AUGUST 21, 2009, St. Louis, Missouri…Stratus Building Solutions, the nation’s fastest-growing international brand in the building services and maintenance franchise industry, has entered the Lone Star State by awarding a new Master Franchise to brothers Mark and Jayson Bashforth called Stratus Building Solutions of Houston, LLC.
Pete Frese, President of Stratus Building Solutions, said, “Mark and Jayson Bashforth’s new Master Franchise marks our company’s entry into Texas. Stratus Building Solutions now operates in 21 states. This expansion complements Stratus Building Solutions’ growth across the U.S. and our recent expansion into Canada.”
Dennis Jarrett, CEO of Stratus Building Solutions, added, “Mark and Jayson are successful business executives with proven management skills who share our vision for creating new jobs and providing exemplary customer service by establishing new unit franchises serving building owners and managers in Houston.”
The Bashforth brothers will operate Stratus Building Solutions of Houston from headquarters at 2537 South Gessner, Suite #121, Houston, Texas 77063, Telephone 713.614.7870.
Mark Bashforth said, “Stratus Building Solutions provides great opportunities in the building services and maintenance franchise industry.” Jayson Bashforth added, “We are truly excited to be the newest Master Franchisor in Stratus Building Solutions’ successful network and eager to make new friends in Houston’s business community.”
Stratus Building Solutions of Houston plans to hire six employees immediately and establish 50 unit franchises by year-end 2010, creating more than 100 new jobs. Financial terms of the agreement with Stratus Building Solutions were not disclosed.
Mark Bashforth is a Senior Sales and Marketing Executive with over 20 years of international and domestic experience creating growth and maximizing shareholder value in the energy, technology and publishing industries. He is a member of the British American Business Council of Houston, the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce and earned a B.B.A. and Computer Science degrees from California Lutheran University. Jayson Bashforth previously served as a top sales executive in telecommunications and advertising industries in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of California-Los Angeles with a B.A. in Psychology. In addition to their business success, the Bashforths are experienced deep water sailors and have sailed in oceans around the world.
Stratus Building Solutions offers 16 different building service franchise plans providing state-of-the-art “environmentally green” cleaning systems, products, services and marketing support. These include the “Stratus GreenClean” program which uses environmentally-friendly products and services to help sustain healthier, more productive facilities. Also, the firm offers an exclusive “Stratus Sani-Proof” program that kills bacteria, including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), and other germs found in schools, health clubs, daycare centers, gyms, dormitories, medical offices and hospitals.
Stratus Building Solutions won four “top ten” spots in Entrepreneur magazine’s 30th Annual Franchise 500® ranking published in the January 2009 edition. In May 2009, Stratus Building Solutions of Canada was established to serve all ten provinces in that nation. Stratus Building Solutions currently has U.S. operations in Connecticut, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee in addition to Texas.
The company’s near-term plans include expansion into Europe. Stratus Affiliated Services, LLC, a division of Stratus Building Solutions, provides landscaping, energy audits, recycling, pest control, hard-surface cleaning, and related services to complement the company’s successful building service franchise programs.
Stratus Building Solutions franchise benefits include orientation and training; customer referrals; administrative and accounting support; pre-arranged credit lines; access to insurance and surety bonds, financing options, promotional support; and other turn-key advantages. The firm’s headquarters are at 1976 Innerbelt Business Center Drive in St. Louis, Missouri.