Leaking Info

American Leak Detection (ALD), which specializes in the detection of hidden leaks, as well as the location of water, gas and sewer lines, has hit the jackpot. The franchise has a new support services training program partly to thank for its system wide sales increase of 21 percent over the past year. With 300 franchise locations in 38 states and a dozen countries, sales were just under $30 million in 1999.

The program is notable for its focus on woman franchisees. "The more I got involved, the more I saw a need to include all partners in each location," says Lorrie Rennick, ALD's executive vice president, who runs the franchise with her husband, CEO and president Richard Rennick.

Although many ALD franchisees consist of husband-and-wife teams, Rennick says that in the past 15 years, rarely has a woman partner come to corporate training. In March 1999, Rennick set up a three-day mini-training-program targeting woman franchisees. With six women attending, the first training program was an instant success-since then, ALD has offered six more groups.

Contact Source

• American Leak Detection (ALD), (800) 755-6697

This article was originally published in the October 2000 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Leaking Info.