Finding Your First Veteran Franchisee

As a young franchise system, finding your first veteran franchisee can often be a challenge, but one that companies are willing to work for. Whether it be overcoming barriers of sharing franchise information with military veterans about future opportunities or delivering messages about the growing company, it can be hard to connect with the right individual at the right time. In 2012, America’s Swimming Pool Company welcomed their first military veteran to the system, Col. James King, Ret. King served as a Marine Officer for nearly 30 years, working across the globe for humanitarian missions, global crisis and served in multiple wars including Desert Storm and the conflict in Iraq. King mostly flew KC-130 aerial refueling tankers as he worked his way up through the ranks. Upon retiring, he spent some time working for a defense contractor as a senior strategic policy and program analyst for the Department of Defense Non-Lethal Weapons Program. In 1997, King decided to take a step back from his military life and began looking for a new career to pursue closer to home; one where he could stay active, work with people and fill an underserved market with a professional company. After looking into various business opportunities, King was introduced to America’s Swimming Pool Company through the help of a franchise broker. Based off the tremendous growth over the past few years and the growing success of the brand, King knew it would be a good fit. One of the best aspects of the industry was the recession resilience, as pool owners will always need some level of support or servicing. “What I looked for was a business where I could use my leadership skills to overcome obstacles and work face to face with customers,” King shares. “The pool care industry is one that people don’t often think about, but being able to have tangible results really appealed to me, especially with the professional approach that ASP believes in.” America’s Swimming Pool Company continues to research and develop different avenues to bring more veteran franchisees, like King, into the system. Currently, they offer a 10 percent discount in their franchise fee as well as special financing options for all military members and veterans. “ASP has started a new chapter in our franchise’s history by adding such an outstanding individual like King as our first veteran franchisee,” says Stewart Vernon, CEO and Founder of America’s Swimming Pool Company. “The business venture between ASP and King has become an influential and humbling relationship that continues to develop with the success that ASP of Springfield, Virginia has achieved so far.” By increasing the avenues of communication between returning military members and the franchising community, America’s Swimming Pool Company looks forward to an increase in this group of applicants. “If the pool industry is unfamiliar, we are here to educate and train every new franchisee for success,” says Vernon. “ASP wants to help military members maximize their experience in leadership, team-building and dedication to accomplish large-scale goals. We will continue to assist our nation’s returning heroes and are here to help support their long term goals after the military.” Thus far, King has had a tremendous start to the season and is ahead of the first year goals that ASP has for Fairfax County. It is no secret that veterans typically run successful franchise locations, and King is no exception. Gaining experience through working with other franchisees prior to opening helped boost his experience, and he is now projected to have one of the best starts of new franchisees to date. “Partnering with ASP has not only given me the opportunity to be closer with my family but has trained me on what it takes to be successful,” says King. “I am excited to see where this new opportunity takes me and am privileged to be the first military member in the ASP system.”