Team Wall: Franchise of the Year

8/23/2022 (Permalink)

“And our new Franchise of the Year is…Team Wall.” It’s truly just the beginning!

June 2011.

We were a different company. We were a different team. We were different people.

With no family in the area to help with childcare and all our earnings being reinvested back in the business, I made the choice to stay home with our young kids to offset costs. Jim, meanwhile, was a full-time (to the third degree) entrepreneur. It’s no exaggeration that this man worked 18-hour days, every day and would go sometimes up to 2 weeks without seeing our boys. He was out the door before daybreak and back home after bedtime. Weekends did not exist. Vacations were an impossibility. And every event we attended always had a contingency plan… just in case that phone would ring. It was a way of life.

We learned a lot about the dichotomy of ‘teamwork’. We had a common goal (to succeed in family and business), but it required us to be so starkly independent to make it happen. It was a crash course in self-reliance, innovation, grit, and faith. And, man, it could be so lonely.

I more than often asked myself, “Is this all worth it?” Right around those times the weather would break, and the phones would start ringing. I wish I could capture into prose the joy that radiated from Jim’s every step and exuberance in each word he spoke. He thrived in these moments.  He absolutely loved taking on the challenge of a mounting workload with his team of 15 by his side. Saying “yes” was his mantra and “figuring it out” was like fire in his veins. This was his passion, and so, I continued to do all I could to support it.

For two years, I thought we were the only ones that lived and experienced this crazy way of life. Then I flew to St. Louis, MO for my very first SERVPRO convention. I looked around and realized I was dead wrong. Thousands of people just like us were gathered to network and learn from each other. It was an unforgettable week soaking in all things SERVPRO and really understanding at the core what got Jim so charged up about this business. (Side note: I do remember thinking, “If I have to listen to one more conversation about dehumidifiers…!” ??).

And then came awards night. Dressing up and dancing. Yes, please! But that’s not at all what I remember about that night. It was, again, the magnitude of what we were a part of that hit me like a ton of bricks.

At each awards banquet, the top 100 franchises in the entire SERVPRO system are highlighted. And the top 3?  Well, they get a special video. I remember watching those stellar teams highlighted on a 100-foot screen with pure awe plastered all over my face. Taking note of advice they gave, mentally logging their massive revenue volume (#1 was at $12M), and secretly wondering down deep inside, “Could it ever be us?”

“Us.” That was the very first time I thought of it that way. It wasn’t just ‘Jim’s Business.’ It was ours. I wasn’t just supporting his dream. We were tackling a vision together. No matter the period of time I was a stay-at-home mom or now fully involved in day-to-day operations, it was always “us” every step of the way. Building a team that redefined our last name to mean more than ‘just the two of us,’ but now a very cozy “just the 150 of us”…Team Wall.

Eleven years, massive growth, and so many life events later? I’m sitting among a thousand of my SERVPRO peers at the final gathering of the 2022 convention. Eight of our amazing team members by my side. And Jim, having to go home early, sitting on the tarmac of Dallas Love Field.

Wouldn’t you know it? An announcement we always quietly pondered if one day might include our last name. But, always with whimsy and a sense of improbability. After all, there are a sea of titans we roll with at SERVPRO and who were we among them?

“And our new Franchise of the Year is…Team Wall.”

My first thought? Elation…intricately weaved with devastation. Jim wasn’t there. This all began as his dream. And he wasn’t there. For him to miss an incredible moment like this had my heart breaking and tears welling up in my eyes for hours. Days? Maybe more. Still emotional just writing this. ??

I hugged each and every one of our Team Wall members tight and we walked up together to accept the incredible recognition. And then I did what anyone else out there would do. I told a thousand people to text Jim and let him know we are FRANCHISE OF THE YEAR baby!!!

His phone was blowing up. And he was crying tears of joy and pride for the achievement earned by each and every member of Team Wall. This may have started as a dream for one. But, it has turned into far more than could ever be imagined.

Cheers to all of you for this incredible accomplishment. You should be so proud of yourselves!

It’s truly just the beginning, my friends!

- Trish Wall