Father-and-Son Duo Preserve Nashville History with Preservan Wood Rot Repair Franchise

Thom and Andrew Vyneman are pioneering a movement to preserve Nashville’s architectural legacy and cultural heritage through their new Preservan Wood Rot Repair franchise. With plans to open three units throughout the city, the father-son duo is at the forefront of an eco-smart revolution in wood restoration, building the family business of their dreams at the same time. 

Before venturing into franchising, Thom spent 25 years as an executive in the auto insurance industry, where he honed his skills in product development and business management. However, Thom always had a strong desire to build a business he could call his own where he could directly manage business growth and make a tangible impact. 

"After 25 years of being an executive, the less it became about managing the business and the more it became about navigating the bureaucracy of large organization.,” Thom said. “I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I shouldn’t start something from scratch. A franchise has a recipe for success already. I started doing some due diligence in the franchise world and spent over a year looking for the right concept.”

Prior to this venture, Andrew found himself enrolled in college but felt unsure of the path he had chosen. 

"I kept switching my major, but I really always wanted to own my own business, so working with my dad felt like a great idea," he said. “I decided to change my focus from higher education to gaining hands-on experience in the real world. Around the same time my dad brought up the idea of owning a franchise.”

The decision to join Preservan was driven by a desire to start a family business and make a meaningful contribution to the community. 

"Starting a family business was absolutely a consideration,” Thom said. “When we came across Preservan, Andrew also shared in my passion for it, so it felt like a perfect fit.” 

Preservan is an emerging home-service franchise that specializes in using epoxy resins to treat, repair and eliminate wood rot. The brand utilizes a proprietary 100% epoxy resin repair system that can restore rotting and deteriorating wood — it fixes everything from wood windows and doors to porch posts, columns, rails and stairs. 

As opposed to starting something like a fast-food franchise, Thom says their primary mission was to bring something meaningful and needed to the Nashville area. As society emphasizes more eco-conscious practices, Preservan meets the growing demand for reliable, environmentally-friendly wood restoration services with a mission to preserve architectural heritage while addressing immediate needs. Preservan saved homeowners a whopping $5 million in 2023 alone.

“We have so many historic buildings here from the Civil War era and the country music era,” said Thom. “Preserving that history is very important to us.”

The Vynemans were also drawn to Preservan for its scalable business model and the supportive ethos of the corporate team.

“The model, the call center, the marketing, the software — the foundation of starting a successful small business was already there,” said Thom. “Everyone on the team made us feel extremely comfortable. We didn’t feel like we were getting sold or were part of a cattle call. We felt like we were partnering with the Perserven crew. Neither Andrew nor I have much experience in home repair, but they got us up to speed quickly. We have a great degree of confidence that the team will get us there.”

In terms of franchisee support, Preservan's training program is as unique as its service offering. For example, the brand invests heavily in developing its technicians (called EpoxyTechs) with a unique epoxy technician certification program — complete with key-performance indicators, or KPIs, and a comprehensive training manual — to help franchisees fight a tight labor market.

Looking forward, the Vynemans are poised to dominate the Nashville area in wood rot repair services, with ambitions to expand further south. 

“We believe that once we start gaining momentum and people start hearing about us, there will be copycats to try and duplicate the model,” Thom said. “Our goal is to get some momentum going so we can establish ourselves and continue to grow this family business.” 

As Preservan continues to grow, with a vision of expanding to 20 territories by the end of 2024, the Vynemans are a prime example of the brand's commitment to preserving the past for a sustainable future.

For more information on franchising with Preservan, visit: https://1851franchise.com/preservan/info.