Franchises use their combined strength to prevail in economy

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By Thomas Gnau, Staff Writer 9:08 PM Thursday, September 16, 2010

CENTERVILLE — Kris and Tom Bellin, former owners of the Handle With Care Packaging franchise at 7999-C Clyo Road, have shipped World War II-era machine guns, motorcycles, an (empty) turn-of-the-century coffin and CARE packages.

The Bellins have carefully crated grandfather clocks, racing boats, one of Admiral Richard Byrd’s flight suits, moose antlers and household furniture to Alaska.

“There is nothing people won’t ship,” said Dan O’Neil, who is taking over the franchise with his wife, Sharon.

U.S. Census numbers released last week show that more than 10 percent of businesses with employees are franchises.

Alisa Harrison, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based International Franchise Alliance, said the group estimates that in 2008 there were about 900,000 franchises with over 21 million workers providing $2.3 trillion in economic activity. These franchises “cross over about 100 different business categories,” Harrison said.

In a print advertising campaign in Washington, D.C., the alliance features a Centerville entrepreneur, Pat Luers, of BrightStar Healthcare on Success Lane. The franchise offers in-home medical and non-medical care and staffing for nursing homes, flu clinics and other health care concerns. The Centerville office opened in August 2009 and has about 60 employees, said co-owner Kelly Luers.

Luers said any business — franchise or otherwise — still has to make it in its own market.

“Just because you’re part of a franchise doesn’t mean you don’t eat, live or breathe (the business),” Luers said.

Franchises  by the number

Franchises made up  10.5 percent of businesses with paid employees.

Of the 4.3 million total establishments surveyed by the Census, 453,326 were either franchisee or franchisor-owned businesses.

Among franchises, 77.4 percent of the establishments were franchisee-owned, accounting for $1.1 trillion in sales, $125.1 billion in annual payroll and employing nearly 6.3 million workers.

Source: The 2007 Economic Census Franchise Statistics (released September 2010)

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