Franchise Profile: Steamatic of Arklatex

Bill Eaton and his team bring solid restoration and cleaning experience, along with quality customer service, to the greater Shreveport area.

The Steamatic of ArkLaTex Team: (from left) Clint Graves, operations manager; Bill Eaton, president; Brenda Eaton, office manager; and Jeremy Eaton, sales manager.

Serving the Community

Shreveport – where the intersection of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas meet along the Red River – certainly has other providers of restoration and cleaning services, yet none quite resemble the kind of franchise Bill and his team have created. Based on his 30 years of experience in this profession, Steamatic of ArkLaTex is a hands-on business committed to customer care, responsiveness and loyalty to the community.

“I think most franchisees like to believe that since they are the new kid in town, everyone will naturally call on them first for business,” says Bill. “Instead, the newness quickly wears off and customers are left deciding between what seem to be very similar approaches to cleaning and restoration. Almost immediately, you have to approach your prospects with a very credible, committed approach on how you can do a better job. The proof isn’t in a fancy sign and fancy suit; it’s in our hands-on approach to making every customer happy.” When Steamatic of ArkLaTex is called on to do a job, all four employees – Bill, his wife Brenda, their son Jeremy, and long-time friend and colleague Clint Graves – roll up their sleeves to help.  “We cannot afford to make mistakes; when you’re new and trying to establish yourself in the community, it’s important to understand that when we sell someone our services, we are the ones going in the middle of the night and doing the labor,” says Bill. “We have one chance to make it right, and if we miss, there may not be another chance for as long as two years.” 

Three Decades of Experience Leads to Better Decisions

Bill began his career with Steamatic of Lubbock in 1979 and worked his way up to become general manager of the Lubbock, Amarillo and Oklahoma City franchises by the early 1990s. Before he bought the ArkLaTex franchise, he most recently was general manager of a competitor in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Although Bill knows he’s made the same mistakes other small business owners make, overcoming these obstacles and learning how to do things differently is key to continuous improvement and delivering quality services. For example, instead of marketing the new franchise using advertising, civic memberships and other “textbook” techniques, Bill initially reached out to the insurance community because he knew this audience would be more readily aware of restoration claims and interested in providing reciprocal referrals. He met one on one with agents and companies throughout the Shreveport-Bossier City area. “As a new provider in town, it’s been proven that insurance agents are going to help you,” says Bill. “You don’t want to spend a bunch of money on brochures or advertising, so you go in with your name, experience and goodwill.” Bill is also a member of the local Claims Association, so he regularly networks and meets with agents and adjusters every month. After only a short time, he is now considered an integral part of the community. “We’re incredibly fortunate to have Bill and his team representing Steamatic in Northern Louisiana,” says Bill Sims, president of Steamatic. “Bill instinctively knows not only how to find and keep customers, but also how to provide his customers the much-needed security and peace of mind we all want when faced with a disaster or restoration problem.”

Beyond Shreveport’s Borders

Even though Steamatic has a national and worldwide base of 270+ franchises, Bill enjoys his association with Steamatic because the organization functions as one cohesive network. For example, he also heads up the still-new Steamatic Catastrophe Management unit. When a disaster strikes and the number of claims and restoration are too much for one franchise to handle by itself, Bill and other franchise owners and staff band together to assist in on-site cleanups.  “Steamatic is one very large family of experienced and knowledgeable professionals who are ready and able to help each other at any time,” says Eaton. “In Shreveport, we are the people doing the cleanup, yet we don’t want to turn away any potential business. What’s great about the Steamatic network is I know I can call on any of the franchises in Texas or Arkansas to come and help. No one has a hidden agenda or passes out business cards to take away business; we work as one, solid unit.”

For more information on Steamatic, including franchise opportunities, please contact Jarrod Sims at 817-332-1575 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).