Franchisee Spotlight: Dave Morrissett of The Cleaning Authority

Dave Morrissett was born and raised in St. Joseph, MI and has always considered it his home. He left the town in the middle of his studies at the local high school when his family moved to La Porte, IN. He eventually returned to the state to attend Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University, where he earned an MBA in finance. From there, Dave worked as a banker in Kalamazoo for 20 years before making the leap to operating a prosperous sign shop franchise in Atlanta for five years.

Health issues prevented him from continuing the work and so he and his family moved back home to St. Joseph to make a new life for themselves. The president-elect of the area’s Kiwanis Club and Child & Family Services of Southwest Michigan, Dave is hoping to give back to his hometown as a local business owner with The Cleaning Authority.

Elaborate on your background.

I was born in St. Joseph and attended school here, but ultimately transferred to a school in La Porte, IN and eventually went on to study at Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University, specifically history, and then I achieved my MBA in finance from WMU.

From there, I worked in the banking industry and spent 20 years in Kalamazoo, MI. I moved to Atlanta where I worked two brief stints with a software company and a bank but in 2008, I decided to buy a business: a sign shop franchise. I operated the franchise for five years and ended up selling it for a large profit. In 2012, I suffered a heart attack and coupled with the exhaustion of living in the Atlanta area, I decided to move back home to St. Joseph’s. I found work right away with another bank in town, but quickly discovered that I was already tired of working for someone else after my experience as an entrepreneur. Once again, I sought my own franchise – I’m a firm believer in franchising.

It was then that I reached out to FranNet, who passed along five different opportunities that fit my personality and my background. The Cleaning Authority made the most sense to me. It’s something I could be active in, where I could differentiate myself and there’s a constant demand for the services we provide.

How did you hear about the brand and why did you choose to get involved?

I learned about TCA from FranNet when they presented the resale opportunity for me. It appealed to me because of the infrastructure in place. Through the support, a call center offered and marketing in place, it proved to me that we’re a quality provider and a quality employer.

What ties do you have with your local community and how do you plan to serve the community with your new business?

I am the president-elect of the local Kiwanis Club and the president-elect of the Child & Family Services of Southwest Michigan. Child & Family Services is an organization that offers two adult daycare centers and also provides in-home assistance for families in need. We run the West Michigan Guardianship and safe shelters for victims of domestic violence and might be able to help those by offering them work for us.

When I moved back to St. Joseph’s in 2015, I joined the Kiwanis Club immediately and was named president in October. Soon after, I became involved with Child & Family Services and asked to serve as president in October.

I’d also like to provide a free cleaning for our own employees on a monthly basis.

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