Father-son team opens restoration services franchise

If nothing else, starting a business together has helped two generations of Primus Singletons get to know each other better.

“It’s interesting, yeah,” said the father, Primus Singleton III. “Sometimes we don’t like each other; sometimes we do.”

He laughed.

“I’m kidding. I think it’s allowed us to know each other in a different way, as opposed to being father and son. I’ve learned to respect his opinion, and I know he respects mine.”

Singleton and his son, Primus Singleton IV, opened a STOP Restoration franchise in August. STOP, which stands for Service Team of Professionals, offers mitigation and restoration services to commercial and residential clients who have suffered water, smoke, fire or mold damage.

The father-son team calls STOP a “one-stop shop,” going beyond merely cleaning up a mess to also repairing the damage.

STOP, whose corporate office is in California, has about 30 franchisees around the nation. The Singletons spent a week on the West Coast learning how to market and operate the business. Additionally, the younger Singleton obtained his general contractor’s license, allowing him to oversee construction work.

Both previously worked in sales. The elder Singleton was a sales representative for diet and prescription dog and cat food, while his son worked in the wireless industry.

“Together we bring over 40 years of sales and service experience,” Primus Singleton III said.

He said the STOP franchise was attractive because the parent company seems focused on franchisees’ success, including not requiring them to invest too much in proprietary start-up equipment.

The Singletons say anybody who owns a structure with a roof is a potential client, but they’re focusing mostly on insurance companies because they pay for restoration in most cases.

“Win them over, win their trust so we can work on big projects,” Primus Singleton III said.

“If you’re not marketing to insurance companies,” his son added, “you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle.”

But they’re also pitching their services to hotel and apartment owners and property management companies. They’re glad to work directly with homeowners, too.

“We are committed to serving homeowners – the so-called little guy,” Primus Singleton III said. “We can empathize, as we are one of them.”

The younger Singleton is meeting with potential clients on Wichita’s east side, where he lives, while his father is doing the same on the west side.

Primus Singleton III said the pair have completed several water extraction jobs. According to STOP’s website, homes are 10 times more likely to suffer damage from water than from fire.

Eventually, the Singletons hope to use subcontractors to perform much of the labor, but for now it’s just them.

“I don’t mind getting my hands dirty,” the elder Singleton said. “I kind of like it, actually.”

In addition to enjoying working with his son now, the elder Singleton said he started the franchise partly with an eye toward retirement.

“I just turned 58,” he said. “I’m getting to the point where you look at a legacy. I wanted to create something for my son to own.

“I think once I do retire, the business will be in good hands.”

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Father-son team opens restoration services franchise."