Chem-Dry’s CDCS Award Highlights Dedication to Service Excellence

Going above and beyond is par for the course at Inter-County Chem-Dry, and its owners say that being adaptable has led to success and growth

Chem-Dry cleaning franchise owners focus heavily on residential carpet cleaning and related jobs, which have long been the brand’s backbone. Even so, many have also made significant inroads into commercial work, thus accessing an entirely new revenue stream and boosting Chem-Dry’s visibility in their community,

At its recent convention, Chem-Dry honored Cory and Hayley Casamassina of Inter Country Chem-Dry in Plainview, New York, as they took home the Chem-Dry Corporate Services award for their success in commercial cleaning. It was a nice honor, and reflective of an approach to small-business operations that has allowed for significant growth over time, says Cory Casamassina.

How long have you had your business?

I’ve been running my own franchise for the past six years, but my parents bought a franchise 30 years ago. I grew up around Chem-Dry. When I was a teenager I began working for them, and I eventually went out and got my own franchise. My parents still operate theirs, and so we do our own thing and also help each other out from time to time.

What’s the appeal of owning a Chem-Dry franchise?

I always wanted to be my own boss and run my own business. I like the flexibility it offers, but also making customers happy. I grew up in this business, so I knew it like the back of my hand. It was very easy to obtain my own franchise, and that also was a plus.

How does the corporate team help you succeed?

They are great in so many ways. The training when you come on board is outstanding. Even though I knew how to run a franchise, I still learned a lot. The products are solid and continue to improve, and that makes your job as a cleaner and franchise owner much easier. If I encounter a cleaning problem in the field, there’s almost always a product to solve that.

What are some differentiators that help you land clients?

Our green-certified materials are great. When you tell people about how environmentally friendly our solutions are, they really like it. That helps build confidence in our name and what we offer. They like knowing that we can clean their carpets and floors and they can have their babies crawling around, or pets in the room, right away. Most of our residential clients have young kids, and that is a huge concern for them.

How does the growing roster of Chem-Dry services help you land business?

Being able to offer more lets us bump up tickets really quickly and easily. When we go to a commercial client, for example, they may have several vendors doing different cleaning tasks for them. We come in for carpets, but when they find out that we can do tile floors, upholstery and more, they often will give us that business. Companies like having one person to call and knowing that vendor will do a great job. They don’t have to babysit a bunch of vendors, but have one doing the work quickly and professionally.

How do you help customers out of a jam?

We respond as fast as possible. For residential customers, that has meant helping out if they’ve had a big problem and they need the floors looking good for a party or for guests coming. For commercial clients, they like that we can go in after hours — whenever those hours might be. We never say that we’ll come in a day or two. We get there as fast as possible to solve the problem.

How does the future look for you?

The potential is endless for us. I think we can grow each year and stay on that path. You can make good money from the start with Chem-Dry. We’ve been able to grow both commercial and residential, and I think it’s good to have that mix. You never want to go too far toward one side or the other, because then you can limit yourself. The more different types of business you can book, the more you can fill up your schedule and get the most out of every day.

How do you market the business?

We do a fair amount of online advertising, both pay-per-click and social media. We have our own web page and get leads from that. We also mail postcards to our residential clients, which has given us a very good ROI.

Chem-Dry corporate has been good about helping us with all of that, connecting us to vendor partners who provide templates and other materials. We pick options, and they work with us to make it all happen. They make it very simple, and as a business owner I appreciate that. I don’t have time to create postcards and build online content, and they do it for you in such a way that you can focus on running the business.

What advice do you have for someone considering a Chem-Dry franchise?

Jump in and do it. Talk to current owners and get their take on what you’re getting into, but don’t be afraid. You’ll get great support from the franchisor, and you’ll learn the business system pretty quickly. There’s a lot of help for you while you’re learning, and then you can really build your business from there.

Chem-Dry is the world’s largest carpet and upholstery cleaning franchise with nearly 3,500 franchises in 55 countries, serving 11,000 homes and businesses a day. Chem-Dry has been Entrepreneur magazine’s top-rated carpet cleaning franchise for 30 straight years. The Chem-Dry Hot Carbonating Extraction process delivers a faster-drying, deeper and more environmentally friendly clean that appeals to home and business owners. In addition to carpet and area rugs, Chem-Dry provides cleaning and renewal services for tile and
stone, granite countertops, leather and upholstery.

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