Program Assists Franchisees’ Families to Further Education, Achieve Academic Dreams
Jan. 28, 2015 – San Diego, Calif. – JAN-PRO International, a leading commercial-cleaning franchise and subsidiary of Premium Franchise Brands, today awarded six college scholarships totaling $9,000 in the San Diego area, bringing the company-wide total to 70 awards and $150,000 in scholarships and program support. Rich Kissane, president and CEO of Premium Franchise Brands, personally presented two, $2,500 scholarship awards to deserving family members of area unit-franchise owners.
“So many of our franchisees over the years have told us they joined JAN-PRO in order to build a business and leave a legacy for their families,” said Kissane. “We know there is no greater legacy than a good education, so we realized that giving back in this way recognizes our hard working franchise owners and helps their families offset the rising costs of a college education.”
Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as the fastest-growing commercial cleaning franchise company in the world, JAN-PRO’s global network serves more than 35,000 customers through thousands of franchisees building businesses of their own in 13 countries. Company executives knew their franchise owners, while realizing the American dream of business ownership, would also welcome additional assistance for family members wishing to further their education. In this first year of the Your Family First Scholarship Program, JAN-PRO leadership and franchise owners invested $100,000 in scholarship awards and program support and awarded 70 scholarships in cities across the country.
From first-generation college students to aspiring health-care and engineering professionals, these young adults represent the second-generation in their family to advance their potential to achieve the American dream. Master franchise owners, like Todd Mayo in San Diego, individually participated in the inaugural year to tangibly illustrate how much they value their franchise owners.
“Over the last 10 years, it has been a privilege watching the families that I work with grow. I can recall seeing these students walk into their office with their moms and dads,” explained Mayo, JAN-PRO of San Diego CEO. “This scholarship program says ‘thank you’ in a way that positively impacts several generations.”
The price of college has risen more than four times faster than inflation since 1978, easily outpacing doctors’ bills. Each JAN-PRO office solicited applications from unit-franchise owners and their families and considered applicants based on family income, academic achievement, community leadership, work experience and financial needs. From Illinois to Florida and Virginia to California, deserving applicants from offices across the country received assistance to further their academic ambitions.
“It gave me much joy knowing that I could continue my studies next semester and that the sacrifices and hard work of my mom have been recognized and valued,” said Valentina Riveros Gomez, a freshman at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, who was awarded $2,500 and hopes to ultimately pursue a master’s degree in psychology. “Clearly JAN-PRO recognizes without education there is no future, without investment there is no gain, and without good references there is no good business.”
“This award brings financial relief and incredible thankfulness to JAN-PRO and their support of my education,” said Mooji Boldbaatar, a freshman at the University of Denver studying chemistry, who received a $2,500 award. “I will graduate in three years, then plan on getting my master’s degree, and possibly a Ph.D.”
“I chose to invest in a JAN-PRO franchise because I am a full-time student with a young son. I needed a job with a schedule I could control,” added Daniela Stanoycheva, a winner and franchise-owner in Virginia who recently completed her associate’s degree at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College and was awarded $1,000. “The scholarship was unexpected, but it shows how the company really cares about its employers and supports them.”
Many of the award winners will be the first generation of their family to attend college. Parents of the winners, who are unit franchise owners from coast to coast, say JAN-PRO’s investment in their families reinforces their decision to buy a franchise.
“The scholarship program shows us that JAN-PRO is committed to our community,” explained Manoj Kumar, unit-franchise owner in Sacramento, California, and father of an award winner. “The major advantage of being a JAN-PRO franchisee is that we can work flexible working hours and meet with other family commitments and functions, which we couldn’t do otherwise.”
“The decision to pay tens of thousands of dollars for higher education is the first big decision most young people and their families make and it can’t be taken lightly,” added Kissane. “We know that decision will shape the rest of their lives. JAN-PRO wants to do everything we can to help them get it right.”
“When they told me I’d received the scholarship I felt relieved because I don’t want to put myself into debt before I finish the first phase of my college education,” added Francisco Torres, who is studying mathematics at San Diego City College and hopes to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at San Diego State University. He and Juliana Vega, a sociology major at University of California, San Diego, each received a $2,500 award from Kissane, and his wife, Marcia.
2014 was a year of accolades for JAN-PRO International, a 23-year-old company. Entrepreneur magazine awarded JAN-PRO #1 in commercial cleaning and fastest growing commercial cleaning franchise, and the #12 overall franchise in its 35th Annual Franchise 500 rankings for 2014. JAN-PRO is also among this year’s Top 50 Franchises for Veterans, which the World Franchising Network announced in June, and landed at #24 on Franchise Direct’s Top 100 Global Franchises list.
Photo: Rich Kissane, CEO of Premium Franchise Brands, and his wife, Marcia, present $2,500 scholarship award to Juliana Vega in at San Diego ceremony in January, 2015.
About JAN-PRO International, Inc.
JAN-PRO was founded in 1991 by Jacques Lapointe in Providence, Rhode Island, with a desire to offer the highest quality cleaning techniques and systems available. Currently, the JAN-PRO team is comprised of business leaders with experience around the world, as well as seasoned cleaning industry executives. Today, the international company structure is comprised of Master and Unit franchisees. JAN-PRO, a subsidiary of Premium Franchise Brands, regularly receives accolades from around the world.