The idea for the partnership came from none other than the Green Home Solutions franchisees themselves.
Giving back to local communities is a major priority for Green Home Solutions, which is why the mold remediation franchise company is thrilled to have started a partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is an international nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. The organization believes affordable housing plays a critical role in strong and stable communities.
The idea for the partnership came up during a semi-annual meeting that Green Home Solutions had with its franchisees.
“Our company and executive team are naturally philanthropic and we were looking for a way to give back and, in order for us to do that, we needed the right partner,” Green Home Solutions CEO Jeff Panella said. “We wanted a partner that wanted to help the world and help communities. We asked the franchisees who to partner with and they came up with Habitat for Humanity.”
Appealing traits about Habitat for Humanity included the many different types of housing-related services it provides and its focus on helping local communities.
“Green Home Solutions was looking for someone we could partner with to get more involved in the community,” Green Home Solutions Manager of Business Development Jon Mitton said. “Habitat for Humanity was the perfect choice because their whole model is about providing safe homes. They have initiatives for elderly housing, safe communities, living a better quality of life and more.”
Habitat for Humanity is eager to partner with Green Home Solutions.
“There’s synergy there with our business practices,” Habitat for Humanity Corporate Development Officer Barry Snyder said. “We’re really excited because they have a commitment to local communities. We’re excited to see where this goes.”
Green Home Solutions and Habitat for Humanity signed an agreement in January of 2018 and the two entities are now in the process of implementation. Green Home Solutions has made a financial partnership with Habitat for Humanity and pledged $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity. Green Home Solutions franchises will also donate products and services to their local Habitat for Humanity affiliates.
“Once that commitment is met, both the cash and donated products, Green Home Solutions will offer discounted services to all of our affiliates in the United States,” Snyder said. “Habitat for Humanity has over 1,200 affiliates around the United States. If they find a home that is environmentally unsafe, if there is an issue, they will make a request through Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat for Humanity will vet that request and the local Green Home Solutions franchise will then be a part of doing the service there in the local community and help that homeowner.”
Mitton noted that every Green Home Solutions franchisee has committed to donating at least one full mold remediation job to each Habitat for Humanity affiliate across the country.
“Our goal is to satisfy that and help with renovations and to make sure all affiliates are aware of us and make those face-to-face connections,” Mitton said.
The partnership aligns with Green Home Solutions’ identity and mission.
“We are an environmentally-friendly company and we’re helping people get better and Habitat for Humanity instantly wanted to have us as a partner for their affiliates,” Panella said. “We are definitely in a business where the outcome is that we help people. We make air better for people who can be very sick with mold, allergens, bacteria and odor.”
The feedback from Green Home Solutions franchisees has been very enthusiastic.
“Our franchisees are extremely excited to work with Habitat for Humanity and they’re 100 percent behind it,” Panella said. “They’ve already donated $100,000. I am just overjoyed and so proud of our franchisees that they would instantly grab onto what Habitat for Humanity does and get behind this effort in the way that they have. It really speaks to the great nature of our wonderful franchisees, and Green Home Solutions is honored to be associated with Habitat for Humanity. They are an amazing organization.”
Green Home Solutions hopes the partnership with Habitat for Humanity will also help the brand attract high-quality franchisees who believe in philanthropy. Panella noted that Green Home Solutions is currently present in 37 states and that the company has a lot of room for growth. The brand wants to ultimately operate in every state and also go international. The partnership will also benefit franchisees by elevating the brand’s profile on a local and national level.
“There are several ways in which we’re going to be working with Habitat for Humanity,” Panella said. “We’ve done donations and free work for Habitat for Humanity, and then we’ll also do discounted work on a long-term basis with them. Because of the donations and generosity of our franchisees, we are able to put the Habitat for Humanity logo on everything we have. We’ve already redesigned our shirts. We’ve redesigned our truck wraps. We can participate in press releases and marketing campaigns and they’ll use our name as well.”
The partnership is also a very timely one for Habitat for Humanity, as the need in the mold remediation space is growing, according to Snyder. He estimates the partnership can help as many as 120 families a year, and emphasized the need for high-quality work. He specifically pointed to an incident that took place in Houston after 2017’s Hurricane Harvey.
“After the floods, Habitat for Humanity had volunteer teams that partnered with a mold remediation company and the mold was not remediated correctly in one home, so it came back into the home three months later,” Snyder said. “Our volunteer team had to go back in, which meant we were losing time and our volunteers were losing products and donated dollars, straining the relationship between the local Habitat for Humanity and the local company. The need for our affiliates to find a quality mold remediation company that will do the job right is huge. We are thrilled to partner with Green Home Solutions.”