Remember the days when local businesses’ reliability created a sense of comfort within a community? When the baker knew your mother’s name and the barista knew your daily order? Urban areas have been steadily rising over the past few years and on-demand everything is becoming the norm. Have consumers begun losing touch with the power of face-to-face interactions and the familiarity of a local business? Pool Scouts franchisee Tom Allred doesn’t think so, and neither does his growing list of clients. “Loyalty and trust are big amongst my customers,” says Allred. “I live in the middle of my territories and am involved in my community. My kids go to the local public school. Not only do our bold, brand trucks catch everyone’s eye, but I’m licensed and insured. We do background checks on our employees. Our clients don’t need to be concerned about their children being in the backyard when we’re working on their pool. It’s one of those things that when someone calls our number, it’s comforting for them to know they can trust us.” After 11 years of working at JPMorgan Chase, Allred knew he was over the corporate world. So he put away his suit and further invested in his education, earning his MBA from the University of Texas in 2014. Through this, Allred was able to take the time to figure out which direction he wanted to take his career while also focusing on his young children. Soon after graduate school, he began considering the franchising industry, excited for the opportunity to be his own boss and leverage a proven business model. “Working for yourself comes with a lot of barriers,” says Allred. “So to me, finding a franchise was the perfect way to venture into business ownership without as many obstacles. When I came across Pool Scouts, the marketing and business plan were there. All it takes is for me to tweak it for my territories to make it successful. There’s a pool at every other house in the area and my community has five public pools that ware 80,000 gallons a piece. I’m excited to put my business degree to work. It’s fun, daunting, scary and exciting all at the same time.” Allred began his journey with Pool Scouts, which typically involves an initial investment of $74,00. In September of 2016, he opened for business in three territories in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, specifically in Lantana and around South Lake and Flower Mound. While opening in September may have fallen into the “off season” in Texas, when students are heading back to school and spending their weekends playing football, Allen says it was the perfect opportunity to get his feet wet and prepare for the surge of business that would surely come in the spring. For Allred, the most exciting aspect of his new business is the opportunity it provides for him to contribute to his community, providing a reliable service in an industry that is largely unreliable. “There may be a pool guy on every corner, but we stand out,” says Allred. “I’m trying to bring back a professional attitude back to the industry. I’m going to hire quality people who will ring your doorbell and say hello and speak with you.”