Indianapolis Couple Named Stratus Building Solutions 2018 Franchisee of the Year
International Franchise Association Selects Lee and Sheri Putman for Major National Award
September 26, 2018 // Franchising.com // Los Angeles, CA - Lee and Sheri Putman, the master franchisees for Stratus Building Solutions in Indianapolis, have been named National Franchisee of the Year for Stratus Building Solutions, the nation’s leading green commercial cleaning and janitorial services franchise, by the International Franchise Association.
The Putmans opened the doors for Stratus in the capital of Indiana in May 2017 and quickly set a Stratus record - reaching the highest level of monthly recurring revenue through the first 15 months as a master franchisee. The company, which is the nation’s leading green commercial cleaning and janitorial-services franchise, nominated the Putmans for the award. The couple recently received the award at the annual Franchise Action Network “fly-in” conference hosted by the International Franchise Association in Washington, D.C.
The Putmans also have been instrumental new members of Stratus’ Franchise Advisory Council, providing support and advice to other new master franchisees as they set up their own operations in markets around the country.
“The International Franchise Association established this award to recognize franchisees who have contributed to the growth and success of franchising as a method of distribution in the global economy,” said Afshin Cangarlu, CEO of Stratus Building Solutions. “Lee, Sheri and their Indianapolis team continue to accomplish a high rate of growth by delivering outstanding service to their customers and maintaining committed support of their unit franchisees. They are excellent representatives of what makes Stratus great from coast to coast.”
Before joining the Stratus family, Lee Putman spent more than three decades as a successful sales and marketing professional in his native Indiana, including a 22-year stint at one of America’s oldest and largest makers of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consumer packaged goods. He was in charge of two sales divisions that were responsible for a combined $600 million in annual revenue.
After that experience, Putman moved into an opportunity to help build a venture startup company from scratch. “Up to that point, I’d spent my entire life in corporate America,” he recalled. “The challenge of building something from the ground up was intriguing. Couple that with the opportunity to earn a bigger payday, and to have fun while doing it, and it seemed like the right decision.”
At the startup, annual revenues rose to $100 million during Putman’s nine-year tenure. But when the company wanted to consolidate all of its operations in a single location, outside of Indiana, the Putmans faced the dilemma of moving - or staying with their roots in their home state.
Around the same time, the Putmans also were harboring a greater desire to control their own career destiny - and to enjoy a better quality of life while doing so. “I’d spent the majority of my career crisscrossing the country and the world on business-related travel,” Putman said. “The quality of life wasn’t what I wanted, and Sheri began pressing me to look for a backup plan. At the same time, the more deeply I dug into the possibility of entrepreneurship, the more enchanted I became. For my entire career, I had built business for other people. It made sense for me to build something for my own family.”
Putman selected a master-franchise relationship with Stratus as the perfect fit for their future. “Stratus offered us a fantastic and proven business model that included recurring revenue streams. It was right up our alley,” he said.
The Putmans immediately proved able to plumb their knowledge of the Indianapolis community to obtain customers and satisfy them with the Stratus way. “We’re providing a partnership,” he said, “and it doesn’t take long to notice the difference in customer service and satisfaction that Stratus provides.”
Recruiting unit franchisees came a little more slowly, but soon the Putmans gained traction in that arena as well. “With the assistance of the fantastic business model provided by Stratus, we’ve helped other people become and succeed as small-business owners, too,” Putman said. “We’re helping to change their quality of life, and that’s a nice benefit that I didn’t foresee.”
Stratus Building Solutions is an international franchise company in the commercial cleaning industry, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Los Angeles. Stratus was developed to provide environmentally friendly commercial cleaning services driven by dedicated, entrepreneurial, small-business owners and regional support offices.
Stratus has more than 1,500-unit franchisees in 46 major cities across the United States. Stratus is setting new standards in the commercial cleaning and janitorial services franchise industry by being the first to offer green janitorial services with their proprietary, Green Seal Certified line of cleaning chemicals.
For more information on Stratus Building Solutions, please visit https://www.stratusbuildingsolutions.com.
About Stratus Building Solutions
Stratus Building Solutions is an international franchise company in the commercial cleaning industry, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. Stratus was developed to provide environmentally friendly commercial cleaning services driven by dedicated, entrepreneurial, small business owners and regional support offices. Stratus has over 1,500-unit franchisees in 46 major cities across the United States and Canada. Stratus is setting new standards in the building services and maintenance franchise industry by being the first to offer green janitorial with their proprietary, Green Seal Certified line of cleaning chemicals.
Media Contacts:
Graham Chapman
919-459-8157
gchapman@stratusclean.com
Rachel Frazier
888-981-1555
rfrazier@stratusclean.com
SOURCE Stratus Building Solutions
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