PIRTEK franchisees bring home top honors for outstanding performance
Hydraulics, with its myriad hoses and fluid transfer processes, is a complex field. For that reason, people may assume a franchisee needs a mechanical background to run a PIRTEK Service & Supply Center.
David Entwistle’s success says otherwise.
The owner of PIRTEK Rockville in Rockville, MD, won Franchise of the Year honors in March for running the top-performing PIRTEK location in the United States. And his background? “I come from the food service industry,” said Entwistle. “I don’t have a mechanical background. I didn’t study it in college, either. I studied physical education. I wanted to be a phys ed teacher.”
While the brand might sound best suited to those handy with a wrench, it’s a business well-matched with a variety of entrepreneurs, said Glenn Duncan, Executive Director of PIRTEK International. “The main thing is knowing how to build relationships, understanding the value of networking within the community,” he said. “You’ve got to be prepared to capitalize on every opportunity, to thrive wherever industrial equipment is used – and it is used virtually everywhere.
Growing in the USA
PIRTEK has launched 11 Service & Supply Centers in the United States since 2014 and has released a number of fluid transfer products bearing the company brand, including hoses, fittings, oils and lubricants. There are more than 400 Service & Supply Centers and 2,000 Mobile Service Vehicles in 23 countries around the world. The many industries PIRTEK serves include construction, manufacturing, mining, automotive, oil and gas, and marine.
Currently, there are 57 Service & Supply Centers around the United States, several of which also received special honors at the company’s recent awards ceremony.
Customer service and following through
Even without a mechanical background, PIRTEK’s intensive training, along with Entwistle’s determination and passion for customer service, furnished all he needed to succeed. “Customers have to depend on you, which means you’ve got to keep your word,” he said. “You’ve got to follow through and do what you say, no exceptions. That’s an important key to our success.”
Entwistle received his Franchise of the Year award at PIRTEK USA’s annual conference at the Renaissance Orlando at Sea World in Orlando, FL. The company honored his franchise for its outstanding performance, enthusiasm for the PIRTEK brand and overall operational excellence. PIRTEK Rockville’s service area includes Maryland, north Virginia and the beltway around our nation’s capital.
Since 2013, Entwistle’s Mobile Services Vehicles have been called to help industries across a wide swath. One job of note involved a malfunctioning boom that had snarled a major traffic artery, affecting many thousands of metro motorists. The PIRTEK team helped get the boom up and running so the traffic flow could resume.
In addition, to local business, Entwistle’s Service & Supply Center sometimes receives visits from far-flung regions. “People have sent trucks half way across the nation, just to get PIRTEK service,” he said. “They just get hooked on us.”
Other industries he serves include municipalities, construction, landscaping businesses and park services. “You can’t focus on only one industry,” he said. “Construction companies are regular customers, but sites shut down when there’s inclement weather. You need a diverse customer base to really succeed.”
PIRTEK honorees around the country
PIRTEK honored a number of other franchise owners during its March awards ceremony. The Top Sales Award for 2015 went to PIRTEK O’Hare in Elk Grove Village, IL, owned by Ken Adair. An owner of three PIRTEK locations, his PIRTEK McKinley Park in Chicago earned honors as the top-performing Service & Supply Center in the Midwest.
The top-performing PIRTEK in the West Coast region was PIRTEK Long Beach in Signal Hill, CA, owned by Paul Martin. Jennifer Prendergast at PIRTEK Space Coast in Rockledge, FL, was recognized for having the leading Southeast franchise, and the spousal team Jim and Laurie Phillips of PIRTEK Jersey Village in Houston earned the Southwest award.
But no matter where the Service & Supply Centers are around the United States, Entwistle said they always have to be prepared for the inevitable – service calls in the dead of night. “The phone can ring anytime,” he said. “We had one the other night at 2 a.m. It’s written on all our vehicles: ‘24/7.’ You have to be ready.”