Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

Recently, Mechanical Hub spoke with Mike Fowler, franchisee of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning in Charlotte, NC., about his business, COVID-19 and what it’s like to have the backing of such known company and brand.

Now that the country had “reopened,” are there any different procedures in place for the company

FOWLER: In Charlotte, North Carolina, the reopening of the economy is in full effect. Our servicemen in the field are continuing to implement the safety procedures required by the CDC and our company, and those measures will be in place indefinitely. As we prepared to reopen our office for our office staff, there were a lot of things to consider. The call center and dispatch teams make up a large portion of our employees. We had to invest in plenty of materials to ensure the office staff could safely return.

A Benjamin Frankling Plumbing employee displays the PPE used on the job.

We created new layouts and seating arrangements to ensure social distancing is observed, we have thorough cleanings daily for all high touch points, and we allocated a larger budget to purchase hand sanitizer, soap and paper towels since frequent hand washing is required. Our employees in the field have been practicing these safety protocols for months, so our employees in the office are now our primary focus as we adapt to the new normal. Our main priority is the safety of our employees, and throughout the process we strive to ensure they each feels comfortable and safe coming back in.

What protocols or procedures did Benjamin Franklin Plumbing implement as a result of COVID-19?

FOWLER: The health and safety of our customers and employees is paramount, so we implemented stringent protocols and procedures based on the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). By mid-March, we rolled out more strict guidelines to help ensure the safety of our staff and those we service. Since that time, we have required all employees to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks and gloves, as well as practice social distancing and regularly wash their hands and sanitize, especially when it’s required for us to enter a home to fulfill a project.

Since we are entering our customers’ homes, we require our employees to wear PPE the entire time they are working. We continue to supply all PPE to our staff members, so they’re fully equipped with safety gear while they’re on the job. We have asked all of our customers to inform us immediately if someone in their home becomes sick, and we’re being flexible and understanding when service appointments need to be rescheduled or cancelled due to illness. Thankfully we already had contactless payment options throughout our system, so the biggest protocol update in terms of customer interaction was utilizing FaceTime and videos for consultations and moving all of our documents to be signed and completed digitally.

Were there any advantages to being a franchisee during these uncertain times?

FOWLER: Absolutely. While we were deemed as an essential business and could continue to operate while many businesses could not, there were a lot of necessary changes and we were still impacted. Our franchisor, Authority Brands, is the parent company of seven leading home service franchisors, America’s Swimming Pool Company, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, Homewatch CareGivers, Mister Sparky Electric, Mosquito Squad, and One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning.

The corporate team has always excelled in providing strong marketing, technology and operational support to our business, and over the past few months, their exceptional leadership and guidance helped us stay afloat.They kept us up-to-date with everything going on throughout the pandemic, from COVID-19 safety procedures and regulations to guidance for applying for government relief such as the Paycheck Protection Program. We’re grateful to have had ongoing communication with them over the past few months, and they continue to play a big role in keeping us informed and providing us with knowledge and resources.

What do some aspects of the business model blueprint look like at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing?

FOWLER: Being part of a franchise system and being surrounded by a strong network of business owners across the United States proved to be invaluable as we all navigated through the unknown. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing already had a Franchisee Leadership Team (FLT) established prior to the pandemic, and it exists to continuously improve our brand as a whole with systemwide collaboration and ongoing communication.

The motto ‘working for yourself, but not by yourself’ is echoed from all aspects of the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing franchise, and forming relationships with both the home office and fellow franchisees, in addition to the support of my family and the communities we operate in, continues to propel my business forward.

I’ve been a franchisee with the company since 2003 in Charlotte, North Carolina and I’m proud of how we’ve molded the proven business model from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing to fit our community. Everything starts with marketing. We have a dedicated marketing staff that executes monthly initiatives to ensure the call center receives calls.

We take training very seriously, and every new hire—whether it be as a marketing team member, accountant, a dispatcher or a service plumber in the field—goes through intensive training to ensure our customers experience a seamless process from start to finish. We’ve needed to change how some things are done over the past few months, for example conducting interviews through FaceTime, but with a strong structure for our business already in place, we’ve continued to provide services locally with the support of our franchisor.

What types of investments are being made by Benjamin Franklin Plumbing to ensure better success and continued growth?

FOWLER: Through the FLT, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is always listening to its franchisees and implementing enhanced operational procedures as needed. They invest in the tools we need as franchisees to operate our business successfully.

For our business in Charlotte, we like to invest in our community both by giving back through charitable efforts, but also investing in the next generation of the workforce through our best-in-class training programs. With the unavoidable shortage of plumbers, we’re always working to educate those looking for their next career about the opportunity to join our team.

Our services were deemed as essential throughout the pandemic because, put simply, our community needs us as much as we need them. With the support of our franchise system and our dedicated employees, we continue to grow.

These are unprecedented times for us in the building trades. The COVID-19 crisis has brought on tough challenges, many changes and endless obstacles, but the industry is strong and resilient—right now we lean on each other. We are all in this together!

And, as each day brings more and more coverage on the COVID-19, its impact on communities, and the economy, it’s also revealed some incredible stories we want to shine a light on. One such story is of Cherie & Jack Jester, owners of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky in Oak Hall, Virginia.

Cherie, Jack and their team of employees began helping their community through a program to assist people, especially those struggling from abuse, addiction and underserved in the community. The Jesters and their team of plumbers and electricians make deliveries twice a week to a neighborhood women’s shelter. Items being delivered include necessities such as toiletries, diapers, baby wipes, food, and various other supplies to give to those who are struggling. The company has had a relationship with this shelter for several years and have recently added a food and supply drop off location outside the office so the general public can stop by to make donations that will be delivered by their team. Working with a local radio station, they are also publicizing the program to drive awareness of the need in the community.

In addition to the great work Cherie and Jack are doing, they are looking for future programs to assist and hope to team up with other Mister Sparky and Benjamin Franklins in the region. They’ve been lucky during the past few months of COVID-19, as their team is staying busy and all the techs are working. Initially, Cherie and Jack could not find supplies for masks, but through their community outreach, found someone to create them for the whole team. They follow strict guidelines and protocols for social distancing and limit customer contact as much as possible.

I recently had a chance to ask Cherie about their business, philanthropy, and how the pandemic has changed the way they do business.

MH: Give us a little background on your team with Mister Sparky and Ben Franklin Plumbing?

Cherie: Jack and I started our company in 1989 as a new construction plumbing contractor. We decided to change our primary focus to service in the late 1990’s and joined the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing franchise in the fall of 2006, and we added Mister Sparky to our portfolio in 2008. Our son, Lee, has grown up in the business and serves currently as our Operations Manager. Our team of professionals at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky Electric can solve plumbing and electrical problems quickly and efficiently with our guaranteed on-time service, fully-stocked trucks and highly-skilled technicians. Some of our specialty services include bathroom remodeling, water testing and purification, home automation, house rewiring, among many others.

MH: How was the relationship created with the shelter?

Cherie: Our relationship with the local neighborhood women’s shelter began through our office manager, Leesa. Leesa had been incredibly involved for several years with a special Christmas project for the shelter families. She and a few other volunteers would take a “Christmas Wish List” of items (toys, clothing, coats) for every child and parent in the shelter and go shopping for them, wrap the gifts, and then deliver everything right before Christmas for the shelter staff to distribute. Our company and team members all contributed at first and our involvement continues to grow. Last year, we wanted to increase our giving, so we matched the contribution each team member gave. This encouraged more participation from our entire staff.

MH: How has COVID-19 changed the way you do business?

Cherie: We have been fortunate enough to be able to keep all of our team working in spite of the impact from COVID-19 on the economy, and we are very thankful. The health and safety of our customers and employees has been our biggest priority, which is why we implemented procedures based on information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We require all of our employees to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks and gloves, as well as practice social distancing and regularly wash their hands and sanitize, and we’ve been making changes to reduce our in-person contact.

MH: What other programs or areas do you see as potential for supporting philanthropic endeavors?

Cherie: We love giving back to the community and are always looking for ways to help, especially since we have a strong support system from our employees who aspire to make a positive impact. We’d love to partner with nearby Mister Sparky and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing franchisees in the area to continue to build upon our giveback efforts. Beyond the women’s shelter we work with, we are long-time supporters of our local volunteer fire companies and we are reaching out to a local homeless shelter to see if we can help them in any way.

MH: Can you share any insight or personal stories about someone that has benefited from the support?

Cherie: When COVID-19 began to impact our community, we learned that there was an increase of families being taken into the shelter. Due to the increase there was a high demand for extra items, so we wanted to help. We decided to go shopping for them ourselves, collect items at our office from our team and anyone else wanting to help, and make deliveries to the shelter during the pandemic. Through these efforts we’ve donated several boxes of food, toilet paper, and various other supplies to give to people who are struggling.

MH: What do you hope others in the industry may take from reading about how you support in your community?

Cherie: We wanted to help our community in this time of need and are overwhelmed with the support we received from our employees, our local community in Virginia and our franchise family with Mister Sparky and Ben Franklin Plumbing. We hope our story will bring inspiration to others and motivate them to look for ways they can be a blessing wherever they are.

Having the team from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is a gift for those in their community with little means or in need of a helping hand. As this pandemic continues with unknown speed, we can’t forget the most vulnerable who need even more support. So, if we are all in this together, we must include, plan for, and protect our most vulnerable too.

Cherie, Jack and the team of employees, Thanks You!