Military Veterans Share Insights On Serving Their Country Along With Life As A Franchise Owner

PatchMaster
Published: November 8th, 2021

PatchMaster's military veterans turned franchisee owners give insights on how they adjusted into a new career

November 08, 2021 // Franchising.com // Chester, NJ - Recognized for its commitment to those who have served, PatchMaster - a drywall repair company - continues its support of veterans. The franchise is nationally recognized by Entrepreneur Media as one of the Top Franchises for Veterans as well as Franchise Business Review as a leading franchise for veterans.

In total, PatchMaster is proud to have more than a dozen military veterans and former first responders in their system. Recently, several PatchMaster veteran franchisees shared their thoughts on having served in the military and the transition between serving and becoming a part of the PatchMaster family.

• Tim Forrest (PatchMaster serving Southern Wake County)
  Enjoying the camaraderie from working as a team is something that Forrest wanted about being in the military. The most valuable lesson that he learned "is to follow the path toward the end state, while taking care of those around you along the way. Reflection." As a combat veteran, he likes to reflect on his close to five years in combat zones. "We opened our franchise about two years after retiring. As a veteran transitioning, it took a little bit to ‘believe’ in the next path," Forrest said. He believes that PatchMaster is an excellent opportunity for all service members to take charge of their path and create a lucrative future.
• Dave Biggerstaff (PatchMaster serving Greater Charlotte)
  One of Biggerstaff’s most memorable moments was jumping out of an aircraft during Airborne training.” Most Americans who do not have a connection to the military do not have a true concept of the sacrifices soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, guardsmen, and their families have truly made,” Biggerstaff said. He remarked on his own ability to efficiently delegate day-to-day business tasks. The former Army Paratrooper knows the importance of being dependable since others are constantly counting on him. When asked if the military discount influenced his decision to become a franchise owner, Biggerstaff stated that it "I appreciate PatchMaster for offering a discount towards our veterans, but it did not influence my decision, I’d recommend it regardless.”
• Mick Dubuis ( PatchMaster serving the River Parish Area)
  Dubuis is a U.S. Army Veteran. He believes that when he traveled on active duty for the first time was the most memorable for him in the service. Dubuis opened PatchMaster serving the River Parishes in Louisiana about one year ago, 30 years after being honorably discharged. He spent most of his professional life working in the healthcare supply chain and operations, ascending to high-level positions in the public and private sectors. "PatchMaster’s business model for my area led me to believe that this business model was filling a need in an underserved space," Dubuis noted. He believes that other veterans could do well with PatchMaster due to their innate work ethic, discipline, and ability to adapt to the circumstances.
• Aaron Sandvig (PatchMaster serving Central Minnesota)
  Aaron Sandvig completed the Bataan Memorial Death March, a full marathon-length ruck race carrying 35 pounds through the mountains and sandpits of White Sands Missile Base in New Mexico. He believes that working in a team is powerful. Because no one can do it all, it is important to collaborate and ask others for help. “I'm in the process of opening up right now. After my time in the Army, I went to law school and practiced for eight years. I look forward to using the team building skills I learned in the military and applying them to my community here in Minnesota,” remarked Sandvig. He started his career with PatchMaster because he had a strong interest in real estate, rental properties, and home improvement in general. Having faced many dire challenges in his time in the Army, Sandvig reminds himself that doing a good job with his franchise for the community is just a matter of commitment and hard work.
• Marchello Fields (future franchise owner, PatchMaster serving Chesapeake and Norfolk)
  Marchello Fields served in the Navy for eight years, with his most memorable moment being when he was deployed in Africa to conduct humanitarian efforts. Fields noted that “you should give back whenever you can, and try to help others less fortunate than you. I saw the humanitarian issues when I was deployed in Africa and I’ll never forget that.” Fields also recalled the five most important takeaway skills he learned from his service, which were awareness, accountability, focus, dedication, and motivation. He is also excited to open up his location at the beginning of 2022. “PatchMaster has shown me the utmost respect for my service and has made me welcome to their franchise family. I would encourage all veterans wanting to start a business to take a look at PatchMaster.”

SOURCE PatchMaster