10-Year Marketing Professional Charts New Path in Community With Preservan Franchise

When marketing professional Stephen Eppling moved to Athens to work toward his MBA at the University of Georgia, he fully intended for the shift to be temporary. Over a few years, though, he fell in love with the town, and he started to feel torn between Athens and Atlanta as he worked a hybrid schedule for a marketing role with UPS. So, in a concerted effort to stay in Athens — and do it in a way that worked for him and his family — Eppling leaned into his entrepreneurial aspirations.

After being connected with Preservan Wood Rot Repair, the revolutionary home service franchise that uses an epoxy-based system to repair rather than replace, everything fell into place. Now, Eppling is preparing for his grand opening on September 4th, noting that he looks forward to not only serving his neighbors with more affordable, sustainable home repair services but is also excited to be able to spend more time in the community, giving back and connecting with others.

Eppling took the time to chat with 1851 Franchise to discuss his franchising journey with Preservan and his plans for the future. Here’s what he had to say:

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Stephen Eppling: I have 11 years of experience in digital marketing and communications. After my undergraduate degree, I started working for a large PR firm doing social media strategy. I later transitioned into higher education marketing with the University of North Carolina. I moved back to Oklahoma and did the same at the University of Oklahoma.

Then, I decided to go back to graduate school. I moved to Athens and got my MBA at the University of Georgia. With this, I moved into corporate marketing. I was working in corporate marketing and strategy at the UPS headquarters in Atlanta, but about a year ago, I got the bug to start exploring other options.

Having already established myself in my career, I knew it would be a big departure, but I was interested. There had been a growing trend of small business acquisition in recent years, and that sounded cool, but it would be a big step to also have to create and manage the ongoing strategy and operations.

I was tangentially connected to Ty [McBride] through a friend, and the idea of Preservan got into my head. I reached out to him and was enthralled with the model. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Eppling: With franchising, you have the corporate team and structure behind you. Those go a long way. You can draw on collective knowledge and experience of the founders and other owners. There are shared services and resources, like a tech stack.

I think a lot of people, including myself, could figure out independent business ownership if they wanted to. But franchising gives you a launchpad. The go-to-market is so much quicker than what it would be as an independent entrepreneur trying to cobble everything together.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Eppling: I enjoy historic architecture, and in my personal time, I’m a bit handy. The business aligned with those interests, and I also really liked the idea of offering a true benefit to my neighbors.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Eppling: We’re launching in September, which is a busy time for our work. Our short-term goal is to have the first tech up and running at full capacity, which would be about 12 jobs per month. From there, I’ll try to react quickly. We’re set up with two cars, so we can add a second team member if demand is high enough. I’d be really excited about the opportunity to bring in another team member. I have a lot of confidence in our first tech, and I believe he could get someone up to speed very quickly.

Mid- to long-term goals are to get up to three techs plus myself and fully serve Athens and  Lawrenceville.

Beyond that, if this proves successful and is something we want to continue to scale, I could see us moving into areas like Atlanta, Savannah and Charleston. The sky’s the limit. It’s not often you find and so strongly believe in something that is this scalable, so I plan to take it as far as I can.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Eppling: When I went to grad school, moving to Athens was a temporary thing. We fully expected to be looking in major metro areas for jobs that would fit best with that degree, but my wife, two kids and myself just fell in love with the town. We actively made the decision to stay over potentially moving to somewhere like Atlanta for a job.

Preservan is a unique way of choosing to stay somewhere. I’ve found that, working a hybrid model in Atlanta, I feel very split between Athens and Atlanta. With Preservan, I’ll be able to be in Athens full-time, not only doing business here but also engaging with the community, interacting with my neighbors on a more intimate level and giving back in some capacity.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Eppling: Be open. Preservan and franchising were not on my radar as the ideal. I was conditioned to think of franchising as a lesser-than route to entrepreneurship just due to media I’d consumed in the past. By opening myself up to it and being willing to engage with Ty and learn more about the business, I stumbled upon a great opportunity.

ABOUT PRESERVAN WOOD ROT REPAIR

Preservan Wood Rot Repair is a category-creating franchise in the home services industry specializing in eco-friendly wood restoration and repair that preserves building materials instead of replacing them. Established by industry veteran Ty McBride, Preservan stands out because of its unique 100% epoxy-based wood rot repair technology that offers a sustainable alternative to traditional wood replacement. This method saves homeowners millions of dollars each year while preserving architectural heritage and craftsmanship. With nearly two decades of experience, the brand has evolved into a national franchise with locations across Oklahoma, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Today, Preservan provides a compelling opportunity for entrepreneurs seeking a low-cost, high-impact franchise in the booming home services sector. For more information, visit: https://gopreservan.com/.