THE CLEANEST BRIGADE YET...

By Rhonda Sanderson

Former Navy Corpsman Ray Toombs uses VETFRAN to land a Maid Brigade Franchise.

Ray Toombs considers himself a very fortunate man. There is no reason to argue. As a Navy Hospital Corpsman, Toombs survived the Siege of Khe Sanh, which began in January 1968 when North Vietnamese troops attacked the isolated Marine base, one of the most remote outposts in Vietnam.

The fighting continued for 77 days; the artillery bombardment of shells, mortars and rockets was devastating. In a retrospective, PBS called the Siege "one of the most brutal single battles of the Vietnam war." Toombs has a lasting reminder if his contribution-two Purple Hearts he received for being injured while going to the aid of fallen Marines. "I was too slow twice," he says good-naturedly, trying to downplay what he did.

When Toombs returned to the United States, it was without much fanfare. That's just the way things were. But paying homage to those who have served our country is one of the principles of VetFran, a program sponsored by the International Franchise Association, which offers discounts or incentives to veterans buying franchises. With guidance from Joel Libava, a Cleveland-based FranNet advisor, Ray and Margie Toombs opened a Maid Brigade residential cleaning business in Canton, Ohio, in September 2003.

Theirs was the first Maid Brigade franchise sold under the VetFran program, which is now offered by more than 100 franchisors, according to Libava. VetFran's benefits differ by franchisor. Some allow minimal down payments, others waive training fees, but all offer a better deal to veterans than any other qualified investor. In the Toombs' case, Maid Brigade added 50 percent more qualified households to their territory in northeast Ohio.

It was a meaningful gesture to Toombs, who became a registered nurse after he left the Navy in 1970. He later spent 21 years in the Army Reserve, retiring in 1996 as an Army major. Toombs is a past president if the Canton chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. "When we came back from Vietnam, nobody much cared," Toombs said. "The military has been a big part of my life. It is nice to be recognized by the VetFran program."

But the Toombs' foray into franchising has as much to do with Margie Toombs, as it does her husband. In fact, it was Margie who triggered the move. In late 2002, she lost her management job as a result of a downsizing by the Timken Company, one of the world's largest manufactures of bearings. She had been there almost 25 years. After her layoff, Margie started working with an executive recruitment firm, trying to land another corporate job. Margie was sending out resumes, but realized she no longer felt any loyalty to corporate America. She was ready to try something new.

Soon afterward, the Toombs attended one of Libava's franchising seminars. "It opened our eyes quite a bit," Margie said. "Quite honestly, we had not really thought about franchising for ourselves. Our concept of it was outdated and based on misconceptions." Added Ray Toombs: "We were taken by the low-key, pressure-free and informational presentation that Joel gave."

The Toombs found they were perfect candidates for Maid Brigade, which has more than 360 domestic and international locations. They were interested in a service business. Margie is a certified quality manager with a master's degree in business from the University of Akron. Ray's military background had prepared him for the discipline of running a business. In fact, he already owned his own handyman business, Ray' Repairs, which had a base of more than 100 clients.

"They were absolutely a good fit," Libava said. "Both Ray and Margie are used to discipline and working within a system." It took the Toombs a little more than two months from the first meeting with Libava to sign their franchise agreement. They were most impressed with Libava's concern with how a certain franchise would fit their lifestyle rather than just selling the concept itself. "Our services are free, but there is so much value added," Libava said. "Not only do we match clients to opportunities that are appropriate, but we guide them through the whole research process. We can also put them in touch with such people as lenders and franchise attorneys."

Having been in business less than a year with Maid Brigade, the Toombs already have eight employees and own three company vehicles. They have strong expectations for Maid Brigade, one of the leaders in the residential cleaning industry, and according to Libava, the first to offer online booking of services. "We're very willing to use the Maid Brigade system," Margie Toombs said. "With our backgrounds, we both understand the importance of having a system. We're not coming into the business thinking we have a better way of doing everything from setting up the computer system to how you mop the floors."

MAID BRIGADE, INC. has been in the business of providing professional residential cleaning services since 1979. All employees are screened, trained, uniformed, bonded and insured. Each and every clean is customized to the client's needs and backed by a guarantee of reliable, superior service.

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