Meet Blue Kangaroo Packoutz Franchise General Manager Michael Case
Industry pro, Michael Case, talks about why now is the time to own a contents restoration business
When Mike Case talks about what makes Blue Kangaroo Packoutz an exceptional brand in the contents restoration category, he speaks from experience. As the general manager of the first Blue Kangaroo Packoutz contents restoration franchise location, he’s got a unique window into the brand’s history, it’s growth and why now is a great time to open one in your community. Here are some of his insights.
You’ve been doing this for a long time, and you’ve seen contents restoration become an important part of the restoration industry. Why do you think it’s grown and continues to evolve?
MC: The contents industry has grown because there’s got to be a place to take the customer’s belongings and store them safely. You could argue that anybody could do that, and there are outfits that do that. But do they know the proper way to not only inventory the merchandise, but handle it properly, package it properly, and transport it properly? Do they have the resources to clean it, to refinish it, or restore it?. And then when it’s all done, can they take it back and put it exactly where it came from in that exact same location? Can they take an object from something fairly tragic in somebody’s life, be it a fire or flood, and restore that back to them as if it were before that event happened?
They can’t, and we can, because we’ve got the best in the cleaning room, the best in delivery, the best in the finishing room. Plus, we’ve got the support of BELFOR Franchise Group, a parent company that works hand in hand with us to give us the tools and the resources we need.
How important is it to build a solid team?
MC: I think the qualities needed to define any business, not just the contents business, but any business, are ones of inclusiveness. In fact, I’ll be the first to tell you, I don’t know everything. But I’ve got a great team that are experts in their field. I’ve got some fantastic finishers, I’ve got a cleaning room that I would put up against anyone’s. I’ve got drivers and warehouse people that are stellar. And together, they form a fantastic team. They cross-train, and they help each other out all the time. They make my job really easy. I’ve got staff that are continually supporting the company and supporting our goal, which is to not only provide exceptional customer service, but to do it at a good price.
How much has your business grown since the beginning?
MC: The business has grown considerably over the last few years from a smaller company that could survive in a building as small as 5,000 square foot to a much larger facility. And that’s because again, of not only the people but the industry support, and the input and support from not only our parent company, but from the insurance companies that have allowed us to continue to grow into what you see today.
What do you think the growth potential is for someone getting into this business?
MC: I think the growth potential for getting into this business is exponential. It can be a small company where you’re selective and only take certain jobs. It can be a large business, where you’re willing to take on the jobs from a small residential fire to a seven-story commercial senior living complex similar to what we just finished up here a few months ago.
What does it mean to you when you’re responsible for restoring people’s possessions and getting it back into their homes?
MC: We take that very seriously. We fully realize we’ve got other people’s prized possessions here, and we treat all this as if it were our own. We take exceptional care to make sure that what we do with somebody’s belongings is what we would do with our own. We wrap it properly, we clean it, we put it in a vault, and we make sure that our teams handle it in such a way that when we bring it back to them, they can look at it and it will be what it was before it was damaged.
What’s a day at your facility like?
MC: A day in the life of running a Blue Kangaroo Packoutz franchise depends on what you’ve got going on. One day it’s a small job where you’re sending one or two crews out to pick up a residential job’s contents The next day, you get a call and there’s that seven-story senior complex that needs you there right away. Whatever it is, we arrive on the scene, make the assessment and start working right away. That customer sees us taking care and how quickly we react. It gives them a sense of, ‘This is the company I want to go with. They care about my stuff, they care about getting the job done, and they care about restoring my life to normal.’
If someone is already doing this work as an independent, do you think they’d gain advantages by converting to a Blue Kangaroo Packoutz?
MC: Absolutely, if you’re a small, independent, or even a large independent, this gives you an opportunity to join a leader in the property-restoration industry. There are opportunities available to Blue Kangaroo Packoutz that most independents won’t see. Our national relationships have brought us onto some big jobs, whereas I don’t see that happening without franchise support.
What you say is the most rewarding part of this business?
MC: It’s giving a lot of people a great career that’s going to be around for a long, long time. The looks and the gratitude we get from our customers, when we restore their furniture, when we bring back the items that they thought were lost forever, when their house burned down or when the flood happened or when the storm came through. We’re returning, you know, grandma’s rocking chair, those photo albums of their children. There’s nothing better than that.
Blue Kangaroo Packoutz is one of the most affordable franchise opportunities in the fast-growing contents restoration industry. The total investment for owning a Blue Kangaroo Packoutz ranges from $127,156 to $307,790 open a new business, and to convert an existing business into a Blue Kangaroo Packoutz, the costs range from $102,231 to $292,790. We proudly offer a discount to veterans interested in investing in a Blue Kangaroo Packoutz.
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