Fort Lauderdale, FL – PuroClean, the nation’s “Paramedics of Property Damage,” announced today it has hired a seasoned marketing expert to help develop cutting-edge sales and marketing technologies, value-added initiatives and powerful marketing tools to help the company’s 128 franchisees continue to build the PuroClean brand in their communities.
The addition of Christine St. Laurent as National Marketing Manager brings the number of PuroClean’s home office support team to 24, offering a solid foundation for franchisee support by meeting the best industry practices standard ratio of one employee for every 7.5 franchisees.
One of the fastest growing franchise systems in America, PuroClean nearly doubled in size in 2006, growing from 75 franchises in January to more than 125 by year’s end. To support the growth with a solid infrastructure that helps set franchisees up for success in their markets, St. Laurent, with more than 15 years field experience, will develop marketing, advertising, sales and public relations promotions and guide PuroClean franchise owners to implement the programs locally.
“I am honored to join the PuroClean team during such an exciting time for the company,” St. Laurent said. “This is truly a great concept that is positioned to continue explosive growth over the next several years. I’ve had experience working with individual operators, so I look forward to developing cutting edge marketing technologies and initiatives that will help PuroClean franchisees target insurance agents and other key constituents in their markets.”
Before joining PuroClean, St. Laurent served as a marketing consultant for Branding Expressions, Inc. Previously, she spent nearly five years developing marketing tools for Interim HealthCare Inc., where she worked with approximately 300 offices nationwide to identify their individual needs and assist with local promotions.
Last year, PuroClean announced that it had hired Keith Gerson, formerly the head of marketing, brand development and sales for AlphaGraphics, Inc., as its President and COO. Gerson’s marketing, sales and operations expertise contributed to improved profitability at both AlphaGraphics and Mrs. Fields Original Cookies, where he created systems that helped move the company to an additional 600 licensed and franchise-owned locations. He also has held senior level positions with Chem-Dry and Jack-in-the-Box Restaurants. Gerson’s mission was to build on the strong 16-year foundation laid by the company’s founders, Dick Spohn and Rory O’Dwyer, focusing on installing cutting-edge support systems for franchisees and continuing to build on the growth of the franchise system.
“We are pleased to have Christine as part of our team,” Gerson said. “Her experience in developing tools on the local level transfers well to our model. Her skill set will help us achieve our goals of providing integrated marketing solutions to strengthen local franchise owner’s results.”
PuroClean is part of a unique franchise system of mitigation and restoration professionals who provide B2B services to insurance companies and property owners. Assisting property owners in their time of need, PuroClean franchisees perform mitigation and restoration services for water, mold, fire, trauma events and other types of losses. As the Paramedics of Property Damage, PuroClean arrives at the scene of a loss, and takes the necessary steps to bring the situation under control, preventing it from becoming worse, and finally providing restoration services to help put the property back to pre-loss condition.
About PuroClean
The PuroClean concept was introduced in 2001 as a response to a need in the industry. PuroClean franchisees service a $40 billion dollar recession-proof niche industry in one of the largest customer bases in the country — the insurance property claims industry. PuroClean, recently certified as a World Class Franchise™ by FranSurvey®, is an emergency restoration service business providing services to insurance companies and property owners for water damage, mold, smoke, fire clean up, and trauma events. Entrepreneur magazine’s January 2007 issue ranked PuroClean as one of the top franchises in the United States. In addition, Franchise Times magazine ranked PuroClean as one of the top 55 fastest-growing concepts in the nation. Currently, 128 PuroClean franchise units operate nationwide and in Canada. For more information, visit www.purocleanopportunity.com
