Pat Jacob opens PuroClean Restoration of Winnipeg East
At 19 years old, Pat Jacob joined a leading grocery and merchandise retailer. He worked for the company for 29 years, spending the last 15 years as an executive at the head office. Jacob had successfully accomplished what so many of us set out to do, work his way up the corporate ladder.
Then last spring, the company began restructuring and Jacob found himself in transition. Ultimately, the career transition led him to become the owner of PuroClean Restoration of Winnipeg East, a residential and commercial property damage mitigation and restoration services company.
“I worked with the same people from the time I was 19 years old until last spring,” said Jacob. “There was a restructuring and they bought me out.”
As part of his severance package, the company connected him with an HR transition service. But while working with the service, Jacob soon realized that it was time for him to try something else.
“I didn’t feel like working for anyone else. For the last five years I had thought about what it would be like to get out of the corporate world,” said Jacob. “So they suggested I attend one of their franchise business ownership exploration seminars.”
Jacob worked with food franchises early in his career and was hesitant of the idea of franchising. However, interested in what other opportunities might be available, he decided to attend the meeting. That is where he met Chuck Prenevost.
Prenevost, a franchise consultant with FranNet Western Canada, presented the seminar. He works with individuals considering business ownership to match them with a franchise business. Jacob liked what he heard during the seminar and soon after met with Prenevost.
Meeting with Prenevost, Jacob took a Entrepreneur Profile (Entrepreneur Profile), a sort of personality test of a person’s business acumen. The assessment looks at an individual from many facets, including his behaviour profile, risk tolerance and financial background. Jacob’s Entrepreneur Profile was then used to help identify franchises that would align best with his attributes.
“Chuck presented three franchises that matched my criteria, and I investigated all three,” said Jacob.
It was PuroClean that stood out from the others. He was drawn to the business for several reasons, including the strength of the management team and the concept’s scalability. The ability to grow at the pace he wanted was an important factor in Jacob’s business ownership decision, and he says he has plans to expand in the future.
Jacob’s PuroClean Restoration of Winnipeg East opened in October 2014.
“We are at the forefront of drying before destroying,” said Jacob.
PuroClean uses state-of-the-art technology that allows for drying and restoring with minimal disruption to the property. Their superior service can help lower claims loss to both residential and commercial customers. From the PuroClean QuickDry System™, to the priority response program and proprietary operating system, PuroClean is able to help property owners get back on their feet after experiencing property damage.
“Every day is different. Just a half an hour ago I received a call to go look at a house that was flooded in 2011; now it has mould problems,” said Jacob.
So Jacob and his team will get to work assessing the situation and restoring the property.
The professionals at PuroClean Restoration of Winnipeg East are IICRC certified. For more information, visit www.puroclean.ca/winnipegeast or call 204-777-7876.
For those interested in business ownership opportunities, contact Chuck Prenevost 604-849-0278 or visit www.frannet.com/chuckprenevost.