G-FORCE Launches Franchise Initiative for Veterans
G-FORCE, a pavement maintenance brand that awards franchises only to veterans, plans to open as many as 50 locations over the next 3-5 years, according to founder and CEO Jack Child.
“We know the challenges many of our veterans face when they return to civilian life and, while
there are more resources and assistance programs than ever before to help, there’s always
more that can and should be done,” said Child, himself a veteran of more than 10 years in the military. “We want to do our part. We’ve created a one-of-a-kind, low-cost franchise business opportunity just for veterans.”
Child said G-FORCE (www.gogforce.com) provides expert support for new layout, restriping, ADA compliance, stencils, and other striping-related services. Other pavement maintenance services G-FORCE franchisees can offer include: parking lot sign installation, sealcoating, cracksealing, hot and cold asphalt repairs, paving, and power washing.
Child says the G-FORCE brand features distinctive camouflage trucks and service trailers, state-of-the-art equipment and military-influenced logo and uniforms. Child said G-FORCE has secured national corporate sponsorships for its Veteran initiative from GemSeal, Sherwin-Williams, Graco Industries and The Pavement Stencil Company offering incentives such as a free traffic paint starter package and nationwide discount pricing for equipment and paints, over $7,000 in value, to each new G-FORCE franchisee.
Child said G-FORCE is open to military veterans, including active Guard or Reserve, interested in starting a business “built on the values of integrity, reliability, respect, and precision, and one that ensures first class, military-style service.” The franchise fee starts at $5,000 and generally ranges between $7,500 and $15,000 depending upon territory size. The initial investment can start as low as $25,000.
Currently G-Force has one location serving parts of New Hampshire and Massachusetts and will target its growth in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Texas.
“Veterans have the best leadership training in the world. In addition to coming from an integrity-focused
background, they are mission-oriented and have a call to fulfill a higher purpose – all
traits needed to run a successful business,” Child said.
PavementGuru.com Kicks off at NPE
A new industry forum for information exchange, PavementGuru.com was up and running in 2017 but received its first public push at the recent National Pavement Expo in Cleveland.
Run by Nick Howell, T & N Asphalt Services and a new contributor to Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction, PavementGuru is a free site that describes itself as “The Forum for Pavement Professionals.” Visitors can ask and answer specific questions about any aspect of pavement maintenance including sealcoating, striping, sweeping, patching and repair, cracksealing, sports court surfaces and more. The site will also include articles and blogs.
To register for access visit www.pavementguru.com
U.S. Pavement Services Opens Florida Office
U.S. Pavement Services Inc., Woburn, MA, will open a new office in Sarasota, FL, in February. The new location will be the home to the company’s National Project Management team, adding to existing locations in Denver, CO, and Vermont.
Blake Kelly, director of national accounts, said having the entire project management team more centralized will result in an even higher level of service for clients and partners. “This will allow us to expand beyond the seasonality that the northern weather dictates,” Blake says. “Florida is a huge market that continues to grow rapidly, and we are eager to get involved in those efforts.”
Project managers provide on-site management for all projects to ensure safety and coordination plans, material verification and above standard close-out procedures.
“I see this as a natural evolution for our organization,” said Andrew Musto, U.S. Pavement Services COO. “Our National Project Management team working together in this market will result in efficiencies and better communication. Our entire National team and partners will benefit from having this added presence in my hometown.”
Since the company was started in 1985, CEO and founder Mike Musto, said the main focus has been to lead the pavement industry. “Our success in New England is a huge point of pride for me.” Musto says. “What our industry-leading crews have accomplished allows us to make strides in our national business and empower our outstanding national team as they embark on this new, exciting chapter.”
Kellermeyer Acquires East Coast/NMS
Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, Oceanside, CA, announced it has acquired East Coast Lot and Pavement Maintenance (East Coast)/National Maintenance Systems (NMS), an independently-owned exterior facility services company headquartered in Rhode Island.
"We are very excited about the acquisition of East Coast/NMS. They are a leader in snow and ice management, landscaping and parking lot maintenance services primarily in the Northeast and Midwest regions,” said Mark Minasian, CEO and co-founder of KBS, a provider of technology-enabled, integrated interior and exterior property services to multi-region and multi-site customers in North America. “This expansion by KBS into complementary exterior services in very attractive end markets further strengthens our commercial value proposition, offering our customers the largest, most reliable integrated facility support solutions platform for interior, exterior or bundled services across North America."
East Coast/NMS offers a full line of on-site maintenance services including regenerative air and brush truck sweeping, snow and ice removal, landscaping, power washing, asphalt repair, line striping and crack filling.
"Uri Ben-Yashar, the founder-CEO of East Coast/NMS, is a top-tier operator who, after nearly three decades of dedication, has refined the predictive, efficient, simultaneous and scaled delivery of on-demand snow and ice management services,” Minasian said, adding than Ben-Yashar will continue to lead the division.
“After decades of operating independently and establishing our brand identity, I became very excited about the opportunities that a merger with KBS would provide for our people and customers,” Ben-Yashar said. “We will keep our brand identity while having the coverage and access to KBS's resources. With KBS's support and our knowledge of the exterior services market, we have now entered the next phase in our growth and development, and I am very excited about the future."
