Trey Gibbons Moves From Illinois to Washington State, Opens Two Footprints Floors Locations With Plans To Expand

After moving from Illinois to Washington State, Trey Gibbons began looking for franchise opportunities that aligned with his prior experience in freight and transportation. When he found Footprints Floors, he knew the concept was a match. Though the practical outcome was far different, Gibbons says he would be using many of the same skills he developed over the course of his decades-long career.

Now, with two territories set to open in Seattle and Kent, Washington this week, Gibbons has plans to scale and acquire another two territories in the state.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Gibbons: My wife and I lived in a western suburb near Chicago our entire lives. We had a goal to move out here to Washington, so we took the leap. I had been in transportation and logistics for about 35 years and really didn’t want to continue doing that, so I looked into franchising. I looked at the industry before but never found anything I liked previous to that. But when I did the evaluation for Footprints Floors, a lot of the boxes got checked. 

There were a lot of similarities between the Footprints Floors business model and what I did during my transportation time. The tasks are different, but the business management background is very much the same. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Gibbons: I didn’t really have a perception. I knew that it depended on the opportunity you found. I had even had conversations with people and went through the evaluation process before, and there just wasn’t anything that was tripping my trigger.

The biggest thing I’d focus on is the initial investment; that has to work for you. The second thing to consider is how attentive the “mothership” is. I’ve heard stories from franchise brokers of franchises that have come and gone because they just kick the franchisees loose and let them go. There’s not a lot of oversight and support.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Gibbons: The similarity to my background was really interesting. I’ve done this sort of thing before — managing third parties. Now, instead of us moving freight, we’re doing construction. There’s some new vernacular for me to learn, but that’s not insurmountable.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Gibbons: I’m hoping to get up and running as quickly as possible. My long-term goal is to acquire two more territories and get some people working for me so I can get some scalability going.

There’s a possibility that this could turn into a larger family business, but that would be five-plus years down the line.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Gibbons: We left Illinois to come out here. It was something we had thought about for five to seven years, and we finally did it. It has been a refresh for us with a change of scenery and new opportunities.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Gibbons: The biggest thing in learning the franchise model is that you’ve got to make sure that the mothership is committed to the program long-term. Make sure the franchisor has the training, marketing and professional support you’ll need to succeed.

Some franchisors sell multiple franchises and don’t reinvest in the franchisees. Footprints Floors has an entire group of people overseeing the company’s build-out, and they have this idea that the model will continually evolve, which is something you want to be able to say.

ABOUT FOOTPRINTS FLOORS:

Upon his return to Littleton, Colorado, after serving in the U.S. Air Force, Bryan Park noticed that Denver’s flooring industry lacked a higher level of customer service and sophistication. So, in 2008, he founded Footprints Floors, which today specializes in installing hardwood floors, tile floors, backsplashes and laminates. With more than 160 territories, Footprints Floors offers franchisees a robust support system, including a call center, flexible hours for work-life balance and a low cost of entry with outstanding economics. For more information about the Franchise Times Top 500 brand, visit footprintsfranchise.com.