Restoring Properties, Lives, and Franchise Ownership: A North American Success Story

Last edited on October 24, 2023

Franchise owners.

Who is PuroClean?

PuroClean is a restoration and remediation company specializing in providing services to residential and commercial customers who have experienced damage from water, fire, mold, and other disasters. The company was founded in 2001 and has since grown to become one of North America’s largest and most respected restoration companies, with over 400 locations across the United States and Canada. PuroClean’s services include water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, mold remediation, biohazard cleanup, and more. The company prides itself on providing fast, reliable, and professional services to homeowners, business owners, the insurance industry, and home service providers. Many offices also offer reconstruction and other services to help customers return their properties to pre-loss condition as quickly as possible.

PuroClean has a comprehensive network of over 400 franchise offices across North America. They are consistently growing! Each local PuroClean office is independently owned and operated. PuroClean technicians are thoroughly screened, insured, and trained in using the latest mitigation technology and procedures. They also operate under a strict code of ethics.

Each year, PuroClean franchise owners perform thousands of jobs throughout the United States and Canada, providing restoration services and peace of mind for events ranging from everyday household mishaps to large-scale disasters.

A Company for People

With many years of experience, we have become one of North America’s largest property damage restoration franchises. And we couldn’t have achieved that without our team of dedicated franchise owners. We provide training and support to ensure that each franchise owner works with compassion, competence, and professionalism to become a hero in their community.

As a franchising company, we serve our franchise owners with dedication and respect. With experienced leadership and support teams at our home office in Tamarac, Florida, we provide the tools our franchise owners need to succeed. From systems and processes for marketing and training to program work with major insurance companies, our franchise owners get all the right skills and support to grow their local businesses.

We organize the PuroClean Convention annually to honor and appreciate our franchise owners. The annual Convention offers industry speakers, thought leaders, training sessions, and social events. It is also the perfect opportunity to highlight PuroClean franchise owners’ achievements. The awards honor both long-time and new franchise owners in seven categories. It also recognizes technicians for the Technician of the Year Award.

Aside from the annual Convention, each fall, we host regional meetings that provide convenient opportunities for franchise owners to meet with the leadership and support teams and each other. It’s an occasion to learn to grow together.

Franchise owner Ben Doebler, of PuroClean Restoration Services in North Western Portland, Oregon, recalls the process of signing on:

“During my time with President Steve White and the rest of the team, I felt a real comfort with the vision and direction in which PuroClean was heading. So we took the leap and decided to open an office in the Portland, OR, market, and it has been full speed ahead ever since.”

Ben Doebler receiving the award for the most Continuing Education classes at the PuroClean International Convention held in the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, FL, flanked by: 
(l-r) Frank Torre, Vice Chairman, Mark W. Davis, Chairman & CEO Steve White, President and COO.
Ben Doebler receiving the award for the most Continuing Education classes at the PuroClean International Convention held in the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, FL, flanked by:
(l-r) Frank Torre, Vice Chairman, Mark W. Davis, Chairman & CEO Steve White, President and COO.

Ben opened the doors to his business in 2015 with no previous experience in restoration. He followed our proven business model, took advantage of the wealth of resources, knowledge, and support that both the team in Tamarac and the neighboring franchise owners offered, and year after year has doubled his business, making it to the President’s Circle (top 10 percent of franchise owners) by year three.

And Ben is not alone in his success. Other franchise owners have found in PuroClean a model to build a successful, profitable, and meaningful business.

“Those first couple of years were scary because you’re learning how to do the work, you’re going in people’s homes, and you’re learning to run a business, so you’re doing a lot of things that you don’t necessarily have the skills to start with, so you have to learn. So, what you find in a franchise is a lot of other people, and you can call those people, and then they help you. You don’t have to do it alone.”

-Jeff Rush, PuroClean of Greenfield owner

The PuroClean Difference

From our company culture to our training and support, we believe our people are the strongest differentiator. But that is not all. We also believe that the following features set us apart from our competitors:

  • We hold our brand to the highest standards, helping us to stand head and shoulders above our competitors.
  • A strategic partnership with Signal Restoration Services makes it possible for our franchise owners to handle large-loss and commercial jobs that would normally be out of reach, such as in the case of natural disasters.
  • We employ systems and processes like our PuroMetrix software (restoration management system). This makes it easy for our franchise owners to follow a proven strategy and focus on building meaningful relationships in their community.
  • PuroClean has earned countless accolades for its innovation within franchising, including recognition for its PuroVet program, which puts military veterans into business ownership. Through our PuroVet program, we encourage and support military veterans to become entrepreneurs in their communities, in a career where they can continue to be the heroes they were destined to be.
The 2023 PuroClean International Convention was held in New Orleans, Lousiana.
The PuroClean International Convention 2023 was held in the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Training to a T

PuroClean’s training center, the PuroClean Academy, is a remarkable facility. It delivers the highest level of training in our industry in North America. The PuroClean Academy comprises a high-tech classroom with special features to facilitate in-person and remote learning opportunities. It provides interactive webinars, live video presentations, and hands-on learning opportunities for the most effective, specialized education.

The PuroClean Academy, a hybrid, state-of-the-art training center, boasts a technologically advanced Applied Structural Drying (ASD) facility that we affectionately call our “Flood House.” It is the focal point of real-life practical instruction. One of only 27 in the world, this is the premier ASD facility in the nation. It has the approval of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), the restoration industry’s top standard-writing agency. The PuroClean Academy also allows all PuroClean franchise owners and employees to receive certifications from the IICRC. More than 1,200 PuroClean associates and insurance professionals have trained here since our introduction in 2011.

Then, we expanded our training capabilities beyond the constraints of our facility by launching our PuroClean Online Academy. Leveraging the power of technology, we have trained over 4,000 students and issued more than 8,000 online badges.

Moreover, our franchise network also offers Continuing Education (CE) classes. Over 36,500 industry experts have trained and received certifications in the past seven years.

PuroClean Academy's numbers.
PuroClean Academy’s numbers.

Web Technology

Our franchise owners benefit from the latest web technology, with a wealth of resources at their fingertips. Our web presence operates on a network of interconnected websites. Each franchise owner manages a website they can personalize and localize to their needs. A local website is critical in broadcasting your franchise business in your community and attracting new clients.

PuroClean understands that our franchise owners are our most important asset. And so, to strengthen the bond between our Home Office, support teams, and over 400 franchise locations, we’ve implemented a strong communication system to ensure efficient and effective information exchange across the entire network. Our network benefits from a state-of-the-art Intranet, PuroDrive, a platform created for organized efficiency as a conduit for communication and sharing tools and knowledge. We also have a PuroClean app, a proprietary, user-friendly mobile application and communications tool designed to make network communication easier, keeping our franchise owners connected to the Home Office and support teams.

Company Numbers

In 2023, PuroClean ranked 84th in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 list. The prestigious list ranks the nation’s top franchise brands annually.

Of all the awards and honors PuroClean has been recognized with, we are especially proud to be named a Top 50 Franchise for Franchisee Satisfaction for five consecutive years. This award is based on a survey of 33 benchmark questions about their franchisor that focuses on leadership, training, and core values and 16 more personal questions concerning their business lifestyle and overall enjoyment of running their franchise. Our goal is never to win awards but to improve the value of our service to our franchise network. We are grateful our franchisee satisfaction scores were high enough to win this award.

PuroClean awards over the years
PuroClean has been and continues to be the recipient of many prestigious awards.

The critical factors in Entrepreneur’s evaluation include costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. PuroClean predicts another strong showing on the 2024 Franchise 500 list.

Furthermore, an integral part of PuroClean’s growing franchise success is our positive relationships with many of the country’s biggest insurance providers.

“Large insurance carriers continue to partner with us because of the high standards we have for every franchise owner across the country. We train each PuroClean franchise owner to work efficiently and professionally, and excellent customer service drives our success. Prospective franchise owners see that they can work on large national accounts, and it’s very appealing to them.”

-Chairman and CEO Mark. W Davis

Since its acquisition by Mark Davis and Frank Torre in 2021, PuroClean has seen steady growth. The number of units owned has doubled since 2015. Overall revenue has also grown 4-fold since 2015, showing an increase in revenue for individual franchise owners. A significant growth-driving factor has been the work generated through negotiated programs with major insurance carriers nationwide, with more than $70 million in revenue from program work in 2022. 

“When I opened in January of 2009, we were under different leadership. What we have now is the complete opposite: it’s a more warm, nurturing environment. They genuinely care about us.”

-Emily Bohan, PuroClean of Greenville owner

“What I love about this business and the leadership, in general, is the accessibility. They’re really open to having a conversation over the phone with you if you need them. You can talk to Frank or Mark at any time. They can listen, help, or support you whenever you need it.”

-Ivan Oliver, PuroClean of San Antonio owner

Husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Tomas Mejia and Sonia Gonzalez of Denver, CO, were named the 2023 PuroClean Franchise of the Year at the company’s annual International Convention in New Orleans. They are the first-ever consecutive recipients of this award and were recognized as the top-earning franchise in the network the previous year. Mejia and Gonzalez, originally from Colombia, launched their local PuroClean business in 2018 after moving to the U.S. They have also been members of the PuroClean President’s Circle, a prestigious accolade for top franchise owners. In 2019, their Denver team won the On the Move Award for representing the brand’s core pillars. Mejia received the 2021 Rainmaker Award, and Gonzalez was awarded in 2020. They opened their third franchise location in Colorado Springs, adding to their existing locations in Denver, Golden, and Mission Viejo, California.

Tomas and Sonia Gonzalez, owners of PuroClean in Denver, CO, at the 2022 PuroClean International Convention in Las Vegas, NV.
Tomas Mejia and Sonia Gonzalez, back-to-back winners of the Franchise of the Year award for 2022 and 2023 with: (l-r) Frank Torre, Vice Chairman, Mark W. Davis, Chairman & CEO, and Steve White, President & COO, on stage at the 2022 PuroClean International Convention held in the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.

“I am proud to be part of the PuroClean family. I feel supported by an entrepreneur mindset like ours.”

– Sonia Gonzalez, PuroClean of Central Denver owner

PuroClean Is Here for You

Known as the “Paramedics of Property Damage™,” PuroClean is a leading, world-class service brand for property water damage remediation, fire and smoke damage mitigation, mold removal, and biohazard clean-up services, working with both residential and commercial customers across the U.S. and Canada. PuroClean is a fast-growing restoration franchise network that provides unique opportunities for new franchise owners. Those who join our ranks benefit from stellar support from the experience and leadership of our management team. 

PuroClean has the highest customer service satisfaction score among three of the top five residential insurance companies in the U.S. We work with our franchise owners every step of the way so they can succeed. We aim to help them grow a valuable, meaningful, and rewarding business in their community.

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