Set yourself apart as a ProTect Painters franchise business owner and partner with our passionate leaders
FOUNDER,, Wayne Scherger, a 30-year veteran of the painting industry, established ProTect Painters in 1994. The business was headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and Wayne opened territories east of the Mississippi River and forged a reputation for reliable service and customer value. In 2009, Service Brands International (SBI) acquired ProTect Painters with the goal of expanding the brand into a leading national franchise business, serving both the residential and commercial markets, “With SBI’s financial resources, franchising expertise, and support professionals, we have created a new kind of painting franchise opportunity—one built on innovation, integrity, and infinite opportunities,” said Wayne, who will continue training and developing franchisees.
PRESIDENT, Chris Ring, is a 20-year veteran of the painting industry. He studied electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of Michigan, but it was the science and chemistry of coatings and the unique challenges of applying paint that were his major interests. Chris spent nearly 13 years with The Sherwin-Williams Company advancing from market manager to sales representative and ultimately to district sales manager before pursuing his dream of opening his own painting business. He joined ProTect Painters in 2010 as a regional sales manager and then led the operations team as vice president of Operations and Training. His guiding philosophy is the cornerstone of our brand culture: “We help entrepreneurial individuals pursue their passionate dreams of business ownership by supporting them with a dedicated team of professionals and by installing innovative support systems in training, field operations, marketing and technology.” With his team-building skills, brand-strategy expertise, industry knowledge and entrepreneurial experience, he is leading our ProTect Painters franchise business to record sales and owner profitability
VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, Anne Nemer, brings to the ProTect Painters team over 10 years of franchise field marketing and brand building. She also has significant experience in marketing to the home improvement service sector having spent more than six years directing all marketing for Mr. Handyman where she helped double the brand’s sales and increase the number of franchise units 147 percent. Additionally, Anne is proficient in search engine optimization, back marketing, loyalty programs, and other multi-media applications. With her depth of knowledge and marketing experience, Anne built the marketing pyramid that is used by all the Service Brand teams. Anne is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in social science and a minor in economics.
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, John Eggenberger, is the senior Service Brands veteran on the ProTect Painters team with more than 15 years experience in franchise support and software development. In addition to his operational role, he is a team leader in software implementation, partnering with new owners in Right Start, and running the training program. John first worked on the Molly Maid brand and then helped launch Mr. Handyman—at one time owning his own Mr. Handyman franchise. He became vice president of operations and worked to develop commercial accounts. When SBI acquired ProTect Painters, John was once again given the responsibility to help launch the brand. He has regular GSR—goal, set and review—calls with owners to support their business practices. John earned a business degree from Eastern Michigan University.
INTERACTIVE MARKETING DIRECTOR, Brandi Kloostra, has over 12 years of experience in both interactive and traditional marketing focused on driving website and Internet customer lead generation tactics in both retail and business-to-business environments. She is an expert with Google AdWords, search engine marketing, and social networking. Brandi is in charge of developing online customer experiences, while using her expertise for monitoring web-based performance and implementing program improvements. She also manages the deployment of innovative technologies (e.g., blogs, podcasts, forums, etc.) to support business objective and to assist owners with their paid search campaigns.
VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGY AND SPECIAL PROJECTS, Ted Kennedy, is the brand’s architect of information systems helping ProTect Painters owners manage more efficiently and effectively. He has also developed software that the SBI Home Office uses to manage franchisee relationships and back-office procedures. He and his team received two Windows World Open Awards from Microsoft for the best Windows-based custom software solutions. He has been a frequent speaker and has authored several articles on emerging technology for the International Franchise Association. Ted earned an undergraduate engineering degree and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Before joining SBI, he specialized in software development for several years.
FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, Holly Owens, earns franchise candidates trust because of her natural gifts for listening and empathy, and her focus on helping entrepreneurs achieve their personal and business goals. “I’m a curious person, and I love to hear people’s stories.” She honed her consultative selling skills as franchise development re-sale manager for Service Brands mainstays Molly Maid and Mr. Handyman. Holly spent 18 years in corporate sales working for Warner Communications, MCI, and Sprint. An avid reader and animal lover, she has a kind word for everyone and a caring heart that enlivens those she meets. Holly graduated from Florida State University with a degree in mass communications.