Franchisee Friday - PuroClean
Keegan Trudgen uses his PuroClean business to help his local Elk Grove Village community, promote diversity within the workplace, and encourage servitude and leadership to his staff. These are among the many reasons why he is our #FranchiseeFriday! Learn more about Keegan and his experiences with franchising in our Q&A:
Q: How does your franchise participate in community outreach efforts and give back to the local community?
A: PuroClean is centered around servant leadership. We help customers during some of the most stressful times of their lives, and we’re proud to carry out that mission in our local community. We think of ourselves as part of the local community, and we work closely with charities like Northern Illinois Food Bank that gives back to locals in need. We’re also heavily involved with the local chamber of commerce, which hosts large fundraisers in the area for national organizations like the American Cancer Society.
One moment I’ll never forget is being able to help a family that was heavily impacted by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico by providing them with a generator and ensuring it was properly installed. PuroClean strives to help those in need during disasters that are out of their control and this scenario is a perfect example.
Q: What steps does your franchise system and your locations personally take to promote diversity in the workplace?
A: Diversity shapes businesses and franchises for the better, and I do my best to make that happen from the very beginning of the hiring stages. I like to ensure that my team is well represented with exceptional restoration and remediation experience, and most importantly, passionate about making a difference in our community.
Q: What methods do you use to improve the franchisee-franchisor relationship?
A: I think the most effective way to create a strong relationship is to communicate and to engage consistently with your franchisor. Our executive leadership team has developed a culture that has opened the lines of communication, making it seamless to express any thoughts. When something works well for my business, I share the results and process with PuroClean, so that we can work closely to ensure success across the system. PuroClean offers a wide variety of support and resources to help my business grow and I make sure to take advantage of everything that they offer. As a nod to my appreciation, we treated everyone at the PuroClean Corporate Headquarters to lunch from Chipotle.
Q: What traits do you look for when evaluating potential managers to help run one of your franchise locations?
A: When evaluating potential managers, I look for servant leadership, one of PuroClean’s foundational values. It’s important to me to hire people who align with our core values, people who want to help others and support them during unplanned and difficult situations. I believe everyone on my team embodies servant leadership and has a true passion for helping those in need.
Q: How have you used technology at your franchise to increase efficiency in your operations and what are some of the biggest challenges you've solved with a technological improvement?
A: Technology is a must in every business! We are working toward a goal to become 100 percent paperless. We work with PuroClean to implement systems that send important documents and information to the main office in real time, as efficiently and immediately as possible.
Thanks to technological advances, we can be efficient and ecological, especially when there’s specific paperwork to conquer daily from property owners, insurance companies, and our Corporate Headquarters. A variety of programs and systems have been put in place to help us reach our goals, support our team, and run an effective PuroClean franchise.
Q: What resources and methods do you use to educate your state and local legislators about the positive impacts of franchising?
A: Steve White, President & COO, and Tim Courtney, Vice President of Franchise Development, are heavily involved in such activities. They attend Franchise Action Network’s Annual Meetings to participate in discussions that impact franchising. Steve and Tim attended the last meeting in October to speak with members of Congress on pressing issues, such as the joint employer standard rule-making, brand trademark protection, and tax reform. At the corporate level, PuroClean ensures that we share our voice with lawmakers to help promote and protect our brand and franchise owners.
For more information about franchising with PuroClean, click here.