FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT
City Wide When John Duffy and Steve Howerton decided to go into business together they had some specific criteria they were looking for. “I work for a fortune 500 company and when I got laid off during the great recession I decided that I wanted to control my destiny as opposed to relying on someone else. I had some very specific components that I was looking for in a franchise business such as a fragmented industry so that large companies couldn’t come and take our clients, recurring revenue and a proactive sales approach that would lead to a strong top line," Jon Duffy said. After analyzing multiple opportunities they decided that City Wide met these criteria is the best. After analyzing multiple opportunities they decided that City Wide met these criteria is the best. City Wide is the largest management company in the building maintenance industry, facilitating janitorial and more than 20 additional maintenance services for every client. “We do more than just manage maintenance services for commercial facilities – we pride ourselves on being a partner that helps you save time and solve problems” Quote is "in the beginning we were given everything that we needed from the franchise or to get the business off the ground. We went out and worked our butts off and started landing accounts and for the first year or two was all about sales but then it switched over to more operations. We now have an endless supply of prospects and a stable client base," Steven Howerton said. With City Wide, you’re not choosing between two maintenance companies; you’re choosing between the same thing you’ve always had, and an improved way of handling your janitorial and other maintenance services. You’re choosing a company that will become an extension of your management team with the ability to reduce the time and stress associated with managing your janitorial and other maintenance vendors. “We are a management company that does everything building maintenance related for our clients. It really takes the pressure off our clients to have 1 point of contacts for whatever they need,” Katie Derr said. Why continue to hire one maintenance company after another, resulting in the same problems, when you can hire a company that is committed to reducing your stress level and saving you time by managing all those services for you? “The thing I love most about this business is It’s honestly almost recession proof because anyone who owns a facility needs to keep the building in shape. This stable demand gives us the ability to spend more time with our family and bring the kids to work. This is a multi-generational type of business,” Duffy said. “Our vision for the future is to keep investing into our team and we feel blessed so it is our turn to bless other people” Howertown said.
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JANUARY 2020 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS BUSINESS, reach out to Mark Behrens, A.V.P. Franchise Development City Wide 15455 West 100th Terrace Lenexa, KS 66219 M (214) 674-5480 O (913) 888-5700 x265 F (913) 888-5151