Restoration 1 and bluefrog Plumbing + Drain are the first two franchises under the new holding company Stellar Brands, which plans to add more service businesses to its portfolio. Restoration 1 provides emergency aid to take care of fire, smoke and water damage and also eliminates dangerous mold; bluefrog Plumbing + Drain offers an array of plumbing services such as fixing leaks and unclogging drains.
Stellar Brands’ CEO is Gary Findley, who also is operating partner of franchising and home services of MPK Equity Partners. In April of last year, MPK acquired Restoration 1 and bluefrog Plumbing + Drain with an aim to boost the growth of both of those franchise brands.
With the advent of the Waco, Texas-based Stellar Brands umbrella company, Findley said “our goal moving forward is to build a family of brands of complementary services that specialize in like-minded dirty jobs with beautiful results. We will continue to invest in our people and our franchise brands while pursuing additional strategic acquisitions to expand and enhance our capabilities.”
Findley said that Restoration 1 and bluefrog Plumbing + Drain have experienced increased demand during the pandemic. In a statement announcing the formation of Stellar Brands, company officials credited the recession-resistant nature of Restoration 1 and bluefrog Plumbing + Drain with empowering its sustained growth. Restoration 1 now has 350 locations across the United States and Canada, while bluefrog Plumbing + Drain has sites in eight states, with Virginia added within the last year.
The two franchise companies also have had some executive level changes over the past year: At Restoration 1, Sherry Rose was named chief operating officer and Tom Gissler became president; Mike Mushinski was tapped as president of bluefrog Plumbing + Drain.
By the end of this year, Stellar Brands will marshal franchise development initiatives to increase locations for both Restoration 1 and bluefrog Plumbing + Drain, the company said in its statement. For more information about Restoration 1 franchises, please visit restoration1franchise.com. For details about bluefrog Plumbing + Drain franchises, please check out bluefrogfranchise.com.