Drain Doctor celebrates 20 years

Peterborough-based Drain Doctor Plumbing

Jan and Freddie Mitman cut a cake to celebrate Drain Doctor’s 20th anniversary.

– the UK’s premier combined emergency plumbing and drain repair service – is planning a year of celebrations to mark 20 years in business.

The company was launched in the UK in 1993 by husband and wife team Freddie and Jan Mitman who are still ‘at the helm’ today.

They started with just a single ‘test’ area before starting to sell franchises to motivated individuals who wanted to build their own businesses with the benefits of a national brand.

The company swiftly expanded and Drain Doctor Plumbing now has franchisees across the country.

The business has been built on the Drain Doctor ethos of delivering ‘dazzling service’ which includes a full guarantee on all work, a genuine 24-hour service with no call-out charge and no extra charges for calls outside of normal working hours. Customers get a fixed price quotation so they know exactly how much they will have to pay before work is started.

Technicians are trained not just with technical skills – including the latest techniques such as closed circuit camera drain surveys and no-dig drain repairs – but in customer care. As well as a full set of tools and parts each Drain Doctor van carries a special red carpet which is used to protect the floor in the working area. The technicians wear overshoes while in customers’ homes and clear up carefully after every job.

The company is a full member of the British Franchise Association and franchise sales director Jan Mitman was recently elected as chair of the BFA’s Midlands Forum.

Company chairman Freddie Mitman said: “The continuing success of Drain Doctor is testament to the hard work of our franchisees as they develop their businesses.

“Particularly over the past few years, when the economy generally has been in poor shape, our franchisees have demonstrated that with the Drain Doctor system it is possible to grow a profitable franchise business.

“We are delighted to be able to mark our first 20 years in business and are now looking forward to the next two decades!”

Drain Doctor franchisees across the UK and Ireland, together with their customers, will be invited to join in the celebrations as the 20^th anniversary year gets under way.

• Drain Doctor Plumbing – 0800 3357 999.

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From the forces to franchises with Drain Doctor

As men and women leave the forces and return to civilian life one of the first obstacles facing them is finding a new career. Many will join civilian services such as fire and rescue or the police force. However, for many more the path is less clear. Running a franchise business provides one answer. Franchisees have the freedom of running their own business but with all the support of a national organisation. One such is Peterborough franchise company Drain Doctor Plumbing.

Since it launched in the United Kingdom in 1993 Drain Doctor has become the country’s largest emergency plumbing and drain repair service. It now provides a nationwide 24 hour a day, 365 days a year service through a network of independently owned franchise businesses. A number of these businesses are owned by former servicemen, franchisees like Jason Hawkins and Allan Rook.

Jason, a former Royal Navy physical training instructor and a member of the Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association, purchased the Norwich Drain Doctor business in 2007. In the past four years he has gone from strength to strength. He said: “Before purchasing the Drain Doctor franchise I looked at a number of other franchises in various business areas. However, the customer-focused mentality of Drain Doctor was a key deciding factor for me. “The support is reassuring and with on-going training we continue to expand and grow our business.”

Jason started with two vans, operated by himself and a technician. As the business grew he moved from an outbuilding at his home to a new industrial unit and has added a new fully-equipped van and another technician.

Allan Rook, who owns and runs an award-winning Drain Doctor franchise business, began his career in the Army. He served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) as an aircraft engineer in Malaya, Singapore and Germany between 1963 and 1979. After the Army, Allan owned and operated a number of businesses at home and abroad prior to purchasing his Drain Doctor franchise in 1996.

Since launching their franchise, Allan and his wife Jacqui have built a team of technicians, a fleet of five fully-equipped vans plus additional vehicles and equipment for specialised work. They expanded their business by acquiring the neighbouring Portsmouth area and there’s plenty more potential for future growth, says Allan. “Much of our growth comes from recommendation. Turnover is currently around £600,000. We expect that to reach £1 million within three years.”

When asked what advice he would give to personnel currently leaving the forces he said: “When you buy a franchise you are buying a system. You need to work with that system and make it work for you. That is what you get with a Drain Doctor franchise.” Franchise businesses like Drain Doctor offer a good opportunity for ex-servicemen like Jason, Allan and others to start their own

Drain Doctor congratulates Dwyer Owens on international franchise award

CEO and chair of The Dwyer Group Dina Dwyer-Owens has been presented with a Crystal Compass Award at the International Franchise Association‘s annual convention in Las Vegas.

Dina has been honoured for her extraordinary leadership by the  Association’s Women’s Franchise Committee.

As sister company to Mr Rooter in the US (part of the Dwyer Group) everyone at Drain Doctor in the UK would like to congratulate Dina on her achievement.

For the full story visit http://www.franchiseworks.com/franchise_news_story.aspx?nid=1007

Convention time is nearly here

Image via Wikipedia

It’s the time of year again when everyone at Drain Doctor’s thoughts are turning to the forthcoming convention.

The annual convention is organised by Drain Doctor for its franchisees. The long weekend of business presentations and social events will this year be held on 4-7 March at the Crown Plaza in the historic Belgian city of Bruges.  Senior Drain Doctor managers from head office will give presentations on various aspects of franchise management. The presentations will stress that Drain Doctor is in a people business which requires passionate leadership in developing the Drain Doctor business and meeting the demanding standards which the company has set. 

Other speakers will include Mary Kennedy-Thompson, president of Mr Rooter – Drain Doctor’s equivalent in the USA – and Drain Doctor chairman Freddie Mitman who will outline growth prospects for the company throughout 2011 and beyond.

As usual, a number of franchisees will be presented with awards during a gala evening to recognise their hard work and commitment throughout the year. Award categories will include Most Progressive Franchise, Franchise of the Year, Trailblazer Award, Golden Service Award, Phoenix Award and the PR Award.

Good luck to all the nominees and we look forward to seeing you all there.

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