Just one year after launching his Preservan franchise in Athens, Georgia, Stephen Eppling has seen his business grow faster than expected and earned local recognition for his preservation work in the community.
“The past year has been great overall — it really exceeded the expectations I had coming in as a new entrepreneur,” Eppling said. “When we got started, my conservative plans were to have myself and a single technician get started and then go through the remainder of 2024 with that being the team, but we quickly realized we had more work than we could do just the two of us.”
Soon after launching, Eppling hired a second full-time technician and hasn’t looked back.
“It’s been great — the reception from our local market here in Athens has been amazing,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun. There has been a ton of personal growth leading a team and managing a business, but the work that we’ve done and the value we’ve provided to our neighbors has been extremely rewarding, which has made all the work very easy.”
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 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.
Before joining Preservan, Eppling built a successful career in marketing, working in digital strategy roles for major organizations including UPS and universities like North Carolina and Oklahoma. After earning his MBA from the University of Georgia, Eppling and his family decided to make Athens their permanent home. Eager to build something meaningful in the community he had grown to love, he began exploring entrepreneurial opportunities.
“I was interested in small business ownership but wasn’t sure what direction to take,” Eppling said. “When I came across Preservan, the concept immediately clicked — it was hands-on, community-driven, and aligned with my personal interests in architecture and craftsmanship.”
Eppling launched his Preservan franchise in 2023, serving a dual territory that includes Athens and Lawrenceville, Georgia. From day one, he’s been committed to blending skilled craftsmanship with sustainable solutions and community connection.
Eppling and his team hit the ground running by landing a high-profile project at Franklin House, a historic building dating back to around 1845. Located on the main street of downtown Athens, the pre-Civil War brick structure needed window repairs due to rot.
“Because of the height of the building, we had to have a boom lift and a city-approved traffic diversion plan. So we were just really focused on delivering a high-quality repair overall,” Eppling said. “Thankfully, it went off without a hitch and the team did a phenomenal job. That was a great launch pad for us in terms of building momentum from the jump, and it’s been steady work from there.”
That early momentum carried Eppling’s team to another notable opportunity — restoring the original fire hall doors of the historic downtown fire station, now part of a community complex.
“We got a call from their facility manager to make some repairs there,” Eppling said. “We took great care with them and it was a success. That was the project we submitted for the preservation award.”
That project earned his team the Innovation in Preservation award from Historic Athens, a local nonprofit that honors achievements in historic restoration.
“I didn’t know anyone else in the area that was doing epoxy repair,” Eppling said. “Since our repair methods meet the standards set by the National Park Service, it’s been researched and determined to be an appropriate repair use for historic properties. We recognized that space was one we wanted to dedicate some resources to — developing relationships and winning work in that preservation space.”
In addition to working on high-profile preservation projects, Eppling attributes much of his success to the quality of the work his team provides and the trust they’ve built in the community.
“Our Google Reviews are all five-star reviews, and a lot of those are really great,” he said. “We are so grateful for the team we have in Athens — they deliver great quality work and it was cool to see them recognized for that.”
His marketing background has also played a key role in growing the business.
“I’ve been really pleased with the business thus far, and our market is unique in that we experience success from traditional marketing strategies,” he said. “We are confident we will continue to grow, and we would love to see continued growth in year two — maybe even bring on a third technician in a full-time capacity.”
With a strong foundation built in just 12 months, Eppling is optimistic about the future of Preservan Athens.
“We will continue to focus on delivering high-quality work that really speaks for itself,” he said. “Also, since we are very unique in what we do, it takes some time for homeowners to become aware of that, so as we continue to focus on delivering that service, the reputation will only grow.”
As for what drives him day-to-day?
“We are preserving historic landmarks for everyone to continue to enjoy,” he said. “That kind of work is incredibly rewarding, and we take a lot of pride in the work we do.”
For more information on franchising with Preservan, visit: https://1851franchise.com/preservan.
Preservan
SPONSORED
Eppling is preserving history while building a thriving business through his Preservan franchise, which has seen significant growth and earned an innovation in preservation award in its first year.
Just one year after launching his Preservan franchise in Athens, Georgia, Stephen Eppling has seen his business grow faster than expected and earned local recognition for his preservation work in the community.
“The past year has been great overall — it really exceeded the expectations I had coming in as a new entrepreneur,” Eppling said. “When we got started, my conservative plans were to have myself and a single technician get started and then go through the remainder of 2024 with that being the team, but we quickly realized we had more work than we could do just the two of us.”
Soon after launching, Eppling hired a second full-time technician and hasn’t looked back.
“It’s been great — the reception from our local market here in Athens has been amazing,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun. There has been a ton of personal growth leading a team and managing a business, but the work that we’ve done and the value we’ve provided to our neighbors has been extremely rewarding, which has made all the work very easy.”
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 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.
Before joining Preservan, Eppling built a successful career in marketing, working in digital strategy roles for major organizations including UPS and universities like North Carolina and Oklahoma. After earning his MBA from the University of Georgia, Eppling and his family decided to make Athens their permanent home. Eager to build something meaningful in the community he had grown to love, he began exploring entrepreneurial opportunities.
“I was interested in small business ownership but wasn’t sure what direction to take,” Eppling said. “When I came across Preservan, the concept immediately clicked — it was hands-on, community-driven, and aligned with my personal interests in architecture and craftsmanship.”
Eppling launched his Preservan franchise in 2023, serving a dual territory that includes Athens and Lawrenceville, Georgia. From day one, he’s been committed to blending skilled craftsmanship with sustainable solutions and community connection.
Eppling and his team hit the ground running by landing a high-profile project at Franklin House, a historic building dating back to around 1845. Located on the main street of downtown Athens, the pre-Civil War brick structure needed window repairs due to rot.
“Because of the height of the building, we had to have a boom lift and a city-approved traffic diversion plan. So we were just really focused on delivering a high-quality repair overall,” Eppling said. “Thankfully, it went off without a hitch and the team did a phenomenal job. That was a great launch pad for us in terms of building momentum from the jump, and it’s been steady work from there.”
That early momentum carried Eppling’s team to another notable opportunity — restoring the original fire hall doors of the historic downtown fire station, now part of a community complex.
“We got a call from their facility manager to make some repairs there,” Eppling said. “We took great care with them and it was a success. That was the project we submitted for the preservation award.”
That project earned his team the Innovation in Preservation award from Historic Athens, a local nonprofit that honors achievements in historic restoration.
“I didn’t know anyone else in the area that was doing epoxy repair,” Eppling said. “Since our repair methods meet the standards set by the National Park Service, it’s been researched and determined to be an appropriate repair use for historic properties. We recognized that space was one we wanted to dedicate some resources to — developing relationships and winning work in that preservation space.”
In addition to working on high-profile preservation projects, Eppling attributes much of his success to the quality of the work his team provides and the trust they’ve built in the community.
“Our Google Reviews are all five-star reviews, and a lot of those are really great,” he said. “We are so grateful for the team we have in Athens — they deliver great quality work and it was cool to see them recognized for that.”
His marketing background has also played a key role in growing the business.
“I’ve been really pleased with the business thus far, and our market is unique in that we experience success from traditional marketing strategies,” he said. “We are confident we will continue to grow, and we would love to see continued growth in year two — maybe even bring on a third technician in a full-time capacity.”
With a strong foundation built in just 12 months, Eppling is optimistic about the future of Preservan Athens.
“We will continue to focus on delivering high-quality work that really speaks for itself,” he said. “Also, since we are very unique in what we do, it takes some time for homeowners to become aware of that, so as we continue to focus on delivering that service, the reputation will only grow.”
As for what drives him day-to-day?
“We are preserving historic landmarks for everyone to continue to enjoy,” he said. “That kind of work is incredibly rewarding, and we take a lot of pride in the work we do.”
For more information on franchising with Preservan, visit: https://1851franchise.com/preservan.
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.
No related articles found
