employee for the Pentagon, Thoma heard about and researched CertaPro while looking to invest in a franchise. Thoma operates his franchise Fairfax, Virginia business and also serves Chantilly and Centreville there.

“I chose CertaPro because I felt that it offered the best way for me to satisfy what I feel is a much underserved market. With CertaPro, I also knew I would have a direct impact on my community, a desire I’ve had since I first joined the military,” says Thoma. “With painting, you’re really involved with someone’s home, and CertaPro recognizes that that’s often a person’s most treasured asset.”

So successful are so many veterans in franchising that one of the top rated franchise companies for veterans, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors, has just taken an aggressive step in helping onboard even more veterans.

“We have been doing so well and are so honored to be named among Top Franchises for Veterans in several rankings,” said Eric Steward, Marketing Manager for Pillar To Post. “The veterans who join our system end up as top performers. Our business model and structure and culture seem to be a perfect fit for those leaving the military. As a result, we have recently added an additional 10% discount on our franchise fees for veterans, going from a 10% discount to a 20% discount for them.”

To check out more franchises ideal for veterans go to www.franchise.org/vetfran-directory.