Five Star Flooring is a premier interior and exterior flooring services solutions brand providing a frictionless, “white-glove” concierge experience for homeowners. Through a signature in-home showroom experience, the company simplifies flooring transformations through expert consultation, precision, transparency, and end-to-end project management. Five Star Flooring, a Five Star Franchising home services brand, is committed to transparency and quality, offering clear upfront pricing, whole-home quotes valid for two years, and a signature 100% lifetime labor guarantee.

“Homeowners want turnkey improvement solutions and floor remodeling is no different,” said Scott Abbott, Five Star Franchising CEO and co-founder. “They are overwhelmed by massive showrooms, unclear pricing, unreliable service and a disconnected experience. From start to finish, Five Star Flooring provides a simplified process. And for driven business leaders, it’s a low overhead, high-margin home service franchise opportunity, backed by the power of our platform.”

Five Star Flooring is led by brand president Dean Hartley, a multi-unit operator who previously partnered with Five Star Franchising to scale sister brand Five Star Bath Solutions from a regional player into a dominant category leader approaching 400 locations nationwide.

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Home Franchise Concepts has strengthened its executive team with two hires:

• Megan Hoyt has joined as vice president, general counsel, overseeing legal, regulatory, governance and compliance functions. Hoyt brings extensive experience guiding franchise organizations through complex regulatory environments and will play a central role in advising the executive team and reinforcing the company’s commitment to responsible growth and strong governance.
• Josh Barker has joined as chief development officer, bringing deep franchise‑sector experience through prior leadership roles at Unleashed Brands, Neighborly, and Christian Brothers Automotive. During his career, Barker has led high‑impact development strategies, executed multi‑brand growth plans and built high‑performing recruitment teams. At Home Franchise Concepts, he will spearhead systemwide recruitment and development, helping guide the company through its next phase of expansion across all brands.

“These leadership additions strengthen our ability to grow thoughtfully and sustainably,” said Corey Benish, Home Franchise Concepts president and CEO. “As we enter our next chapter, investing in experienced leaders is essential to delivering long-term value for our franchise owners, associates and customers.”

Founded in 2006, Home Franchise Concepts marks its 20th anniversary this year. While the Home Franchise Concepts platform itself spans two decades, its franchising foundation dates back to 1992 with the launch of Budget Blinds®, which ignited more than 34 years of category leadership and entrepreneurial success across the home-services industry.

Today, the Home Franchise Concepts portfolio also includes AdvantaClean®, Aussie Pet Mobile®, Bath Tune‑Up®, Concrete Craft®, Kitchen Tune‑Up®, , PremierGarage®, The Tailored Closet® and Two Maids®. As the company enters its next phase, Home Franchise Concepts is guided by a renewed purpose, vision, and mission:

• Purpose: To enhance daily living with every brand, in every home, every day.
• Vision: To be the world’s leading home-services platform where partnership and performance create lasting success.
• Mission: Franchise Driven. Consumer Obsessed.

These principles closely align with the company’s overarching 2026 theme, “Grow. Better. Together.” as a reinforcement for collaboration, innovation and shared success across the system.

In 2025, Home Franchise Concepts delivered strong results driven by rising consumer demand, improving franchise economics and continued investment in platform-level enablement. The company sold more than 180 new territories and opened 177 new territories across its portfolio.

2025 development highlights included:

• Aussie Pet Mobile–leading portfolio growth with strong multi‑unit expansion.
• Kitchen Tune‑Up–continued scalable growth across key markets.
• Budget Blinds–sustained category leadership supported by steady footprint expansion.
• Two Maids–significant territory development driven by both new and existing owners.

Several Home Franchise Concepts brands also earned recognition in the 2026 Entrepreneur Franchise 500®, including Aussie Pet Mobile, Bath Tune‑Up, Budget Blinds, Kitchen Tune‑Up, Two Maids, and The Tailored Closet. Additionally, Budget Blinds was recognized for appearing in the Franchise 500 for 31 consecutive years, while Kitchen Tune‑Up, acquired by Home Franchise Concepts in 2020, marked 37 consecutive years, underscoring enduring brand strength and system stability.

Across the portfolio, brands continued to introduce enhancements designed to improve both franchise operations and customer experiences. Budget Blinds expanded its smart-home automation offerings, including motorization and exterior shading solutions. Two Maids advanced development of Two Maids Online, a new digital portal slated for launch later in 2026. Aussie Pet Mobile introduced new scheduling and communication tools to increase convenience for pet owners.

Backed by JM Family Enterprises, a $24.7‑billion privately held company with more than 5,500 associates, Home Franchise Concepts is building on its two decades of growth with a continued focus on innovation and partnership, empowering franchise owners with the tools, technology and leadership needed to build strong local businesses while collectively growing better together.

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• of Milwaukee is owned by Mark Cyganiak, who just celebrated 50 years with the brand. His operations serve Southeastern Wisconsin, Northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
• is owned by  Ken Neverman, helping businesses recover for 26 years in Columbus, Lancaster, and Newark, Ohio.
• is owned by Jeff Sorenson, serving the Tacoma area for 46 years.

The additions bring SRM’s nationwide network to more than 400 locations, ensuring commercial property owners and managers in these markets have access to large-loss and catastrophic restoration services.

“Adding three new locations marks a significant milestone for the SRM brand,” said Michael Veldman, SRM vice president, commercial operations. “It’s a direct result of the trust our customers place in us and our ongoing mission to scale with purpose while maintaining exceptional service.”

For more than 20 years, SRM has served as a trusted partner to commercial property owners facing their most difficult moments. Each new SRM designation strengthens the network’s ability to deliver that same standard of response wherever and whenever catastrophe strikes.

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Matzinger brings over 25 years of experience in microbiology, sterilization, decontamination, and validation. Her technical expertise spans all major sterilization modalities.

In recent years Matzinger’s work has focused on hydrogen peroxide technologies, particularly in the application of high-level disinfection and bio-decontamination for critical environments.��She is widely recognized for her ability to translate microbiological principles into practical contamination control solutions.

“I am energized by the opportunity to bring the breadth of my experience to a highly skilled and supportive team that is aligned in its mission to proactively protect patients, products, and critical environments,” Matzinger said.

Reporting to Sam Bergman, First Onsite global executive vice president, Matzinger will lead the development and execution of the company’s Life Sciences Division, which focuses on delivering proactive, routine, and emergency-based facility hygiene services.��Key areas of focus include the following:

Contamination Control Strategies: Tailored to manufacturing, research laboratories, compounding pharmacies, medical device facilities and other regulated sectors.

Regulatory Compliance: Supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food safety, research and medical device sectors in achieving compliant hygiene programs within GMP and cGMP guidance frameworks.

Transition to Preventive Services: Expanding service capabilities beyond reactive restoration into preventable contamination control.

Industry Engagement: Advancing best practices in regulated environments through continued involvement with ISPE, PDA and AAMI/ANSI standards committees.

“Being surrounded by professionals who value science, collaboration, and innovation creates a culture where meaningful impact is not only possible but expected,” Matzinger said. “It’s hard not to feel passionate when your life’s work is both understood and amplified by the team around you.”

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The new location strengthens Insurcomm’s ability to respond faster and deliver a more consistent, end-to-end recovery experience across the region. Customers can rely on Insurcomm for emergency response, remediation, reconstruction, and environmental services, all handled by one team that sees the job through from start to finish.

“Every community deserves a team they can count on when things don’t go as planned,” said Kelly Brewer, Fortify Cos. CEO. “I’m proud of the Insurcomm team and their ability to bring that level of service to western Pennsylvania, supporting homeowners, commercial clients, and communities alike. Expanding into this region allows us to be closer, respond faster, and deliver the full set of capabilities people need, whether it’s a single property loss or a larger, more complex event.”

The Pittsburgh location expands Insurcomm’s growing footprint and enhances its ability to support both everyday losses and large-scale events across the region. With a local team on the ground backed by national resources, Insurcomm can respond quickly, adapt to changing conditions, and maintain consistent service across Pennsylvania when demand increases.

The Pennsylvania office is part of a broader, coordinated network built through Fortify Cos., bringing together local response capabilities with national scale. As part of the Fortify platform, Insurcomm connects prevention, emergency response, and reconstruction under one roof—helping reduce delays, improve visibility, and deliver a more seamless recovery experience from initial loss through long-term property care.

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Founded in 1989, Atlantic serves the Mid-Atlantic region performing building repair and restoration, earning its reputation with a National Register portfolio of accomplishments, providing restoration services on many architectural treasures and historic landmarks.

“Structural is focused on expanding its Building Envelope services in the region and nationally,” said Bob Charles, Structural Group CEO, “and by adding Atlantic to our family of companies, we have strengthened our Building Envelope team with an experienced and successful group that has been doing excellent work for nearly 40 years. Atlantic’s commitment to its customers–and their keen focus on safety and quality first, are a great match to Structural’s mission and values.”

Atlantic’s President, David Suarez, said “Structural is a company we have watched grow into the industry leader they are today. Their ability to integrate technologies, engineering support, and construction, is an added benefit to Atlantic’s specialized services. We are pleased about our team becoming part of Structural.”

The Alexandria, Virginia location will become a part of STRUCTURAL’s Building Envelope business over the next couple of years, with emphasis on maintaining ongoing projects and service to Atlantic’s important customers in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Ross Rassuli, Atlantic’s executive vice president, added “Structural’s resources and national footprint, along with our [Atlantic’s] strong reputation, expertise, and industry knowledge, are a great combination–and we are confident that our team and our customers will experience the benefits of this expansion”.

Structural’s Building Envelope growth strategy is aimed at national expansion, and more announcements are expected in the coming months. The Atlantic transaction was completed March 28.

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The following franchise owners and team members have completed CRDN’s introductory training and are now certified to restore textiles—items such as clothing, linens, and fabrics impacted by smoke, soot, or water damage:

• Troy Scarbrough, franchise owner, CRDN of Middlesex and Essex counties, Massachusetts

• Dana Ratcliffe, franchise owner, CRDN of Greater Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Drew Skasik, franchise owner, CRDN of North Central Appalachia

• Joey Gibson, franchise owner, CRDN of Greater Savannah, Georgia

• Wes Purks, project manager, CRDN of South Central New England, Massachusetts

• Andrew Lira, operations manager, CRDN of Greater Savannah, Georgia

• Matthew Rudolph, vice president of systems and technology, CRDN of Greater Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Rupinder Rudolph, general manager, CRDN of Greater Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Ayman Charania, first responder, CRDN of Corpus Christi, Texas

The following individuals have successfully completed CRDN’s art, electronics, and/or full-service contents restoration trainings, empowering these facilities to offer comprehensive end-to-end restoration services:

• Matt Knight, franchise owner, CRDN of Oregon and Eastern Washington and North Idaho

• Joey Gibson, franchise owner, CRDN of Greater Savannah, Georgia

• Andrew Lira, operations manager, CRDN of Greater Savannah, Georgia

• Dana Ratcliffe, franchise owner, CRDN of Greater Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Matthew Rudolph, vice president of systems and technology, CRDN of Greater Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Rupinder Rudolph, general manager, CRDN of Greater Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Ryan Corson, general manager, CRDN of Northern Alabama

• Terrance Dermody, franchise owner, CRDN of Greater Boston and Southeast Massachusetts

“Our investment in training ensures CRDN continues to deliver industry-leading contents restoration service with the speed, care, and consistency our carrier and contractor clients rely on,” said Wayne Wudyka, CRDN CEO. “As our network grows, we’re proud to see new franchisees and sales and operations staff carrying forward the expertise and standards that define our brand.”

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Operations Leadership

Sean Wisdom joins ATI as regional vice president, Pacific West. In this role, he will oversee operations across offices throughout the states of California and Nevada. Wisdom brings 26 years of experience in the disaster recovery and restoration industry, having started out in the field as a team lead, then becoming branch manager and working his way up through various leadership positions. Recently, he was responsible for national emergency services for both private and public sector clients. Wisdom holds a comprehensive suite of certifications from the IICRC and is a U.S. Air Force veteran.

Equipment & Supply Chain

Anthony Plank joins ATI as vice president of supply chain. In this role, he will lead end-to-end supply chain strategy and execution, including sourcing, supplier risk management, fleet, and property oversight. He brings 32 years of experience in supply chain and operations, including over a decade in the restoration and insurance services sector. Plank holds both an MBA and a Six Sigma Black Belt, and brings a distinctive perspective from his earlier career as a commercial pilot and firefighter.

People & Talent Development

Paul DuBois joins ATI as director of learning and development to spearhead ATI University, the company’s internal learning and development function. With 20 years of experience in learning and development and human resources, DuBois has led talent and organizational effectiveness initiatives across telecom, distribution, logistics, finance, and healthcare. His award-winning work delivers measurable results, focusing on strengthening employee capability, engagement, and organizational effectiveness.

Financial Infrastructure

Joseph Comers joins ATI as director of accounts payable, where he will oversee accounts payable strategy and operations at the company’s headquarters. Comers brings more than 20 years of finance experience across multiple industries, including entertainment, biotechnology, and education. His expertise spans procure-to-pay operations, internal controls, and cross-functional process transformation across complex, global organizations.

“As ATI continues to grow and evolve, strengthening our leadership bench is critical to supporting the teams in the field and the customers we serve,” said Ryan Moore, ATI Restoration CEO. “Each of these leaders brings the experience and operational mindset needed to help us execute better, support our divisions, and continue building a company that can scale nationally while remaining connected to our local markets.”

Together, these appointments reflect ATI’s commitment to building a leadership structure designed for scalability, allowing divisions to function with agility while shared infrastructure captures efficiencies across the organization. This continued investment in operational leadership directly strengthens ATI’s ability to serve clients nationwide with consistency, speed, and care.

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“Back in the day of vocational tech and DECA, in order to get out of high school, you had to have a job,” Brennan said. So he took a position at a cleaning company across the street from his home, logging a few hours each afternoon and working weekends. What started as a ticket to early dismissal became the foundation of a 30-year business.

In 1994, the owner of that company offered to sell. Brennan bought him out, kept the customer base, and put his first name on the door. has been serving Clarksville, Tennessee, and the surrounding region ever since.

“All my customers knew my first name, and I didn’t want to lose that,” Brennan said. “I couldn’t come up with a really good marketable name, so I just used my first name because no one knew what my last name was.”

Just don’t call it Thomas’s. “Nothing’s more aggravating than that extra S,” he said.

From carpet to catastrophe response

Brennan quickly learned that cleaning work often led to something bigger.

The company started, as the name suggests, with carpet cleaning. Brennan describes it as a business built on instant gratification. You arrive at a home that needs cleaning, you work your equipment, and two hours later, the homeowner is smiling. The feedback loop is immediate and satisfying.

Restoration came later, and somewhat naturally. “You’re sucking up water as part of the cleaning process,” Brennan said. “So then Mrs. Jones, who went squish, squish, squish to the bathroom at three in the morning, gives us a call and says, ‘Hey, I know you’ve got that machine, can you come out here and help me?'” That call became a new branch of the business.

Today, Thomas handles water damage, fire and smoke remediation, mold removal, hard floor care, and more—all from a base in downtown Clarksville, serving customers across Tennessee and southern Kentucky.

The team is the backbone

Brennan is quick to point out that the company’s reputation rests on the people he sends into homes. One technician has been with him for 15 years. Another joined at age 16 and is now 27.

“They are the backbone of the business,” Brennan said. Finding the right people, he added, isn’t always about work experience. His longest-tenured young technician came through a personal connection. Brennan had gone to high school with his technician’s mother. “References don’t have to be work references,” he said. “It could be somebody from your church.”

Once hired, the standard is straightforward: Treat every job as if it were your great-grandmother’s home. “Not just your house,” Brennan said, “because I’ve seen some sloppy houses in my day. We want to make sure it’s treated at a little higher regard than we would even treat our own.”

Customers who call Thomas reach someone who can explain exactly what’s happening and why. “We’re small enough that you still talk to the owner,” Brennan said. “We want people to know that this is someone’s home. It’s their largest investment. It’s where they’re raising their children.”

When the work really matters

Some jobs leave a longer impression than others. Brennan recalled a fire job where his crew carefully cleaned soot off a canvas painting, a Mother’s Day gift that was signed by the whole family. On another fire job, they saved a grandmother’s quilts. That customer has sent homemade fudge to the Thomas office every Christmas since 2009.

Those moments reflect what restoration work is: a service delivered to people in genuine crisis. When a home floods or burns, families are not just dealing with property damage. They are navigating insurance claims, temporary displacement, and the loss of irreplaceable items, often all at once.

Navigating the insurance maze

Restoration work also means navigating the insurance system alongside homeowners, and Brennan has seen how that pressure can be compounded by the claims process.

He described a job in which an insurer wrote a US$16,000 check to an elderly homeowner with $80,000 in damage. “Had she not gotten hold of somebody competent enough to talk to the insurance company for her,” he said, “she probably would not have been able to repair her home.”

His advice to homeowners navigating a loss is simple. Don’t just accept the first number. Interview the companies coming into your home. Ask around. And if an adjuster tries to hand you a check at the door, find someone who can speak to the full scope of the damage on your behalf.

Not every adjuster operates that way, Brennan was careful to note. “We have a great group of adjusters that I would almost call friends,” he explained. But the uninformed homeowner is vulnerable, and he has seen the consequences.

Old-school roots, new-school awareness

Thomas still sends thank-you cards after every job. They still do postcard mailings. These are not nostalgic gestures. Brennan believes they work, and that some of the old methods are making a quiet comeback in a world saturated by digital noise.

He is also candid about the challenge posed by tech-savvy newcomers who may build a polished online presence that outshines their actual work. “They can make themselves look a lot better than they are,” he said. “If they have a nice website and blogs, it’s hard to differentiate yourself, especially to new clients.” He was quick to point out that this is not always the case, and great examples of young entrepreneurs who are both tech-savvy and dedicated to the art of restoration exist.

His answer to this challenge is still face-to-face credibility. Given the chance to meet someone—a potential customer, an insurance adjuster—he backs himself. If given the opportunity to speak with somebody, listen to their concerns, and try to help them, Thomas Carpet Cleaning and Restoration will most likely get the job.

The leave behind

Ask Brennan what he wants people to say about him when he eventually steps back from the business, and he doesn’t hesitate long. He wants to be remembered as someone who was fair. Someone who never tried to get one over on anybody.

“I always tried to do the right thing, to help them,” he said. “And hopefully don’t call me any bad words.”

In Clarksville, the name Thomas still means something, because for three decades Brennan has built a business the old-fashioned way: by showing up when people need help.

And every Christmas, the fudge keeps coming.

Listen to the podcast version below:

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This capability has long existed within Insurcomm’s dedicated large loss team. What’s new is the scale and structure, formally integrating that expertise across the Fortify network so every customer benefits from rapid stabilization, coordinated mobilization, and national-level leadership for complex and catastrophic losses.

Fortify’s expanded model ensures Rytech franchise teams serve as immediate first responders in their markets securing sites, initiating mitigation, and stabilizing damage quickly while Insurcomm’s dedicated large loss team mobilizes to lead high-severity and technically complex engagements.

This coordinated approach delivers speed without sacrificing structure. Mitigation begins immediately at the local level, while full catastrophic resources, equipment, and leadership scale behind it.

“Rytech teams are the tip of the spear in their communities,” said Glenn Pafford, Fortify Cos. senior vice president of field operations. “They are first on site, protecting properties and customers when it matters most. What’s powerful about this model is that they’re not just stabilizing losses—they’re working shoulder-to-shoulder with our dedicated large loss leaders, gaining hands-on experience in managing complex, high-severity events. That exposure strengthens their ability to handle increasingly complex day-to-day losses in their own markets.”

The industry trend is clear: while overall claim frequency has softened in some regions, loss severity continues to increase. Properties are more complex, repair costs are higher, and stakeholder coordination is more demanding than ever.

“Carriers are reporting fewer claims in certain segments, but the losses they are seeing are larger and more complex,” said Kelly Brewer, Fortify Cos. CEO. “That requires highly skilled teams who can manage everything from emergency stabilization through prolonged recovery. By pairing a dedicated large loss team with an engaged first-response network, we’re elevating the capability of every operator in our system to meet that reality.”

Through structured participation in catastrophic events and complex projects, Rytech franchise partners gain:

• Real-time training alongside seasoned large loss experts.
• Exposure to carrier program navigation and high-severity project management.
• Experience coordinating labor, equipment, and specialty trades at scale.
• The confidence and capability to take on larger, more complex losses within their territories over time.

Fortify’s expanded large loss model is structured to manage:

• Hurricanes, flooding, severe storms, and winter weather events.
• Multifamily portfolio losses.
• Commercial and institutional property damage.
• Complex non-weather losses, including fires and infrastructure failures.

Dedicated means more than additional crews. It means specialized leadership, scalable equipment and labor resources, disciplined communication, and the ability to manage prolonged recovery timelines in high-visibility environments.

Through Fortify’s unified platform, this integrated large loss capability now spans more than 100 markets across 30 states—providing a coordinated national solution for multifamily owners, commercial property managers, insurers, and institutional clients.

This is a response model built for how losses are happening today. Immediate local presence. National depth behind it. Skilled operators who can stabilize fast and manage complexity through completion. As severity rises and expectations increase, Fortify is positioned to deliver disciplined execution at scale—anywhere in the country, on losses of any size. This integrated approach, made possible by the acquisition by Fortify Cos., sets a new standard for efficiency and reliability in the restoration industry, providing carriers with a streamlined and dependable partner.

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