Mr. Rooter Franchisee Expands To Six Locations In Three States With Aid Of Management Know-how And Pilot's License

HAYDEN, IDAHO (Wednesday, June 14, 2000) - In 1995, Dale Boudro opened his first Mr. Rooter franchise and began a business journey that gives new meaning to the term "the power of franchising."
In just five years, Boudro has expanded his plumbing and drain cleaning empire to include a total of six locations in three states covering an estimated population of 2.5 million people. From Idaho to Washington, and most recently California, Boudro has introduced the Mr. Rooter franchise system along with his management expertise into every new market and watched the demand for his company's services flourish.

The growth has been intentional from the beginning. But the added advantage of a pilot's license, the luxury of owning his own twin-engine Cessna, and the drive to grow a small business into a big business has helped Boudro pull off a managerial challenge with the finesse of a corporate CEO. At one time, Boudro was a commercial pilot. Little did he know those talents would come in handy when growing his Mr. Rooter conglomerate.

"I'm not a licensed plumber, but I am a business man," Boudro said. He is a person who, as he puts it, likes to buy, build and sell things.

Mike Bidwell, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation agrees, "Dale has the ability to see a market for our services as it exists and visualizes what he wants that territory to look like when it is built. Then, using the Mr. Rooter system and the innate talents he possesses, he makes it happen. He is a polished entrepreneur in every sense of the word."

When Boudro came across Mr. Rooter, he saw a financial opportunity where he could put his talents to use. The keys to the company's success meant hiring key Territory Managers to oversee the day-to-day activities of each operation, offering quality training to the plumbers in his network, and setting and reaching goals for both the company and its staff.

Following those guidelines, he opened his first four locations in the state of Washington. Those included Spokane, in '95; the tri-cities area, in '96; Yakima, in '97; and Ellensburg, in '98. Then, in 1999, he opened a location in Lewiston, Idaho, and purchased an existing Mr. Rooter location in Santa Clara, Calif. He has been known to hop in his plane and visit three locations in a day.

While Boudro's franchises are geographically spread out, he has succeeded in centralizing their operations through a corporate office in Hayden, Idaho, where all the action takes place. His call center in Hayden dispatches calls to Mr. Rooter plumbers in any of his six locations around the clock.

"It lowers overhead," Boudro said. He can oversee his activities from one computerized operation while the execution of each call is carried out by a franchise hundreds of miles away. "It's very quick, very fast, almost instantaneous," he said.

But Boudro is the first to admit that technology cannot replace face-to-face interaction. That is why he hosts monthly company meetings at the corporate office and personally flies many of his key employees on-site for the day. They help make it all happen, he said.

And he's still looking for the person who will make it happen in Santa Clara, his newest location. After purchasing the Mr. Rooter franchise there, he's had trouble hiring a qualified Territory Manager to begin to grow the business to the next level. While he could transfer someone from one of his other locations to get it up and running overnight, he said that' s the biggest mistake a multi-unit owner could make.

His advice to any franchise owner who is thinking about expanding beyond one location is: "No matter what you do, don't let your new location drain your resources from your old location." Each franchise needs to be able to succeed on its own.

ABOUT MR. ROOTER
Mr. Rooter, part of The Dwyer Group (NASDAQ: DWYR), is a full-service plumbing franchisor supporting more than 200 franchises in the United States and nearly 100 additional franchises in seven countries. Established in 1968, Mr. Rooter began franchising in 1974.

ABOUT THE DWYER GROUP
The Dwyer Group Inc., based in Waco, Texas, supports over 900 franchisees in the United States and nearly 400 franchisees in 23 countries. The Dwyer Group's franchise concepts include: Rainbow International® Carpet Care and Restoration SpecialistsTM, Mr. Rooter® (Drain Doctor® in the UK), Mr. Electric®, Mr. Appliance®, Glass Doctor®, Aire Serv Heating & Air Conditioning® and an associate company, DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen by WorldwideTM. Combined, these concepts offer a broad base of residential and commercial services. The Dwyer Group's objective is to reach 2,000 locations worldwide generating over $1/2 billion in annualized system-wide sales by December 31, 2001. For more, visit www.dwyergroup.com.

View all Mr. Rooter Press Releases

This article has been read 190 times.

Printer Friendly