NAPLES, Fla. — Martinizing® Cleaners recently added Manuel G. Solórzano as the brand’s new vice president of franchise development, the franchisor reports.
He will leverage more than 20 years of franchise industry experience to help expand Martinizing Cleaners in key markets, the company says, while also supporting existing franchise owners with knowledge and tools they can leverage to grow their individual businesses.
“Manuel becomes yet another member of our development team who has been both a franchise owner and member of the corporate team, along with myself and Michael Eisner,” says Kevin DuBois, CEO of Clean Brands LLC. “There is no better way to understand what an incoming franchise owner is going through than to have actually done it. We couldn’t be more excited to have Manuel leading the charge for Martinizing into our next stage of growth.”
Solórzano originally joined Martinizing Cleaners in 2003 as a franchise owner, two years after he immigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela, where he earned a master’s degree in law.
Despite his transition into a new industry and new country, his prior education and flexibility soon paid dividends, the company says. In a few years, Solórzano grew his family’s single plant location into a six-store operation, serving much of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, including being the official drycleaning provider of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
Solórzano sold his business in 2012 and worked as a franchise consultant for multinational organizations, while also helping to operate their family-founded summer camp in Florida.
“Martinizing Cleaners changed my family’s life, and they’ve always had a special place in my heart for doing so,” says Solórzano. “Not only did they welcome me with open arms, but they taught me how to do business in the U.S.
“When I first started, the whole idea of franchising was relatively new to me, but they were with me every step of the way through my learning process, and now, I want to help others learn the value of franchising as well. I believe I have a story that resonates with many other people interested in this industry, and I want to leverage that story to help others see the doors they can open by joining the Martinizing brand.”
Solórzano was one of the earliest adopters of route-based dry cleaning during his time as a franchise owner, Martinizing says.
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