Money spent on home renovations is making a shift from kitchens and baths to the great outdoors. To enjoy their homes, an increasing number of homeowners are investing in creating more enjoyable outdoor spaces. Deck constructions have emerged as an attractive option for homeowners. A deck can easily increase living space by hundreds of square feet while offering a healthy return on investment.
Established in 1980, Archadeck Outdoor Living brings outdoor living ideas to life. A deck and patio design and installation company, Archadeck offers custom designs that can incorporate various amenities and features. One of the fastest-growing outdoor space franchises this company goes beyond just decks and patios and can build just about any outdoor structure.
“We are design and build contractors specializing in outdoor living spaces such as decks, porches, patios, and accessories like pergolas, fire features, and outdoor kitchens,” shares Mike Reeder, Brand President of Archadeck. For nearly 15 years Mike has owned and managed an Archadeck franchise in Columbus, Ohio. Starting his franchise ownership with one administrative employee, today Mike runs a thriving deck and patio design and construction company.
As someone who spent most of his life working in the hospitality industry, Mike was ready to move on to a new challenge. With the understanding that other industries are lacking in the customer service area he knew so well, Mike chose to get into remodeling and construction for homeowners. “I discovered Archadeck through several sources and signed up to become a franchisee in July 2001 and owned and operated the franchise till April of 2016 when I took my current position,” he shares. Through Archadeck’s parent company, Empower Brands, Mike now teaches new franchise owners about their time-tested sales processes that have been honed over 40 years.
Improving Your Homes
Archadeck was founded several decades ago by Rick Grossburg to address the needs of residential homeowners who are not big DIYers and seek a professional service-oriented company. Started by an architect and a local contractor in Richmond, VA, the goal of the organization was “to bring more architecture and strength in building outdoor structures, hence the name Archadeck,” shares Mike.
Unlike other companies, Archadeck offers a full-service solution from start to finish. They don’t just build decks and porches, but first design and customize them to fit what their clients are looking for, and then expertly construct them. A modern design service ensures that each unique vision is understood from the very start. Rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all approach,’ this organization takes pride in creating structures that are unique to every client.
As a proven home services franchise business with over 40 years of experience and $1B in completed projects, Archadeck has all the tools and systems in place to help ramp up operations at a faster pace with visible results. “We bring professionalism to an industry that is very fragmented and typically local family-owned operations. A national company is advantageous for homeowners,” states Mike.
Developing Expert Franchises
Focused on creating the systems, processes, and teams to support franchisees, Empower Brands is the parent company of Archadeck. Empower Brands was founded in 2022 as a product of the integration of Lynx Franchising and Outdoor Living Brands. Empower encompasses 11 industry-leading brands across commercial and residential services: JAN-PRO, Intelligent Office, FRSTeam, Archadeck Outdoor Living, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives (OLP), Conserva Irrigation, Superior Fence & Rail, Wallaby Windows, Koala Insulation, Canopy Lawn Care and Bumble Roofing.
Mike shares, “Empower is dedicated to providing its customers with the highest quality products and services in the commercial and home services industries while simultaneously delivering its franchise owners committed personal support, tools and empowerment to pursue their own success.”
Empower Brands is a portfolio company of MidOcean Partners, a leading private equity firm with an excellent track record investing in successful, growth-focused franchise businesses. Their various awards and accolades are a reminder of Empower’s success in the franchising business.
Partnering with Archadeck
Whether you’re thinking about starting your own home services business or looking to expand and diversify your existing company, Archadeck’s offers a custom design and build home renovation franchise model. The support team and existing franchisees have fine-tuned a business model to attract partners to quickly deploy in their market and dramatically reduce risks.
Archadeck has helped countless owners build brighter futures for themselves. “About 6 years ago we completely changed our onboarding processes by using technology and accountability on behalf of the franchisee and our support team to “get them up to speed” as soon as possible. In essence it is a very proactive onboarding process and we have hired an onboarding coordinator to guide the process,” shares Mike. The company’s support coaches are available for all new and existing franchise partners, guiding them and aiding them with their daily needs and queries.
During the onboarding of new franchises, the team conducts weekly calls to ensure onboarding tasks are completed. Once they begin to get comfortable, each support coach conducts monthly calls, staying in constant touch with franchise partners. “Franchisees contact us daily as well with questions on design, pricing, sales, production, etc,” shares Mike.
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"We bring professionalism to an industry that is very fragmented and typically local family-owned operations. A national company is advantageous for homeowners."
Overcoming Challenges Together
Today, Archadeck extends across 53 owners who own 85 territories. However, finding qualified tradesmen as the nation is not producing enough is one of the biggest challenges in the outdoor architecture industry. To overcome this, Mike and his team utilize enhanced recruiting and interviewing techniques, as well as training and testing to ensure that Archadeck remains a cut above the rest. “It is said that Archadeck franchisees have a “leg up” on finding the right individuals as we are more professional than what is atypically in the market,” states Mike.
New partners are inducted into Archadeck’s proven franchise system while collaborating and sharing feedback on new ideas. A predefined geographic and demographic parameter helps guide franchises in the identification of markets with strong potential. “In addition, we’re looking at the construction and design-related aspects of a market to see what types of building design and materials are most sought after. There can be regional differences so we work hard to understand the nuances of our top markets so franchise owners better understand demand,” shares Mike.
Within the organization, a strong company culture guides all partners and stakeholders. Having the right type of employees who can work together is paramount to the smooth functioning of the company. Mike shares, “We have established core values which include: “People First”, “Creators”, “Genuine”, “Go-Getters” and “Principled”. We use these as our determining factors when hiring and growth opportunities.” Frequent conversations, meeting one on one with franchisees, and developing action plans to help franchisees navigate through the issues have resulted in the success of this organization while maintaining the highest delivery standards for their clients.
Onwards
With over 40 years in the business, Archadeck is the leader in outdoor living spaces. The organization continues its relentless efforts in research and development to establish new relationships with product vendors based on changes to the marketplace in order to maintain the highest levels of design, safety, and value for its customers.
“Operationally, we are building our library of “E-Learning” on core functions to the business to help franchisees onboard employees, exploring more vendor relationships to assist franchisees in pricing and facilitating projects to customers, and lastly simplifying the sales process,” shares Mike Reeder.
Interested in working with Archadeck? Contact your local today office for partnership opportunities!!
