Partnership Trio Merge to Encompass Waterloo-Wellington

Kitchener - Threes are traditionally rich in symbolism, denoting power, strength, and unity. But when three southern Ontario PropertyGuys.com franchise owners – Dave Waters in Guelph, Ryan Good in Waterloo, and Mike Shanks in Cambridge – joined forces to purchase a franchise for nearby Kitchener in March of 2007, they weren’t thinking symbolism, but simply responding to another trinity: instinctive business sense, unique opportunity, and confidence in each other and the product they offer.

Geographically, the three entrepreneurs form a tight triangle in the fastest growing economic area of the province. When the opportunity arose to pull the city of Kitchener into their coverage area, all three knew they had a winning combination that would help them bring the PropertyGuys.com advantage to more homeowners throughout the area. After operating as separate entities through 2007 the decision was made to merge the 4 businesses in to one and take advantage of the synergies. The merger has allowed them to take specific roles on within the company, as well as bring in some much needed help.

Good has taken on the roll of VP of Sales and Marketing, Waters is the VP of Operations and Administration and Shanks has taken on VP of Finance as well as roll of CEO. In taking on these roles it will allow the three to focus on these areas of their business with more detail and discipline. Good already taking the initiative to bring on 2 Independent Sales Consultants to focus on the increasing demand the public has on Private Sale in the area.

Last year, it is estimated that home sellers in the Waterloo-Wellington area paid over 160 million dollars in real estate commissions. PropertyGuys.com predicts that within a few years, fifty percent of home sellers will choose to sell commission free – putting over 80 million in savings back into local homeowners’ pockets.

In this region, where homeowners are highly mobile and the markets competitive, the professional private sale system offered by PropertyGuys.com makes perfect sense. It provides the materials, direction, and support to homeowners who want to save commission fees, price their homes competitively and maintain complete control of the sale.

Mike Shanks brought the PropertyGuys.com name to Cambridge in November 2006 when the company was still in early stages of penetrating the Ontario market. As he got to know his neighbouring franchisees he realized their high caliber and knew they needed to work together, not just as neighbours.

“In certain locations, you benefit from having someone strong set up business beside you. Both these men have a high degree of professionalism and are committed to growing their business. From the first time we met, I could see they had a great belief in the system and I felt confident having them as neighbours, but I knew we needed to take it to the next level,” says Shanks.

Individually, Waters and Good bring sales and entrepreneurial experience to the partnership. “Dave and Ryan are both down to earth and genuine. Ryan is a real people person and native to the area. Dave is also a people person and additionally, he has experience identifying the real estate trends in these areas. Myself, I have a strong business sense and a focus on customer service, as well as a strong corporate background,”

Shanks’ is confident that by combining their abilities and working as a team to grow the Waterloo-Wellington market, they will ultimately strengthen Private Sale in the two regions. “Together we are creating a buzz, pooling our resources and pushing each other further. This merger has positioned us to take advantage of our growing market share and will continue to strengthen our lead in the Private Sale Market in Waterloo-Wellington.” says Shanks.

“This team has all the necessary ingredients required to build a successful PropertyGuys.com franchise,” says company president & CEO, Ken LeBlanc. “The merger of these three individually successful franchisees along with the economic outlook for this key area of Ontario has our system a buzz and looking towards these leaders to see where they can take this.”