Screenmobile Blog Official weblog of The Screenmobile Corporation

Congratulations to Screenmobile of Charlotte for earning the prestigious 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award. Davis Winters the owner of Screenmobile of Charlotte stated “I am blessed to have a team that understands the importance of our customers; we have only won this award because of each employee’s dedication to providing the best service levels possible. For those who don’t know what Angie’s List is, Angie’s List is a website that aggregates verified consumer reviews of service companies as a way to capture word of mouth. Angie’s list grades companies using a report card style, which ranges from A-F. These rating are based on price, Quality, responsiveness, punctuality and professionalism. “Only a fraction of the business rated on Angies List can claim the sterling service record of being a Super Service Award winner because we set a high bar.” Said Angie’s list founder Angie Hicks. So once again Congratulations to Screenmobile of Charlotte keep up the good hard work. To find your local Screenmobile simply go to www.screenmobile.com and for more information on Angies List visit the website at www.Angieslist.com

Screenmobile is a mobile screen repair and replacement franchise and they recently announced that its newest franchise operation will serve Chattanooga and surrounding areas. David and Kelly LeCroy, both lifelong residents of Chattanooga, are now the happy owners of the latest franchise.

Screenmobile of Chattanooga serves Bradley, Hamilton and Catoosa counties including the areas of Apison, Chattanooga, Cleveland, McDonald, Ooltewah and Ringgold.

David spent 18 years serving the community as a police officer with the city of East Ridge. After that he made his living by driving trucks for 16 years and he was ready for a change. “I was ready to take the lessons I learned working for others and put them to use in running my own business,” he said.

When trying to decide what type of business to launch, LeCroy looked to his personal experience. Years ago when he hired a company to fix his screens, they removed the screens and frames from the windows, and sent them all off for repair. When his screens were returned, none of them fit the windows properly so his windows remained screenless. Therefore, LeCroy not only had first hand knowledge of how Chattanooga needed a quality screening service, he also knew that a mobile service would be the key to success. This is what led him to Screenmobile.

LeCroy’s conversations with Screenmobile’s CEO, Scott Walker, sealed the deal. “I found the Screenmobile franchise system to be a stable company with a big family feeling,” said LeCroy. “Feeling like one big family is exactly how I want my customers to feel – personal attention from me, the company owner, rather than sales person.”

“The LeCroys’ work experience will be an asset to their new business, and their professionalism and customer service standards match the Screenmobile philosophy and core beliefs,” said Mr. Walker. “We are pleased to welcome David and Kelly LeCroy to the Screenmobile family.”

David’s wife, Kelly, a bookkeeper for a local school district, will be assisting with the business. As a mobile business, they say they look forward to screening doors and windows of Chattanooga.

For more information about Screenmobile of Chattanooga, call (706) 965-7178 or (423) 752-5250.

The original article can be found at The Chattanoogan.

We are always looking for a break from the hot Arizona sun, and if that break can also help save us money, we are all over it! If you need these types of solar screens on your home, or even just a window or door screen replacement, Screenmobile of Glendale can help you out right away. They can cut and fit a screen for your doors and windows on site, and offer excellent solar screens to block out the sun’s rays and reduce energy costs in your home. Screenmobile is owned by Joe Smiga, and has been serving the Phoenix area for 17 years. For more information on this Phoenix small business, view their profile below.

What product or service do you offer?
Screenmobile is a mobile window and door screen repair and replacement service that can custom build screens on-site to fit any size or shape of window or door frame.?Screenmobile offers a variety of products from solar screens which can block up to 90% of the sun’s radiant hit and cut electric bills by up to 50% to insect screens to protect against mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus. Other products include retractable, sliding and motorized screens for pool, patio and porch enclosures, pet door screens and other weatherization products. Screenmobile’s truck and trailer is fully self-contained with a power generator, chop saw and a work bench, which makes the job convenient for the customer as we are not looking to power or even have to enter the house to do most jobs.

How did your business get started?
While visiting Camarillo, CA near the Screenmobile corporate headquarters in Thousand Palms, I saw a Screenmobile truck and trailer. It looked like an interesting business and so I did some research and found it was the perfect home-based business opportunity for me. Screenmobile is a franchise company with about 100 mom-and-pop locations around the country. Materials can be stored on the truck and trailer and in a garage.

Please describe the perfect user of your product or service.
Screenmobile customers are homeowners who need repairs done or are doing renovations. They want the convenience of having us come to them instead of taking their screens elsewhere and waiting days or trying to do it them selves. Most who attempt to do it them selves find that specific tools are needed and that the process is difficult without the proper workbench. Screenmobile has the tools and our trailer is our workbench. We save these customers a lot of time, frustration and money.
Construction contractors, homebuilders and owners and property managers of multi-unit apartment complexes also take advantage of Screenmobile services.

What goals have you set for your business that you hope to achieve in the next 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?
I thoroughly enjoy what I do, being outdoors, meeting people and giving my customers exceptional service. I want to continue to run my Screenmobile business successfully and be able to slow down in about 15 years.

How have you promoted your business in the past?
Repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals are my main source of business followed closely by the visibility of my colorful Screenmobile truck and trailer I use as a mobile marketing tool. I enjoy meeting people, have an outgoing personality and a quick wit. I like to lighten moods and entertain my customers. I especially like putting a smile on the face of my elderly customers.

I am also environmentally conscious and attend “green” events to promote my sun control screens which block up to 90% of the sun’s radiant heat and can lower electricity bills up to 50%. I take old screens from my jobs and recycle what materials I can.
A lover of rock-n-roll, I also hate to see old vinyl LPs and 45 records filling up our landfills, so I will take those off of customer’s hands and “re-cycle” them. In return I will offer a discount based on the amount of vinyl brought my way.

What is you upcoming product strategy?
As a company, Screenmobile prides itself on our owner’s professionalism, courteous, polite and friendly demeanor, neatness and delivering on our promises. You will not find us showing up late, smelling of smoke with our shirttail out, traipsing mud into your house while we look for power to borrow. That will not happen.
Instead you will find a professional that you can trust to complete the job as scheduled, on budget and who strives to exceed the customer’s expectations. I will continue to do my work in this manner.

What is your marketing strategy?
What Screenmobile does is unique in practically every market we serve. So unique in fact that few people are aware that such a service exists. I am unlike many other contractors who do not like the homeowner or customer looking over their shoulder at what they are doing. In fact I encourage my customers to come out and see how I do what I do. I make the best bug screen in town and you can quote me on that.

I am very good at what I do and the speed and proficiency that I display after 17 years of having done this is fascinating for most people to watch. I encourage them to do so as I work on the street outside their homes for a half-day or even a whole day

I ask the customer what type of music they like to listen to and will dial up the appropriate channel on my Sirius satellite radio enabled boom box. Sometimes I have been known to sing along. Around the time the mail comes in the neighborhood, people will start coming out of their homes and come check out the screening party down the street. Because of my gregarious personality, someone within the Screenmobile family recently gave me the name, “the entertaining screener”. I guess I am. I wont argue.

How do you measure success?
I measure success by the number of smiles per mile I put on people’s faces because of a job well done and by the number of referrals I receive. Based on that – Business is Booming.

If you’d like to get more information on Screenmobile of Glendale, Arizona you can click the link or to contact them for your screen repair or replacement, simply call them at 623-561-6370.

You can find the original article at Examiner.com.

When asked to tell us about his business, Dave Hohn, the proud owner of Screenmobile of Oklahoma City had this to say. “As the name implies, Screenmobile is a mobile screen repair and replacement service that arrives at a home or business to build custom screens that fit any shape or size of window, door or enclosure frame.”

His operation is self-contained with a customized trailer that contains all necessary materials, tools and equipment to fabricate, repair and install coverings for any window or door opening.

On most jobs, Hohn can provide an estimate on the spot and finish all screen installations the same day. Larger jobs, such as screened-in porches or pool enclosures, may take longer.

Hohn says that his business focuses on homeowners, but he also enjoys working with realtors, property management companies, general contractors and roofing companies.

“People are usually surprised to learn about the number of different screening products that are available. I carry many different types of screening products. This includes sun control screens, also called solar screens, that cut energy cost by blocking direct sun exposure to windows, insect screens that protect against West Nile virus, and stronger pet resistant screens that don’t fray or tear easily. I can even install screens that are retractable, removable, sliding and motorized.”

Why did you locate in Mustang?

I am a Montana boy and my wife grew up in the southwest Oklahoma City area. After getting married here, we spent a few years living in Southern Colorado.

“Once we had children, we wanted to move here to be closer to her family. We recognized that Mustang had an impressive potential for growth and the proximity to major highways makes travel easy. We wanted our business to be centrally located in this area, and still able to service the entire metro area conveniently.”

What do you think is most unique about your business?

“No two jobs are the same so it keeps everything fresh and exciting. Screenmobile is unique in that the service saves the customer time and effort by not requiring them to take their screens off themselves, then drive them to a repair shop and wait a few days to get them back.”

“We carry higher quality materials than anyone else in the area and can customize each project to fit each customer’s specific needs. Whether they need pet resistant screens in certain locations, sun control or a new sliding screen door that actually slides well, we perform the repairs that they need.”

“Most screen fitting and work is done on location, so it is absolutely guaranteed to fit right. Unlike my competitors, I offer a money back guarantee on all of my sliding screen doors.”

“Many homeowners have already tried the “one size fits all” screen door before they call me to make it all fit correctly. The sliding door I build seems quite expensive when compared to the box store, and that’s why I offer to buy the door back if they are not happy. The look on their faces when they first try my newly fashioned door is priceless. In 11 years, I have not had to buy back one door.”

What is the best advice you ever received?

“That would have come from my father, Vince Hohn. He told me, ‘God gave you two ears and one mouth, because you should listen twice as much as you talk.’”

What made you want to get into this profession?

“After college I worked as a project manager for a heavy, highway and industrial construction contractor. Most of my work involved travel and living away from home near project sites.”

“After our daughter was born, the travel got harder. You might get to come home every other weekend and see the family before you had to leave again on Sunday night, so there was limited opportunity to bond with my new baby. My wife and I then decided it was time to move closer to her family who lived here.”

“I invested more than 10 years with one company and I had no desire to start over with another construction company. Instead we decided to look for other types of business opportunities. I found the Screenmobile Corporation and have owned my own business for over 10 years now. I really enjoy working for myself, meeting new people every day, and solving their screening issues.”

What do you want your customers to remember most about you?

“That the experience they had with Screenmobile was first-rate all the way. I want them to remember everything from the high quality screening product and workmanship to my professionalism, appearance, and that the job was performed on time and as promised.”

“The best compliment I can possibly receive is the referral that a client gives to their friend, neighbor or family member.”

You can contact Dave Hohn at (405) 376-6200, visit his screen repair website or visit his Facebook page.

Interview with Bill and Lori Rech of Screenmobile of Placer and Nevada Counties.

What goods or services do you offer?
We are a mobile window and door screening service that comes to your home or office and fabricates quality screens on-site.

We offer a full line of top quality swinging, sliding, retractable and security screen doors. Our sun control products can help reduce energy costs by installing sunscreens on your windows that block up to 90 percent of the damaging ultraviolet rays and can reduce radiant heat in your home by as much as 10 to 18 degrees.

We also carry pet doors and pet-resistant fabric to reduce damage from your animals.

What makes you different from other screening services?
All of our products are of the highest quality and are made exactly to your specifications.

Our doors are made of extruded framework that will provide years of worry-free service. Our slider doors are made on-site and will fit your opening exactly; no wobbling slider doors that fall off the track and no plastic wheels that break.

What’s new?
We are the only local screening company that is part of a nationwide franchise. Each franchise is independently owned and operated and must meet strict quality standards.

What do you love about your work?
We love the one-on-one contact we have with our customers. We take pride in knowing that our customers’ screening needs will be completed in an excellent manner.

We offer the flexibility to the homeowner of choosing from a wide range of products.

What do you find most challenging about your work?
Because we are a seasonal business, most of our customers call during spring and summer, so scheduling a high volume of orders during these peak times is challenging.

But we have always been able to meet our customers needs in a timely manner.

What is your background?
We both graduated from California State University, Northridge; Bill has his degree in computer science and Lori received a degree in business. We both worked in our respective fields until 1997 when we decided we needed a less-hectic lifestyle.

We bought the Placer and Nevada County Screenmobile franchise. After extensive hands-on training at Screenmobile Corp., we launched our franchise in July 1998.

We love living and working in the Sierra Nevada foothills and sharing this lifestyle with our four married daughters and seven grandchildren.

You can contact Bill & Lori Rech, owners of Screenmobile of Placer County and Nevada County at (530) 878-0784.

Screenmobile of Placer, Nevada and Sierra Counties provides services in EL DORADO, NEVADA, PLACER, SIERRA, SUTTER and YUBA COUNTIES in the following areas:

The screen repair business isn’t where Jack Kelly ever imagined himself being.

The veteran of IBM, 30 years, already retired from his career in the computer industry, leaving he and his wife to a quiet existence in Sarasota. But in 2004, as the housing market boomed, Kelly said he began itching to get back to work — and the construction business was certainly a lucrative field to consider.

“A friend of mine had done some screens, and it seemed like interesting work,” Kelly said. “Then one night I was looking at some Web sites and stumbled across Screenmobile. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Screenmobile, a family owned mobile screening company based in Thousand Palms, California, has nearly 100 franchises across the country, most of them out West. The Screenmobile concept is simple: all necessary screening gear packs into a “mobile screen-store” trailer that is driven to the job location. It’s a shop on wheels. Before us, Screenmobile never had a franchise in Florida. Kelly would start the first in October 2004.

“I thought if I’m going to do something completely outside my comfort zone, a franchise is probably a good idea,” he said. As it turned out, the folks at Screenmobile would learn almost as much from Kelly as he did from them when it came to what Floridians needed in their screens. Suffice it to say, the dry coastal climate of California is a different world from Florida’s own west coast. “Much of what we do here in Florida was completely foreign to them when we originally started talking,” Kelly said. “I asked how they do pool cages and they gave me this funny look and asked, ‘What’s a pool cage?’”

Five years later, the housing boom has now long since ended and the downturn has meant disaster for many businesses tied to construction. But Kelly said he is still booked at a two-week backlog, partly because people unable to sell their homes are increasingly looking to keep up the ones they have. Housing essentials, like doors and windows usually involve screens get lots of attention from homeowners.

Kelly has no office overhead to pay for because his mobile office is parked in his driveway. “Everything is on the trailer,” he said. “It does make it easier.”

Being mobile also has other advantages when it comes to customer service, which is a vital factor in getting customers in a down market, he said. “Homeowners enjoy the instant gratification I provide for them when I pull up to the door and I can do everything they need, right there on the spot,” Kelly said. “I don’t need to take their sliding screen door to the shop in order to fix it, I do it right there in front of them. They can see the quality of the repairs that we do.” The fact that when Kelly is driving around town in his truck, the Screenmobile trailer itself essentially acts as a huge rolling billboard for his business also doesn’t hurt.

“It’s amazing how many times my wife and I will be sitting at a traffic light, and we’ll look to the car next to us and see them look at the trailer. They almost always have a curious look on their faces and they’ll take out a cell phone to call us,” Kelly joked. “Then suddenly our phone rings. I’ll pick it up and the guy will say ‘I’m driving around and am right next to one of your trucks, I thought I’d call’ — so we’ll just roll the window down and say ‘Hi there, how are you?’. It’s such a thrill.”

Certain types of screens are proving popular these days, especially so-called “sun control” or “solar” screens, which reduce glare and increase energy efficiency. In climates like Florida’s, the energy savings can be quite noticeable during the summer, and these days every penny counts. Though Kelly said most of his customers who purchase sun control screens enjoy the benefits of glare and heat reduction most of all.

“Many clients simply see the energy savings as an additional benefit,” he said. “What they’re looking to do is knock down that glaring early morning or afternoon sun, so they can better enjoy the section of their home that’s basically being cooked.”

Contact Jack Kelly and his screen repair team at (941) 377-3894. And if you see him driving in Parrish, Ellenton, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, Venice, Northport or Englewood, roll down your window and say “Hi!”

Timmy D’Antonio can fix a broken window screen — and in a pinch, a whole lot more.

D’Antonio recently opened Screenmobile of Napa, a mobile screen repair and replacement business. With his truck and supplies, D’Antonio arrives at a customer’s home with the tools of his trade ready to make repairs large or small.

But D’Antonio has another bag of tricks that he can pull out when necessary. D’Antonio is also a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). He carries emergency supplies with him while he travels around Napa, Yolo and Solano counties in his Screenmobile trailer.

D’Antonio said he’d always wanted to be a firefighter. But with state and city budget cuts, he’s been unable to find work as a firefighter. “I had to find an alternate job,” D’Antonio said.

The 26-year-old didn’t have to look very far. His aunt and uncle own a successful Screenmobile franchise covering the Sacramento and Lake Tahoe areas. His brother’s Screenmobile franchise services Sonoma and Marin counties.

“I saw the success by my family and it was a no-brainer for me,” D’Antonio said.

Originally from the San Fernando Valley, D’Antonio moved to Napa in December to open the local Screenmobile franchise. “We can make anything with a screen,” including window screens, door screens, retractable screen doors, and porch and patio screens, he said.

As a trained and certified EMT, D’Antonio is compelled to stop and render assistance at any accident he comes upon until an ambulance arrives. “I keep a basic medical bag with some bandages, dressings, and the basics in case there is something I can do at an accident.” He’s already stopped at a few such incidents. In Suisun City, he encountered a crash scene involving a truck and sedan. When D’Antonio pulled over he found two girls from the sedan lying on the sidewalk. He assisted until an ambulance arrived, he said. At a local climbing gym he helped a climber who’d fallen and snapped her ankle. “I took over until the paramedics got there,” by elevating and icing the injury.

While D’Antonio doesn’t have his dream job —yet—he does have the on-the job freedom that he seems to prefer. “I still get to drive around and do the same kind of gig. It’s just different work at the destination.”

D’Antonio and Screenmobile of Napa can be reached at 707-320-9339.

The original article was posted on the Napa Valley Register.

Mario Julian is a new owner of a Screenmobile franchise. He has been working for Loren Wullschleger, the previous Screenmobile owner, for approximately 10 years.

As a Screenmobile franchisee, Mario Travels from city to city installing sliding and retractable screen doors, fixing window screens and installing patio screens for customers at their homes.

As the two men became closer friends, Wullschleger taught Julian a lot about the business including how to do the job and run the business right, He also taught Mr. Julian that being an owner is quite different from being the owner, a lesson that Julian is happy to have learned because it really is true. It requires a completely different mindset.

Before Loren Wullschleger became ill, he also owned a separate Screenmobile franchise in Yucaipa that he was forced to sell. Now Julian is currently trying to purchase that franchise.

When asked about the secret to his success, he said that he is selling new products that Wullschleger didn’t sell and having a booth at local home shows. He is currently selling lots of sliding and retractable screen doors and he attributes most of that to the home shows that he has been attending as a vendor.

His former employer donated both time and product for Crestline’s yearly “Christmas in April” program and Julian says that he will continue to do so in the honor of Loren Wullschleger. Keeping the tradition alive and giving back to the community are things that Mr. Julian says he will continue as long as the business can support it.

You can meet Mario Julian at the High Desert Home Show – Home Improvement & Remodeling Expo at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville CA. The event will take place Saturday and Sunday July 17 & 18 2010.

To contact Mario Julian, you can call him at 909-338-1048 or visit his webpage at http://www.screenmobile.com/San-Bernardino/Default.aspx

Who is behind the Screenmobile Corporation? Can they really make the screens that they say they can?

This video was created to give you a preview of who Screenmobile is before they come to your house to repair your window screens and screen doors.

Click the Triangle in the image to play the video.