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Dwyer Group expands Drain Doctor franchise nationally with two new owners

28 August 2018

Dwyer Group, one of the world’s largest parent companies of home service brands, has expanded its Drain Doctor franchise locations to 53, with two new franchise owners coming on board – Carl Butterfield and Steve and Myles Lawless.

Carl Butterfield took over the management of Drain Doctor Gloucestershire in June and continues to work with Ruth Ryder, office manager, who has been keeping the business running effectively for the past year following the passing away of the previous owner Nick Cousins. Already under Carl's management, the business has made investments in new vans, specialist equipment for the technicians and moved to new premises. 

Prior to the acquisition of Gloucestershire, Carl spent over 20 years running his own pubs, clubs and hotels in the UK and felt he wanted a new challenge and business opportunity in a new sector, where he previously managed over 100 employees across his premises. 

Excited to be a new franchise owner, Carl commented: “I am very fortunate to have such a great team already in place to help with the day to day running of the business.  Having struggled to find reliable trustworthy tradespeople for our premises, I knew that I wanted to find a sector where there is a shortage of professional experts and that would give me a long-term future and opportunity to buy multi-unit franchises from the same organisation.  Having The Dwyer Group® there definitely gives me peace of mind and confidence, and knowing there is wider support, expertise and resource available, was one of the main reasons why I chose a Drain Doctor franchise.”

Father and son team, Steve and Myles Lawless, launched their new Drain Doctor franchise covering Stafford and Stoke on Trent on 28 August 2018.  A qualified heating engineer, Steve has spent over two decades running his own heating and plumbing organisation and decided he wanted to build a business with his son Myles, also a qualified plumbing and electrical engineer.  It is very much a family business, with other Lawless family members also involved, including Steve’s brother and nephew and there will be a team of six technicians, two support staff and four Drain Doctor branded vans. 

Steve Lawless commented: “Myles and I have been looking for a way to work together for a number of years and knew we had the experience, commitment and enthusiasm to make it work.  Drain Doctor gives us a great opportunity to go into business as a team delivering a service that we are passionate about to the community.  Having run my own business previously, I am not daunted by the challenges that lie ahead and we are both looking forward to getting stuck in and being a key player in our community”, added Steve.

Pierre Jeannes, Vice President of Operations for Drain Doctor, added: “We’re proud and delighted to welcome both Carl and Steve and Myles to our close network and are looking forward to supporting them throughout their exciting new journey with us.  With Carl and Steve’s proven success of running their own businesses, they both exemplify the kind of franchise owners that we look for across our industry and shows others the fantastic possibilities that exist in our growing network.  We would like to wish Carl, Steve and Myles every success with their new franchises.”

Drain Doctor is the UK’s leading full service combined commercial and domestic plumbing and drainage organisation with over 53 franchise locations, providing a national service across the UK.  


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