By Alan Dorich
The task of taking vehicles in for repairs can be a pain for a business. Not only is valuable time spent bringing the vehicle to the repair shop, but also it can cost sales dollars that would have been earned with the vehicle on the road. Advanced Maintenance helps its clients avoid that pain by bringing the repair services to them at their convenience, CEO Chris Holman says. “We can come in with a fully stocked service truck and perform that work by appointment,” he says.
The company is celebrating 10 years in franchising and 17 years of business for its affiliate locations. Janis Rogers, a retired IBM executive, formed the company as a start-up in late 1999 with Chris Holman, a recently retired U.S. Marine, and CFO and President Janet Rogers Holman, a former U.S. Navy officer and graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington with her accounting and marketing degree. 
Together, they combined IT/management, mechanical/operational, and sound business and advertising skills into the strongest supported business in the commercial fleet maintenance and repair field. Within five years, the three replicated themselves to four locations in North Carolina, and were being pressured to grow to other markets by major companies and national leasing companies.
Recognizing the ability to manage and expand the business, the team chose franchising for their company as a way to increase influence and market share. But they recognized that a local owner using their business skills and plan would drive things faster and would allow them to share in the rewards of the growth of Advanced Maintenance.
When the company determined that following the established plans would result in success, along with growing a local, regional and national customer base, it started work to franchise the system in 2005. Its first franchisee came on board in 2006.
Growing Strong
Advanced Maintenance now has 14 franchised locations in six states. It recently completed an area developer agreement for the Georgia market, with the first location in Atlanta to open by July 23, 2016, and will be followed by locations in four more cities.
The system works primarily with family clients who share the common goals of success, based on their life skills and family’s future. However, most of Advanced Maintenance’s franchise owners are not from the mechanical fields.
“Many people can deliver the service they are skilled at, but [when] they run a company, doing the work is only one piece of the puzzle,” says Chris Holman, the firm’s original mechanic. “The other piece is the operational and business functions.
“Marketing, sales, accounts payable/receivable, IT/software, [and expansion] are many of the functions that a skilled service provider cannot handle, so they have a job, not a business,” he says. “We are looking for people to work on their business, not in it.”
Reaching the Rewards
Advanced Maintenance is headquartered in its original start up city of Wilmington, N.C. Janet and Chris Holman are the sole owners of the affiliate and franchise system. “Janis Rogers, the original queen of service, decided as we grew she did not need to work this hard anymore, but without her we did not get here,” Chris Holman adds.
The company completed its training and service center in 2011. There, franchise owners train hands-on in a fully operational Advanced Maintenance shop, as well as do all the administration and business functions of an owner prior to the opening of their location.
“The pride we feel as our owners place trust and confidence in us to help them reach the rewards of being self-employed, the growth of our collective buying agreements, along with the success of our employees is beyond expression,” Janet Holman says.
Advanced Maintenance has several more cities coming in its pipeline, including Huntsville, Ala.; Phoenix; Coatesville, Pa.; Miami; and another area developer agreement for the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area. “We grow with what we can handle to set our new owners up in the best position to succeed,” Chris Holman says. “Any good franchise system knows their success is our success.”
Advanced Maintenance is one of the rare opportunities where franchisees can still work with the founders/owners of the system, and be trained by the original founders of the concept. “One day as we grow and increase staff, we expect to still be active with our owners and value not only the business but the friendships established,” Chris Holman says.
