Multi-Unit Franchisee Rejoins Raintree Team as Development Director

Raintree, an industry-leading franchise sales and marketing company, has welcomed former Development Manager Bill Wotochek back to its team as development director. Wotochek spent nearly five years with Raintree before leaving the brand in 2019 to pursue a commercial construction venture. Now, he’s returning to continue his role in helping Raintree cultivate franchise growth for its clients.

“I came back to Raintree because I kind of missed it,” said Wotochek. “And I saw where they were at. It’s built in a way now that it’s really positioned for phenomenal growth with the additional value it can bring to franchisors to help make them successful. It was just too good of an opportunity for me to pass up.”

Wotochek left Raintree in 2019 to partner with a close friend who was launching a commercial construction business. As chief estimator, he worked directly with general contractors, developers and owners throughout the preconstruction and build process. He spent roughly two years analyzing plans and specifications for medium- and large-scale commercial projects to create estimates that in some cases ran as high as $10 million. 

It was fun and exciting work, says Wotochek. But ultimately, he felt something was missing.

“I missed the camaraderie, the shared mission and the impact,” said Wotochek. “Raintree has always been centered around the idea that we're all in this together and that we’re providing true value to the world. Whether it’s a healthy restaurant concept where you're helping bring health and wellness to the world or a pet daycare, you're helping brands bring value to people in a variety of ways. It's very rewarding.”

Since Wotochek’s first go-around with Raintree, the brand has trimmed down the number of brands it works with to offer a more individualized, more personal approach to franchise growth. This resulted in revenue growth and made a positive cultural impact within the organization, elevating the company in a way that made a return all the more appealing to Wotochek.

Also, in his two-year hiatus from Raintree, Wotochek became a multi-unit franchisee with Chem Dry, the world's leading carpet-cleaning company, opening three units in the Denver, Colorado metro area. With his newfound perspective as a franchisee himself, Wotochek believes that in his return to Raintree, he brings an even more diverse skill set with which to help franchisors grow their businesses.

“When you work with a company like Chem Dry that’s been around for 40 years, you're plugging into a pretty robust system with a lot of really phenomenal processes in place,” said Wotochek. “So now I'm able to take some of that knowledge and experience and relay that to the franchisees I work with. I think the benefit there is that I can relate to them on a franchisee level, speak the same language and not only build trust, but provide valuable insights from real-world experience as a franchisee myself. It’s a huge benefit.”

Raintree co-founder and CEO Brent Dowling cites Wotochek’s previous contributions to the brand and his newfound experience as reasons he’s excited to have him back on the team at a time when the brand looks to capitalize on industry momentum.

“Franchising is on fire right now,” said Dowling. “There is so much demand for it nationally. Bill is an incredibly successful franchisee who is passionate about the industry, and his skills and experience as a multi-unit franchisee are so valuable. We know his perspective on franchising from a franchisee standpoint will be beneficial to our clients and prospective franchisees.”

In his new role as development director, Wotochek aims to pick up where he left off, working directly with franchisors to grow their brands and find the right franchise owners to help them reach their goals.

“Even though I’m going ‘back’ to Raintree,” said Wotochek, “I don’t look at it as a step backward. It’s a step forward. Sometimes you have to step away from something to realize what you have in it. I realized that Raintree brings more value to my life than just a paycheck. I can help bring value to the world through the work that I do, which is pretty phenomenal. This is really where I want to be.”

To learn more about Raintree, visit https://raintreegrowth.com.