HARD work, dedication and a commitment to superior customer service have paid off for St Francis Bay Chem-Dry franchise owner Neil Geldenhuys and his team at Chem-Dry Coastal, as they recently scooped the International Sub-Franchise of the Year Award for 2016. Considering that there are in excess of 3 400 Chem-Dry franchi-ses the world over, this was no small feat and one that Neil and his wife Elmien are particularly proud of.
The gala event took place in Miami Florida earlier this year when Chem-Dry franchise owners from around the globe arrived at the prestigious Hyatt Regency Hotel for the annual Chem-Dry International Franchise Convention. Although Chem-Dry Coastal were runners-up to this award in 2015, Neil says that this amazing accolade still came as a tremendous surprise and a fantastic acknowledgement for his franchise team.
Neil says that the secret to his success is the simple philosophy of maintaining a dedicated and well-trained team that in turn ensures ultimate customer satisfaction. The fact that Chem-Dry Coastal boasts a repeat customer base of approximately 80% bears testimony to the validity of this mind set.
“I have implemented all the strategies supplied by Chem-Dry International’s training programme and guide my team in following this system on a daily basis. The key to success for any business is happy customers and a strong sense of teamwork,” says Neil.
Neil leads a compact, yet highly effective team of four who service the St Francis Bay, Jeffreys Bay and larger Kouga areas. Besides being the owner of Chem-Dry Coastal, he is also the Operations and Training Manager for Chem-Dry South Africa. His wife, Elmien, joined the team in March this year and Neil credits her for playing a huge supporting role in much of his success.
Internationally Chem-Dry is one of the largest carpet cleaning franchises in the world and represented in over 50 countries. Chem-Dry Southern Africa is headquartered in St Francis Bay and Neil has headed up the Chem-Dry Coastal branch for just over four years. Since taking over operations, his franchise has been the recipient of many awards including the National Quality Survey Award for three years running
Jeffreys Bay 