David Hoover spent 25 years building a career in corporate accounting before deciding it was time for a change. Today, he is a  Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions franchise owner in central Pennsylvania, working with clients ranging from neighborhood restaurants to Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. His business centers on fryer oil filtration, environmental sustainability and kitchen safety — but for Hoover, the work is just as much about building trust and relationships as it is about saving oil. “Back in 2015, the position I had was when we purchased other chains, I would go in, learn what they did, and after everything was nailed down, I would hand them a pink slip,” Hoover said. “It was announced that my company was going to be purchased, and I didn’t want somebody coming into my office, learning what I did, and handing me a pink slip.” That realization set him and his wife on a search for a new direction. “Every time I looked for something,  Filta kept coming up,” Hoover said. “We went to Florida for Discovery Day, learned some more, prayed some more, and when they gave me the franchise agreement, we handed it to our lawyer and prayed that if it came back with no red flags, this is what we would do. It was basically gift-wrapped for us. Our lawyer said it was probably the best-written agreement he had ever seen. That was our answer right there.” Finding a Niche What appealed most to Hoover was the uniqueness of the service. Filta offered something no one else in his area was providing. “At the time, I had no competition in the area. It was a service I knew I could sell,” he said. “Even though my background was in accounting, I had ventured into other areas along the way and had a couple of different partnerships. I knew I could stand in front of somebody and sell them a product that was valuable to them because I had done it in the past.” A Stadium-Sized Test That confidence was put to the test on a massive stage:  Penn State’s Beaver Stadium . When  Oak View Group took over concessions, Hoover and his son sat down with the new management. “We hit it off right away,” he said. The scale at Beaver Stadium was staggering, with 104 fryers before the renovation and another 24 to 28 being added as part of the  $700 million upgrade . Before Filta entered the picture, the approach was to dump the oil after every game. “It got recycled, but that was all they did,” Hoover said. “They didn’t know anything about filtration or cascading. We went in before the season, cleaned all the fryers and got the [built-up] carbon stripped off.” The results were immediate. By the first week, they had filtered about half the oil, and by season’s end, they reached 45 percent. “The purchasing agent even asked, ‘Why am I not buying all this oil?’ The GM and his team were ecstatic,” Hoover said. “They were excited that the fryers were clean, nobody was burned, nobody slipped and fell, and the oil wasn’t spilled. Filtration is number one, but eliminating all those headaches is equally important.” The relationship became so strong that, even during heavy construction, Hoover’s trucks were granted stadium access. “The GM said, ‘I need them,’” Hoover said. Beyond Oil Fryer filtration may be Filta’s entry point, but Hoover treats it as the start of broader partnerships. When he noticed a persistent odor near one kitchen’s cooler, he suggested the issue came from ripening produce and installed cooler panels on a trial basis. The smell disappeared. He’s applied the same problem-solving approach to drains through  FiltaDrain . “The education part is simple,” he said. “I talk to the customer, learn how they do things now, and figure out what we can do to make the experience better.” Relationships That Stick Hoover emphasizes that customers aren’t just transactions. They become partners — and often friends. A director at  Hersheypark once told him, “I like Filta, but I love David Hoover.” Many clients from his first two weeks in business still work with him today, a loyalty he credits to consistency and presence. He doesn’t disappear between visits; instead, he makes sure his customers see him involved, whether or not he’s doing the work himself. In central Pennsylvania, where people tend to stay rooted, that trust keeps relationships strong. Breaking Misconceptions Not every prospect immediately sees the value. Some believe cleaning fryers themselves is enough. Hoover often challenges that assumption by asking if they filter down to two microns — the size of a red blood cell. Demonstrations drive the point home. After draining the oil, he shows how carbon has built up and blackened the fryer. “Some customers think the buildup is supposed to be there,” Hoover said. “I explain that’s what’s burning their oil.” A New Kind of Leadership Shifting from corporate executive to small-business owner also reshaped Hoover’s perspective on leadership. At first, the business was just him and his wife. Then his son joined, and eventually he had to hire staff. “That’s been the biggest hurdle,” he said. “In my corporate career, I had 40 people, plus HR, payroll, and legal departments. Now, as a small business owner, it’s all on me.” The transition opened his eyes to the workforce in new ways. “I’ve learned there are good people out there who want to work, some who don’t know how to work, and some who don’t care. It’s opened my eyes to the workforce.” Looking Ahead Hoover is also eyeing growth on new fronts. Penn State’s stadium may be the flagship account, but he’s turning his attention to smaller colleges in the region and looking to broaden  FiltaClean’s reach beyond the health care sector. “We’ve partnered with  Hershey Entertainment and Resorts and now want to integrate more of our services into their properties,” he said. “It all goes back to learning what customers are doing, how they’re doing it, and then moving forward with the right solutions.” For Hoover, entrepreneurship is about more than building a business — it’s about creating impact at scale while staying rooted in community. His journey from corporate offices to fryer pits shows how local leadership, paired with sustainability, can drive change one kitchen at a time. To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit  https://1851franchise.com/filta/info .