Mosquito Hunters, the 130-plus-unit residential and commercial pest control franchise under the Happinest Brands umbrella, continues to grow with its franchisees from around the United States. To show its appreciation, the brand recently gathered with its franchisees in Tampa, Florida, for the first ever Hunterpalooza. 

From January 10–13, the Mosquito Hunters corporate team and franchise owners spent time team-building with events such as workshops, roundtable discussions, a vendor trade show, franchisee panels, a dinner cruise and more. 

“This was our first time doing something like this, and we had a fantastic turnout,” said Mosquito Hunters Franchise Business Coach Vasili Foukarakis. “Everything went really well and we continue to get amazing feedback from franchisees telling us that we nailed it. Everyone who helped put this together should be proud of what we accomplished.”

Foukarakis noted that there have been talks throughout the years of having a get together with all the franchisees and that the brand felt now was the time because of its group of like-minded, hardworking franchisees. 

“We've always had plenty of franchisees ask when we're finally going to have our first event like this,” said Franchise Business Coach Nick Sorgani. “So this was something that everyone's been anticipating for quite a while. And as we come down from the COVID concerns, it was just a good time for us to make this year our first one.”

Whether franchisees are just getting started or have been in the system for some time, the event proved to be beneficial to everyone who participated. Sorgani and Foukarakis both noted that they continue to get positive feedback from franchisees from all realms. 

“Hunterpalooza 2023 was more beneficial to me than I could have ever dreamed of,” said first year franchise owner Barry Maranville. “As a new owner, this more than confirmed to me the reason I wanted to be a part of the Mosquito Hunters family—it felt like we were all part of a large family. All the owners were willing to share and answer any questions that I had without hesitation. The connections made in person were so much more than emails or phone conversations could ever do. I can’t wait for next year.”
Learning opportunities covered topics such as best practices, optimizing your Google business profile, digital tools for finding and building leaders, centralized marketing, upsell opportunities, five year plans and more. 

In addition, the Mosquito Hunters team wanted to make sure the franchisees had time to bond and have fun. The week was kicked off with a foodpacking charity event with Metropolitan Ministries followed by a meet and greet on the first night. A dinner cruise Wednesday night was another great opportunity for franchisees to build relationships, Foukarakis added. On the last night, the team split off in groups for different activities such as a hockey game, a show and dinner. There was also an award ceremony to close out Hunterpalooza that honored franchisee achievements. 

“Hunterpalooza far exceeded my expectations,” said Florida based franchisee Josh Ambrose. “For it being the first event, it was managed and executed perfectly. There was so much packed into the time we had together, and I truly appreciated that. There was a good mix of fun, education, activities, and networking throughout the entire event.” 

Looking ahead, the brand hopes to keep putting on events like this in the future and expects an even higher turnout next time—and so do its franchisees. 

“You will leave Hunterpalooza feeling energized, motivated and with a thousand ideas that you want to get done today,” said franchisee Alicia Harkins. “It was worth every penny and so much more. The growth I know we will experience this year from the knowledge we got is invaluable! I feel bad for the people that didn't make it. They'll never know the value they missed out on until they make the next one—which hopefully they do!"

The total investment necessary to open a Mosquito Hunters franchise ranges from $89,107-$116,187. The franchise license fee ranges from $30,000 to $40,000. For more information on franchising opportunities with Mosquito Hunters, visit https://mosquitohuntersfranchise.com/.