Express Employment Professionals, the full-service staffing franchise with nearly 900 units, is setting its sights on Virginia for its next wave of franchise expansion due to the state's robust business mix and thriving workforce.
Virginia had an increase of roughly 339,000 new jobs in May 2023 and the state’s population is currently growing by 1.15%. In 2022, the GDP of Virginia increased by roughly 1.5% compared to 2021, which had seen the largest growth since 2000 as the state’s economy began its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia was also recently ranked No. 2 on CNBC’s Top States for Business in 2023.
“Virginia offers a tremendous business mix for industries where Express Employment Professionals has traditionally found success, including logistics, warehousing, construction, health care, manufacturing and technology,” said Bill Thompson, Senior Franchise Director at Express. “The state's strong workforce and business-friendly climate, coupled with investments in economic development, make Virginia ripe with opportunity for franchise owners.”
One of the franchise owners who has experienced success in the region is Garry Norris, for example, who owns two Express offices in Roanoke and New River Valley, VA. Prior to franchising, Norris had an illustrious corporate career, moving up through management and executive positions in companies like IBM and Kodak. After years in the corporate world, Norris decided to take control of his own future.
"I was tired of having to move all over the world, and I decided I wanted to buy a business that was already operating, one that would already be profitable but not a start-up," Norris said. "Since I was already in the people business of managing and firing thousands of employees at the time, it was ironic I would end up in the recruiting industry. The bottom line is that Express outshined the competition through their support system and the business model they have.”
Since taking over the franchise back in 2008, Norris has continued to scale, solidifying his business in the top 8% of the system.
Overall, Norris's success story in Virginia underscores the potential of the Express franchise in the state. "The experience of owning this business in Virginia has been absolutely positive,” he said. “This is an area of the country where people buy from people they like and people they know and this is a relationship-based business, not a transactional business. As a result, we are able to establish long-term relationships with people here and continue to grow the business.”
Currently, there are 12 existing Express Employment Professionals locations within Virginia, including Danville-Martinsville, Lynchburg, Midlothian, Norfolk and Stafford. Each office, on average, places 600 job seekers a year in jobs with local businesses, contributing significantly to the local economy.
Now, Express is looking to leverage the state's business-friendly environment and strong workforce to expand rapidly. The overall market capacity in Virginia consists of 17 total territories. The brand projects the potential to open 2-3 new locations within one year, 3-6 within three years and further expansion in the following years.
The Express team has identified several specific markets primed for growth in Virginia, including Danville-Martinsville, Lynchburg, Midlothian and Stafford.
To attract new owners in these areas, while also celebrating the brand’s 40th anniversary, Express Employment Professionals is completely waiving its $40,000 franchise fee in select markets.
“We feel that Express should really be in these areas,” said Dan Gunderson, Senior Franchising Director. “We've identified these open territories as a real opportunity for us, so we’ve created these very appealing incentive programs to help us reach our goal of 900 offices systemwide.”
Outside of those territories, Express also has what it calls a cashback incentive for any other new territory. The franchise owner has an opportunity to receive back $25,000 of their $40,000 franchise fee as a cash back incentive if they reach a benchmark level of success within six months, something the brand refers to as Fast Track.
The total investment necessary to begin the operation of an Express Employment Professionals franchise in Virginia will vary, but the absence of a franchise fee in several territories makes it an attractive opportunity.
Prospective Express franchise owners in Virginia can be confident they will have everything they need to be successful. One unique support feature is that Express handles payroll funding for franchise owners. Essentially working as a back-office administrator, processing invoices and other important paperwork for clients, the brand allows franchise owners to spend their time building relationships with local businesses in their community and doing what they do best.
Additionally, the brand offers a franchise support center from its Oklahoma City based International Headquarters, as well as a wealth of leadership training programs and conferences such as the Express Leadership Academy and regional owner meetings. Franchise owners also benefit from marketing strategy support and the Express Franchise Owner community.
With this support, Express franchise owners do not need a background in staffing. About 95% of current owners have no previous staffing experience. Franchise owners at Express can be successful if they are ready to lead a team, willing to make sales calls and have a strong passion for helping others find success. Owners should also have strong leadership skills, clear communication, motivation, extroverted personalities and be comfortable making cold calls and building relationships.
The ideal Express Employment Professionals franchise owner could be a single-unit or multi-unit owner, as long as they understand the importance of the brand's community-driven culture. Whether they’re helping a small business owner who doesn’t know how to move forward with finding employees, or someone who just got laid off and doesn’t know where to turn, Express franchise owners are there to serve.
“We look for people who want to make a difference in their community,” said Gunderson. “We want to help people find jobs and help companies find people. We're looking for owners who are going to be involved and not be distracted by other businesses — we're looking for a fully involved owner, not a semi-absentee.”
Looking ahead, Express Employment Professionals remains focused on delivering exceptional service, expanding its reach and solidifying its position as a leading staffing franchise with the aim of reaching the 900-unit mark by the end of the year.
The initial investment ranges from $100,000 to $220,000 to open an Express single traditional model, with a franchise fee of $40,000. For territories open more than 24 months, average sales in 2022 were $6,497,275. For territories open more than 60 months, average sales in 2022 were $7,7194,784. First-year offices averaged $1,080,407 annual sales according to Item 19 in the Franchise Disclosure Document. This statement is for information purposes only and is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise.
To find out more information on the costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/expressemployment/info
Express Employment Professionals
SPONSORED
The industry-leading staffing franchise has identified room to add 17 new territories in cities like Danville-Martinsville, Lynchburg, Midlothian and Stafford.
Express Employment Professionals, the full-service staffing franchise with nearly 900 units, is setting its sights on Virginia for its next wave of franchise expansion due to the state's robust business mix and thriving workforce.
Virginia had an increase of roughly 339,000 new jobs in May 2023 and the state’s population is currently growing by 1.15%. In 2022, the GDP of Virginia increased by roughly 1.5% compared to 2021, which had seen the largest growth since 2000 as the state’s economy began its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia was also recently ranked No. 2 on CNBC’s Top States for Business in 2023.
“Virginia offers a tremendous business mix for industries where Express Employment Professionals has traditionally found success, including logistics, warehousing, construction, health care, manufacturing and technology,” said Bill Thompson, Senior Franchise Director at Express. “The state's strong workforce and business-friendly climate, coupled with investments in economic development, make Virginia ripe with opportunity for franchise owners.”
One of the franchise owners who has experienced success in the region is Garry Norris, for example, who owns two Express offices in Roanoke and New River Valley, VA. Prior to franchising, Norris had an illustrious corporate career, moving up through management and executive positions in companies like IBM and Kodak. After years in the corporate world, Norris decided to take control of his own future.
"I was tired of having to move all over the world, and I decided I wanted to buy a business that was already operating, one that would already be profitable but not a start-up," Norris said. "Since I was already in the people business of managing and firing thousands of employees at the time, it was ironic I would end up in the recruiting industry. The bottom line is that Express outshined the competition through their support system and the business model they have.”
Since taking over the franchise back in 2008, Norris has continued to scale, solidifying his business in the top 8% of the system.
Overall, Norris's success story in Virginia underscores the potential of the Express franchise in the state. "The experience of owning this business in Virginia has been absolutely positive,” he said. “This is an area of the country where people buy from people they like and people they know and this is a relationship-based business, not a transactional business. As a result, we are able to establish long-term relationships with people here and continue to grow the business.”
Currently, there are 12 existing Express Employment Professionals locations within Virginia, including Danville-Martinsville, Lynchburg, Midlothian, Norfolk and Stafford. Each office, on average, places 600 job seekers a year in jobs with local businesses, contributing significantly to the local economy.
Now, Express is looking to leverage the state's business-friendly environment and strong workforce to expand rapidly. The overall market capacity in Virginia consists of 17 total territories. The brand projects the potential to open 2-3 new locations within one year, 3-6 within three years and further expansion in the following years.
The Express team has identified several specific markets primed for growth in Virginia, including Danville-Martinsville, Lynchburg, Midlothian and Stafford.
To attract new owners in these areas, while also celebrating the brand’s 40th anniversary, Express Employment Professionals is completely waiving its $40,000 franchise fee in select markets.
“We feel that Express should really be in these areas,” said Dan Gunderson, Senior Franchising Director. “We've identified these open territories as a real opportunity for us, so we’ve created these very appealing incentive programs to help us reach our goal of 900 offices systemwide.”
Outside of those territories, Express also has what it calls a cashback incentive for any other new territory. The franchise owner has an opportunity to receive back $25,000 of their $40,000 franchise fee as a cash back incentive if they reach a benchmark level of success within six months, something the brand refers to as Fast Track.
The total investment necessary to begin the operation of an Express Employment Professionals franchise in Virginia will vary, but the absence of a franchise fee in several territories makes it an attractive opportunity.
Prospective Express franchise owners in Virginia can be confident they will have everything they need to be successful. One unique support feature is that Express handles payroll funding for franchise owners. Essentially working as a back-office administrator, processing invoices and other important paperwork for clients, the brand allows franchise owners to spend their time building relationships with local businesses in their community and doing what they do best.
Additionally, the brand offers a franchise support center from its Oklahoma City based International Headquarters, as well as a wealth of leadership training programs and conferences such as the Express Leadership Academy and regional owner meetings. Franchise owners also benefit from marketing strategy support and the Express Franchise Owner community.
With this support, Express franchise owners do not need a background in staffing. About 95% of current owners have no previous staffing experience. Franchise owners at Express can be successful if they are ready to lead a team, willing to make sales calls and have a strong passion for helping others find success. Owners should also have strong leadership skills, clear communication, motivation, extroverted personalities and be comfortable making cold calls and building relationships.
The ideal Express Employment Professionals franchise owner could be a single-unit or multi-unit owner, as long as they understand the importance of the brand's community-driven culture. Whether they’re helping a small business owner who doesn’t know how to move forward with finding employees, or someone who just got laid off and doesn’t know where to turn, Express franchise owners are there to serve.
“We look for people who want to make a difference in their community,” said Gunderson. “We want to help people find jobs and help companies find people. We're looking for owners who are going to be involved and not be distracted by other businesses — we're looking for a fully involved owner, not a semi-absentee.”
Looking ahead, Express Employment Professionals remains focused on delivering exceptional service, expanding its reach and solidifying its position as a leading staffing franchise with the aim of reaching the 900-unit mark by the end of the year.
The initial investment ranges from $100,000 to $220,000 to open an Express single traditional model, with a franchise fee of $40,000. For territories open more than 24 months, average sales in 2022 were $6,497,275. For territories open more than 60 months, average sales in 2022 were $7,7194,784. First-year offices averaged $1,080,407 annual sales according to Item 19 in the Franchise Disclosure Document. This statement is for information purposes only and is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise.
To find out more information on the costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/expressemployment/info
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