October 1, 2009 - St. Louis, Missouri…Stratus Building Solutions, the nation’s fastest-growing international brand in the building services and maintenance franchise industry, has expanded the company’s successful operations in New York by awarding a new Master Franchise to Rick Baran in Melville called Stratus Building Solutions of Long Island.

“Stratus Building Solutions of Long Island will exclusively serve Suffolk and Nassau counties and surrounding boroughs,” said Dennis Jarrett, CEO of Stratus Building Solutions. “Rick Baran is an accomplished business executive and team leader whose expertise will complement our successful New York operations in Hudson Valley and Buffalo, expanding our network of franchisors across the U.S. and Canada,” Jarrett added.

Stratus Building Solutions of Long Island is headquartered at 510 Broadhollow Road, Suite 306, Melville, NY 11747. Telephone: 631 807 5799. Mr. Baran is hiring five employees immediately and plans to establish 50 new Stratus Building Solutions unit franchises to serve building owners and facilities managers in the Long Island territory by year-end 2010.

Pete Frese, President of Stratus Building Solutions, said, “Our company’s fast growth is a plus for new Master Franchisors like Rick Baran who are committed to establishing a thriving business. All Stratus Building Solutions Master Franchisors receive top-down support to help ensure their financial success.”

Mr. Baran said, “This is an exceptional opportunity to create new jobs and contribute to the Long Island economy by establishing new unit franchises in the recession-resistant building services industry. Stratus Building Solutions has a great business model and a reputation for excellence.”

Mr. Baran was previously Senior Vice President/Director of Communications-Networking at Donovan Data Systems, the leading information systems and technology provider for advertising industries in the U.S. and Europe. His senior management responsibilities included providing large-scale, business-critical solutions for clients in media and financial operations by managing teams of IT engineers, technical support staff, software designers and data communications associates.

Financial terms of the agreement with Stratus Building Solutions of Long Island were not disclosed.

Stratus Building Solutions currently has Master Franchises in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Its U.S. franchisees operate in Connecticut, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, and soon will expand into Utah and Nevada.

In May 2009, Stratus Building Solutions of Canada was established to serve all ten provinces in that nation. In September 2009, the company awarded a Master Franchise in Lithuania to establish a model for European expansion. Stratus Building Solutions won the prestigious “2009 St. Louis Award” in franchising from the U.S. Commerce Association for marketing success and customer service. In January 2009, Stratus Building Solutions won four “top ten” spots in Entrepreneur magazine’s 30th Annual Franchise 500® ranking.

Stratus Building Solutions offers 16 different building service franchise plans providing state-of-the-art “environmentally green” cleaning systems, products, services and marketing support. These include the “Stratus GreenClean” program which uses environmentally-friendly products and services to help sustain healthier, more productive facilities. In July 2009, the firm introduced its "Stratus Green Clean" line of eco-friendly chemicals. The firm offers an exclusive “Stratus Sani-Proof” program that kills bacteria, including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and other germs found in schools, health clubs, daycare centers, gyms, dormitories, offices and hospitals.

Stratus Affiliated Services, LLC, a division of Stratus Building Solutions, provides landscaping, energy audits, recycling, pest control, hard-surface cleaning, and related services to complement the company’s successful building service franchise programs.

Stratus Building Solutions franchise benefits include orientation and training; customer referrals; administrative and accounting support; pre-arranged credit lines; access to insurance and surety bonds, financing options, business reviews; promotional support; and other turn-key advantages. The firm’s headquarters are at 1976 Innerbelt Business Center Drive in suburban St. Louis, Missouri.

For more information, please see the website www.stratusclean.com or call Stratus Building Solutions at 314.731.2000 or toll-free at 877.731.2020.

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View Company Website: http://www.stratusclean.com