Driver Bill Frothingham Received First-Ever Franchise Employee of the Year Award

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Pete Kosowski

As 1-800-DryClean continues to grow, not only is it important for us to recognize franchise owners who exhibit outstanding performance, but it’s as equally important for the system to recognize the employees of our businesses. Beginning this year, we put a call out on Team Site for nominations and are pleased to recognize Driver Bill Frothingham from Steve and Carmen Nashland’s organization in Apex, NC as our inaugural Franchise Employee of the Year Award.

"It takes great, dedicated employees in order to build a successful and profitable business," said Shannon Toler, President of 1-800-DryClean. The Nashlands started their business in 2002 and currently operate a two-van business with a customer base of more than 4,000 who have used their service.

"Bill is great, and I think this job works for him because of the flexibility it offers," said Nashland. "He’ll celebrate his fifth year with us this Fall, and we’re so lucky to have him." Frothingham’s customer service-oriented approach prompted Nashland to nominate him when the opportunity presented itself.

"Bill is always so polite and he goes the extra mile by evening taking treats for our customers’ dogs!" said Nashland. "He’s also very picky, and takes the time to do things like check for missing buttons. I never worry about Bill because he has an owner’s mentality with everything he does." Frothingham describes himself as meticulous. "I spend quite a bit of time at the plant and have a really good rapport with the people there," he said. "Our customers spend their hard-earned money on a service so I don’t mind taking the time to make sure it’s right."

Recognizing that the Nashlands put a lot of effort into their business makes Frothingham even more focused on ensuring a high quality product for their customers. He carries biscuits for the dogs on his routes to impress the customers and also as a peace offering. He’s been bitten after a biscuit only once, he said! "He’s so careful and extremely reliable that I never worry when he’s representing our 1-800-DryClean franchise," said Nashland.

"The driver position is so important. Bill has the responsibility of interacting with the Nashland’s customers, the drycleaning plant and with their other employees," said Toler. "This award and Bill Frothingham exemplify the values and traits required in a customer-focused business like 1-800-DryClean." Frothingham said he was shocked when he found out he’d received this recognition. "My family and I moved to North Carolina about six years ago and I stumbled into this job," he said. "But it’s a good job and I have a lot of independence. I also get to be home with my three daughters when they get home from school, which is great."

ABOUT 1-800-DryCLean:
1-800-DryClean is a quality dry-cleaning and laundry pick-up and delivery service franchise, and a member of the Service Brands International family of brands. 1-800-DryClean is the world’s largest drycleaning delivery service franchise. It’s ranked number one in its category, and a "Top Home-Based Business" among Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500Ò. The company has franchised since 2000, and currently has more than 130 franchise units across the United States.