DRYmedic Restoration

Before the idea of&nbsp;<a href="https://drymedicfranchise.com/drymedic-franchise/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=family-first-drymedic-restoration-franchise-the-carlsons-colorado-2731561" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">DRYmedic Restoration</a> even entered the picture,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-carlson-29b0a930/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=family-first-drymedic-restoration-franchise-the-carlsons-colorado-2731561" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Keith</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlsonjessica/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=family-first-drymedic-restoration-franchise-the-carlsons-colorado-2731561" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Jessica Carlson</a> were already having the conversations that would eventually lead them there. They talked late at night after work, once their three children were asleep.Each had spent nearly two decades in the corporate world, building stable careers while raising a family in Colorado. But that success came with a trade-off. They wanted more control over their time and their future, along with a business they could build together. They also wanted something that could support their family in the moment and grow with them over time. Franchising soon provided the answer.For Keith, the decision to leave corporate life came after years of mounting burnout. “It became very political — who you knew, relationships — and I was just burned out,” he said. “I needed to get out of that space.”That shared goal shaped how the couple approached entrepreneurship from the start. While Keith would step away from his career in high-tech sales to run the daily business, Jessica is closely involved behind the scenes, helping support and guide the business as it grows.In October 2024, the Carlsons officially opened DRYmedic Restoration Services of Parker Colorado&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/drymedic-restoration/info">DRYmedic</a> of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.drymedic.com/locations/parker/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=family-first-drymedic-restoration-franchise-the-carlsons-colorado-2731561" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Parker, Colorado</a>, making their foray into entrepreneurship while looking ahead at a much bigger franchising and family picture.<h2>Learning the Business Together</h2>Launching and building a new business is difficult. There’s a lot to learn and, like many first-year franchisees, the Carlsons experienced an uneven start. But, over the last year, the business found its footing.&nbsp;“There are a lot of ebbs and flows. But now we’re incredibly busy. You just ride it and keep going,” Keith said. “Last year was about learning the business: the job sites, people and processes. Now, we know the formula and we’re able to execute.”Keith drew on his background to develop relationships within the community, learning the operations and marketing sides. Jessica oversees areas like accounting, bookkeeping and financial planning. While largely behind the scenes, Jessica’s role has been critical. And that division of responsibility has enabled the couple to focus on their strengths while maintaining trust.&nbsp;Navigating the daily realities of running a franchise can be a lot. Having someone he can trust has proven invaluable for Keith. “We’re definitely in it together. Trust is key. And we’re lucky we have each other,” he said. “Her help with finances keeps me focused. She gives me the freedom to take ownership.”<h2>Building for Growth and Legacy</h2>As the new business continues to gain traction, the Carlsons remain focused on building sustainable growth that lasts. In 2026, the couple hopes to keep their current vehicle fully booked and build enough demand to justify adding another. They’re also looking to add staff, invest in equipment and expand overall capacity. But those steps serve a larger goal with an eye on the long game.The Carlsons’ long-term plan has grown to include their children, ages 11, 8 and 6. Ultimately, Keith sees the business as a way to teach responsibility and the value of earning a living, with the couple’s&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/drymedic-restoration-franchise-costs-fees-profit-data-2730874">DRYmedic franchise</a> creating potential family employment opportunities down the road.&nbsp;“The goal is for us to run this together and be independent from the corporate world,” Keith said. “The other goal is financial freedom so Jessica can work here full time and we can do this together. We also want to involve our kids and teach them the value of a hard-earned dollar.”After nearly 20 years in traditional careers, the Carlsons are working toward a future where the business supports their family, on their terms.About Authority Brands:Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Authority Brands' companies include 14 leading home service franchise brands: America's Swimming Pool Co. Company, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, DoodyCalls, DRYmedic Restoration Services, Homewatch CareGivers, The Junkluggers, Lawn Squad, Mister Sparky, Monster Tree Service, Mosquito Squad, One Hour Heating &amp; Air Conditioning, Screenmobile, and Woofie's. Together, these brands provide home services through more than 2,700 territories operated by more than 1,000 franchise owners. Authority Brands is dedicated to supporting individual franchise owner growth by providing strong marketing, technology and operational support. See&nbsp;<a href="http://authoritybrands.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=family-first-drymedic-restoration-franchise-the-carlsons-colorado-2731561" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">authoritybrands.com</a> for more information.

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Family-First Franchising: How a Husband-and-Wife Team Built Their DRYmedic Business

1851 Franchise

Keith and Jessica Carlson left the corporate grind to build a DRYmedic franchise that keeps family at the center and creates a path they can grow with their kids.

This brand page has been paid for by DRYMEDIC RESTORATION. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

A Family-First Approach to Franchising Sparks a New DRYmedic Restoration Venture

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After more than 20 years of managing hospital infrastructure,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-sims-fun/">David Sims</a> decided it was time for a change. As the industry shifted under the weight of AI and automation, he began looking for something that felt more hands-on and meaningful, a search that eventually led him to&nbsp;<a href="https://drymedicfranchise.com/">DRYmedic Restoration</a>, a restoration services franchise that helps communities recover from water, fire and mold damage.“I was in IT for 25 years,” Sims said. “It was fun for a long time, but there were a lot of ups and downs. There’s been a lot of contraction in the industry recently due to AI and other technology improvements.”Sims had worked his way into a leadership role at a hospital, but after five years, he was caught in a round of layoffs. “I took some time off and thought about starting my own business, but my financial runway was a little shorter than I needed without seeking outside capital,” he said.He returned to IT for a year, but this time his mindset was different. “That’s when I discovered franchising,” he said. Sims had never really given it much thought before, but he soon realized it was a very viable option, providing entrepreneurs with a blueprint to follow instead of trying to create the map out of thin air.<h2>Discovering Franchising and Finding DRYmedic</h2>During his search for the right opportunity, Sims realized that the restoration industry checked multiple boxes, such as hands-on work, clear processes and a meaningful impact on people’s lives.“I’ve always been interested in working with people and with my hands and seeing the fruits of my labor,” he said. “The restoration industry is very scientific in its methodology, which appealed to me coming from IT. Plus, at the end of the day, it’s about helping people.”Working at the hospital helped Sims realize that purpose-driven work was what really fulfilled him, and&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/drymedic-restoration/info">DRYmedic</a> felt the same. “If I can help restore something someone has lost and give that back to them, that’s worth it a thousand times over,” he said.&nbsp;When Sims discovered DRYmedic, he was immediately drawn to the way the brand’s mission aligned with his personal values. Once he started having conversations with leadership, it was clear they were deeply passionate about what they were doing.&nbsp;“They weren’t focused on how many franchises they could open just to make money,” he said. “They wanted to drive those principles, help people and support franchisees as they continue to open. That really resonated with me.”<h2>A Smooth, Purposeful Transition</h2>Despite a quarter century in another field, Sims says the shift felt natural.&nbsp;“Honestly, the most surprising thing was how easy it was for me,” he said. “Once I started having conversations with the team, they made it easy for me to fall in love with the industry. I felt like I could make a bigger impact here than I could anywhere else.”He also found reassurance in the way things began to fall into place. “A warehouse became available five minutes from my house, and other opportunities just aligned,” Sims said. “It made me feel like I was making the right decision.”<h2>Why Charleston Was the Perfect Market</h2>When it came time to decide where to open, Charleston, South Carolina, was an easy choice. Sims saw firsthand how the coastal city’s climate made it a prime market for restoration services.“Charleston’s a coastal city, and there’s water everywhere,” he said. “I’ve been keeping my finger on the pulse — real estate, local chatter on Nextdoor — and everyone talks about mold or flooding. Flooding issues in Charleston have always been a big deal. The city spent millions and millions of dollars on drainage just for one area downtown.”Sims’ research revealed a clear gap in the market that DRYmedic could fill. There weren’t many restoration companies in the area with great reviews, and with the disaster restoration services market being&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/disaster-restoration-services-market">valued at $42.93 billion</a>, he knew there was plenty of work to go around.<h2>Getting Involved in the Community</h2>Since launching his DRYmedic of Charleston location, Sims has been focused on spreading the word and building relationships across the community.“I’ve been mostly leveraging my existing network and getting the word out that way,” he said. “I’ve been pounding the pavement and introducing myself to plumbers, HVAC companies, even competitors. I try to be more collaborative than competitive. I’m not trying to price anybody out; there’s plenty of work for everyone.”He’s also connecting with local insurance agents and other referral partners to establish long-term relationships.&nbsp;<h2>A New Sense of Freedom and Fulfillment</h2>For Sims, owning a business has provided more than just flexibility. It has restored his sense of joy in his work. “What I enjoy most is the newness of it,” he said. “It’s something different, something exciting, and I feel like I’m learning something new every day. I’m kind of a clean freak anyway, so if there’s something out there that can make a home cleaner or safer, and I can share that knowledge, that feels like a positive thing.”Sims says one of the best parts of running his own business is having control over his schedule. He enjoys the flexibility of setting his own hours and finds the experience less stressful than corporate life. With the freedom to organize his days on his own terms, he feels a greater sense of balance and control than ever before.“The fact that I don’t have someone else telling me what to do is liberating,” he said. “I get to make my own day and my own rules.”<h2>Looking Ahead to 2026 and Beyond</h2>As he looks ahead to 2026, Sims’ goals are ambitious yet grounded in the same data-driven mindset that defined his previous career.“I just want to keep expanding the network and start getting revenue in the door,” he said. “I want to keep networking and marketing myself because I truly believe DRYmedic as a brand stands out. They have more experience, a broader skill set and a better methodology. Everything is based in science and is provable.”Sims believes DRYmedic’s scientific foundation is one of the brand’s strongest advantages. He says that every decision in a restoration job is backed by measurable data and industry standards, allowing him to justify his methods with confidence when working with insurance adjusters or clients.“It’s hard to argue when you’re driven by data,” he said. “That’s how DRYmedic operates, and it’s how I’ve always operated. You collect information, give it to the person you’re working with, and back it up with facts. It’s hard to argue with data.”To find out more information on costs to buy a DRYmedic franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/drymedic-restoration/info.">https://1851franchise.com/drymedic-restoration/info.</a>&nbsp;

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As catastrophic weather accelerates and homeowners become more aware of mold and water damage risks,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/industry/damage-restoration-services/6278/">the $7 billion restoration industry</a> is shifting from a reactive service to a critical, year-round necessity. For entrepreneurs seeking a recession-resistant, high-demand opportunity,&nbsp;<a href="https://drymedicfranchise.com/">DRYmedic Restoration</a> stands out as one of the most compelling brands in the home-services category today.&nbsp;“We saw climate change happening — crazy hurricanes, tornadoes in places they never happened before, sandstorms in Arizona — and realized restoration demand was only going to grow,” said President and Founder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-hesano-716a47b">Carlos Hesano</a>. “You’ve got failing infrastructure, aging homes and a massive uptick in awareness about mold. The market is expanding fast, and people want professionals, not a mop and a fan. The last thing people stop paying for is their home and their home insurance. Restoration is essential. It’s not something people can put off.”With nearly 100 territories awarded and momentum building nationwide, DRYmedic is in the rare moment of franchise growth where the model is established, demand is surging and territories remain open. For candidates waiting for “the right time,” the brand’s current expansion phase offers both access and upward mobility.<h2>A Brand Built for Compassion, Speed and Simplicity</h2>Founded in 1992, DRYmedic began with a mission to provide fast and compassionate cleanup services that cut through the red tape often associated with property damage. In other words: help people recover from disasters without leaving them to navigate insurance headaches alone.&nbsp;Since its inception, DRYmedic has been dedicated to offering service that makes customers feel like a priority rather than a number. The company expanded steadily, building a trusted reputation for affordability, rapid response and compassion during some of the most stressful moments in a homeowner’s life. As the restoration industry evolved, DRYmedic continued to refine its systems, equipment standards, partnerships and training programs, eventually becoming one of Michigan’s strongest independent restoration brands.This foundation paved the way for DRYmedic’s next chapter. When Hesano and his co-founder acquired the company and later&nbsp;<a href="https://www.authoritybrands.com/our-brands/drymedic/">partnered with Authority Brands in 2022</a>, they combined DRYmedic’s decades of operational experience with a sophisticated franchise platform built for national scale.&nbsp;<h2>A Founder Who Built the System He Always Wished He Had</h2>What distinguishes DRYmedic is the combination of its long-standing industry reputation and Hesano’s deep franchising background. Hesano has spent more than two decades inside franchising as a franchisee, multi-unit operator, consultant and system-builder. He has opened more than 80 locations across previous concepts, scaled units that broke company performance records, and understands franchising from the inside out.Having lived the franchisee experience for much of his career, he built DRYmedic’s systems around the practical realities of running a business day to day. “Choosing the right franchisor is massive,” he said. “Do they have systems? Processes? KPIs? Resources? Are they giving you the platform you need to grow? We tell candidates all the time — we give you the recipe, but you have to do the cooking.”Hesano and his team designed the DRYmedic structure to help franchisees identify their strengths, address gaps and build teams around them.&nbsp;“Some are great marketers. Some are great operators. Some are great salespeople,” Hesano said. “We put people in the right seats, help them hire around gaps and give them tools to build real organizations.”Because restoration is not a solo trade but an organizational business — one built on process, hiring, customer communication and insurance navigation — this approach gives franchisees the structure they need to scale.<h2>A Market Driven by Forces Too Large To Ignore</h2>The restoration category is expanding faster than most home-services segments because the conditions driving demand are structural rather than cyclical.&nbsp;<a href="https://earthjustice.org/feature/how-climate-change-is-fueling-extreme-weather">Climate events are hitting regions that never experienced them before</a>. Homes built decades ago are reaching the point where plumbing, roofing, waterproofing and foundations are failing. Even new construction isn’t immune, as rapid building and changing materials introduce their own vulnerabilities.Hesano has seen the shift firsthand. “I grew up in Michigan. I thought tornadoes only happened to Dorothy in Kansas,” he said. “In the last five years, we’ve had multiple here.” Consumers have also become far more aware of mold and secondary damage. “Years ago, people would mop up a pipe break,” he said. “Now they know mold is the secondary damage that comes if you don’t approach it properly. Awareness has skyrocketed.”When combined with the insurance-backed nature of the work, the result is a business where revenue is tied not to consumer discretion but to necessity. In a world where property damage can strike any structure at any time, restoration has become one of the most stable, durable and recession-resistant industries in franchising.<h2>Technology and Modern Infrastructure Where the Industry Needs It Most</h2>While many independent restoration companies still rely on phone trees and manual documentation, DRYmedic positions franchisees with a fully modern operational backbone.&nbsp;Hesano describes the brand as “a technology and marketing company that offers restoration services,” noting that prioritizing efficiency and lead generation gives operators a competitive advantage. Franchisees use AI-powered software for documentation and estimating, integrated APIs that move information quickly between platforms, centralized call centers that improve conversion and robust lead-generation programs supported by the Authority Brands marketing engine.The brand’s operational ecosystem is designed to remove the traditional friction points in restoration, allowing franchisees to focus on running their teams, developing community relationships and closing jobs — not drowning in paperwork.As a result, one of DRYmedic’s core strengths is that it does not require franchisees to enter with restoration experience. Instead, the model is built for entrepreneurs who want to build teams and lead an organization. Franchisees are trained through hands-on instruction at DRYmedic’s Michigan facility, extensive video libraries, weekly coaching and ongoing KPI management support. The brand also assists with hiring, org-chart planning and license navigation for states requiring mold remediation certification.“We see a clear delineation between our top performers and the people who follow the system,” Hesano said. “When the franchisor has the right recipe and the franchisee follows it, the success is predictable.”<h2>Why Now: The Window Won’t Stay Open Forever</h2>DRYmedic is approaching the sweet spot in franchise development: strong validation, accelerating demand and prime territories still available where many competitors are sold out. The team has identified several markets as primed for expansion, including Nashville, Tennessee; Minneapolis; Florida cities Pensacola and Miami; San Antonio; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Indianapolis; Salt Lake City and Atlanta.With climate volatility increasing, aging homes failing at scale, consumers more educated about mold and insurance-backed work ensuring stability, restoration is not only essential — it is expanding. DRYmedic’s seasoned ramp-up, training structure and enterprise resources make this moment particularly advantageous for new owners.“We’re allocating significant resources to DRYmedic,” Hesano said. “This brand is on a great trajectory. The timing is perfect for the right owners.”For entrepreneurs looking for a business with staying power, operational depth, an essential service offering and a franchisor who has lived the franchisee experience, DRYmedic represents a rare opportunity.The total investment necessary to begin operating a DRYmedic franchise ranges from $65,870 to $245,110. For more information on franchising with DRYmedic, visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://drymedicfranchise.com/">https://drymedicfranchise.com/</a>.

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A Family-First Approach to Franchising Sparks a New DRYmedic Restoration Venture

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