Midlands Business Journal • NOVEMBER 27, 2020 •
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Redefining home entrance, Hello Garage franchise aims to elevate garage spaces Continued from page 1. market research. “Garages offer incredible market potential, considering 61% of homeowners are dissatisfied with their garage,” he said. Its corporate store launch in Omaha followed in November 2019, with its national franchise network launch this July receiving more than 100 inquiries from prospect “We have six franchisees already launched and operating in Texas, Florida, Maryland, Kansas and South Carolina,” SUPER CROSSWORD
he said. “Our corporate store is on pace to install over $1 million in our first year, and we just opened a showroom at Westroads Mall that had great success opening weekend — just in time for holiday shopping.” Clients have access to focused expertise on garage transformations. “We provide high-quality products such as polyaspartic floor coating that offers a granite-like look and durability, a modular cabinet system that is versatile enough to organize any garage space on any budget, as well as slatwall and other DIRECTLY ON TOP
time developing the concept. accessories,” he said. “We are on a mission to transform the When compared to epoxy, Thrasher said the floor coating resists yellowing garage to America’s true front door,” he and peeling, and is backed by a lifetime said. “How often do you walk into your home through your front door? Shouldn’t warranty. “We have partnered with a local stor- you have the same welcoming feeling age company to help homeowners when when you pull into the garage as your guests have when they need to clean they come through out their garage pri- Hello Garage your front door? or to installation,” Phone: 1-888-59-GARAGE That was the geneThrasher added. “We Services: garage improvement via storsis behind the name also have come up Hello Garage.” w i t h p a i n t c o l o r s Founded: 2019 They’re also fofrom Sherwin Wil- Website: cused on elevating liams that match our eight floor colors. Most people after they the customer experience, assuring every get their floor installed notice how bad franchisee is trained on this and stays “on their walls look and want to paint them brand.” The franchisees they look for are not ASAP. So, we thought we would make it easy on them and provide complementary unlike the employees they select — team members Thrasher described as “humble, paint colors.” When asked about its motivations hungry and people smart.” “We want franchisees who are aligned for partnering with franchisees, Thrasher indicated the reasons to franchise were with our core values and share our purpose of redefining the industry,” he said. “They multi-fold. “We believe the Hello Garage brand want to take care of the customer and do can become a household name by using it what it takes to create a remarkable cusconsistently across the country,” Thrasher tomer experience.” Thrasher’s entrepreneurial experience said, adding how a store would be nearby when clients need services to transform with its other brands is both informing their garages. “A franchise system also growth thus far and contributing to its gives us the ability to centralize certain ability to meet demand. “With almost 50 years’ experience in functions of the business, such as a national contact center, which will give our the construction home services industry at customers a more consistent experience Thrasher, we have a unique understanding of how to create remarkable experiences when the call us for an estimate.” It also eases the burden of that respon- for homeowners and employees,” he said. sibility off of the contractor, Thrasher said, “We also have the supply chain expertise, training support and overall infrastrucso they can focus on field service. “We also wanted to ensure that every ture at Supportworks, which allows us to Hello Garage franchise had exclusive source materials more efficiently, train territories and didn’t compete with each franchisees to be successful right from other,” he said. “This will help to foster the start, and scale the business more a network of franchisees who want to quickly and effectively.” Its leveraging Supportworks’ robust work together, share best practices and collectively redefine the garage renovation staff, and have hired 10 new support staff members to help with Hello Garage. industry together.” “We anticipate adding another 10 Partner Franchise Fast Lane has been “blown away,” Thrasher said, by the employees for Hello Garage in 2021,” he interest Hello Garage has received from said. “As an evergreen company, we are focused on paced growth that will allow potential franchisees. “One-hundred-plus territory checks us to create advancement opportunities in the first two weeks of launch proves for our employees without sacrificing our the home services industry is doing well culture. Paced growth also allows us to despite the COVID pandemic — not to remain privately held without taking on mention our brand is attractive and the cost outside investors, which we believe will to become a franchise is extremely compet- help us to still be redefining the garage itive,” he said. “The fact that homeowners industry over 100 years from now.” To be certified, companies reportedly are at home, staring at things they want to fix or improve day in and day out, has undergo and pass an extensive, rigorous assessment focused on continual improvecertainly helped accelerate our growth.” Thrasher said the team spent a lot of ment and enduring excellence.
Erasing hunger in America requires more than charity by Bruce DeBoskey
Answers on page 12.
The holidays are around the corner and, for tens of millions of our neighbors across the U.S., this will be a time of scarcity, insecurity, worry and, in the richest nation on earth, hunger. Consider these facts: P r i o r t o PhilanthroPy COVID-19, 37 million people in the U.S. struggled with hunger. Feeding America, the nation’s third largest charity, estimates that as a result of the pandemic, that number may rise to 54 million people — almost one in six Americans,
including 18 million children. More than 29% of Coloradoans are food insecure — lacking reliable access to nutritious food — a rate that has tripled since the start of COVID-19. Parents, people of color and those with disabilities face even higher rates of food insecurity. As of July 2020, it was estimated that America will face an 8 billion meal shortfall in charitable food by June 2021, more than three times Feeding America’s last annual distribution. The United States is the global leader Continued on page 19.
