Bringing Sexy Back: We Do Lines Revolutionizes Parking Lot Striping Industry

After Successfully Proving its Methodology with Service from Maine to Florida, Connecticut Company Launches Franchise

RIDGEFIELD, CT – Big ideas come in all sizes. Rarely, though, do those ideas come to fruition. That is unless you are Chris Couri, Tom Darrow and Dan Rella – who collectively teamed up to put the word “sexy” into the parking lot striping industry with the launch of their franchise-brainchild We Do Lines.

“There’s not one national parking lot striping company out there. The market is completely untapped,” said Couri, President of the Ridgefield, CT-based franchise concept, noting that there are an estimated 50 million parking spaces with roughly a $1 billion parking line striping segment in the $29 billion parking lot US market. “For a service with such high demand, we have created a concept that is efficient, reliable, eco-friendly (its Proprietary Stripe Green Initiative), and socially responsible (through its “Lines for Charity program”).”

In February 2008, Couri, Darrow, and Rella, noticed that while their collective 80 years of business experience came in different industries, their match culturally paved their idea to redefine a broken and rough industry with top-tier customer service and a meticulous attention to detail. With efficient systems in place, and a very strong first location, We Do Lines plans to expand nationally with a goal of reaching the 100-unit mark within the next three years.

In a continued effort to build a solid foundation, the We Do Lines team hired franchise veteran Skip Barrett. Prior to We Do Lines, Barrett earned his stripes when he co-founded GarageTek in 2000, the world’s first garage remodeling franchise. Barrett was instrumental in all aspects of the start-up including: business model conception, creating sales training procedures, marketing strategies, franchisee recruitment, and awarding of franchises.

“I have seen a lot of franchise concepts, but none with the potential of this one, especially given the landscape of this industry,” he said. “Entrepreneurs have a real opportunity to become serious business owners within our system. Immediately upon launching the franchise opportunity last month, inquires began pouring in. As early as next year, We Do Lines plans to open 25 franchises throughout the United States.”

The untapped marketplace is the driving factor behind We Do Lines strategic growth plan. Using Connecticut (naturally, as the four partners have lived in Ridgefield their entire lives) as their initial basis for determination, the partners quickly noticed that, in general the local industry was very fragmented and underdeveloped.

“We built this business from scratch and have gotten to know each and every element involved in the successful execution of jobs from initial call to follow up survey, said Rella, We Do Lines’ CFO. “It is critical that We Do Lines remains consistent at every stage of the game.”

From Maine to Florida, We Do Lines’ flagship operation has earned a reputation of providing unsurpassed quality, professionalism and accountability. Largely stemming from its proprietary Centralized Command and Control infrastructure, designed to enhance their client’s experiences, and push toward their “Stripe Green Initiative” – as they use low V.O.C. (volatile organic compound) products when striping. The product development team is also currently testing new machinery that runs on natural resources as opposed to fossil fuels and oils.

In 2009, the flagship operation is on track to reach 150 percent increase in business, thus reaching 100 units over the next five years and securing a share of the $29 billion dollar industry is a reachable goal. With the parking lot striping industry being as fragmented as it is, We Do Lines will also entertain conversions of existing businesses.

“Our flagship operation proved to be the perfect test of our franchise. We streamlined our processes to be as efficient as possible and we’ve put all the systems and infrastructure with a priority placed on helping the franchisees begin operating confidently and quickly,” said Darrow, We Do Lines’ Operational Director.

To open a We Do Lines Franchise, would-be franchisees can expect start-up costs ranging from $77k - $134k, with the leasing of a truck and equipment taking up the bulk of costs. While most franchisors search for someone with experience in the field as the ideal candidate, We Do Lines looks for someone who isn’t only able to operate the machinery, but additionally a businessperson who understands scalability, networking, and growing a business for themselves.

“Parking lot striping is one of a business’s top priorities as many establishments require or are required by contract and/or lease to re-stripe their parking lots every year and yet no business has capitalized on this industry until now,” Couri said. “The parking lot is your corporate welcome mat. Having it properly laid out, clean and striped to code, has a multitude of advantages aside from carrying a very high return on investment on our services. Our goal is to educate our target audience on all of the benefits that We Do Lines can provide to them. We want to set the bar in the industry and communicate that to anyone having anything to do with the management or administration of any parking area.”

ABOUT WE DO LINES
Based in Ridgefield, CT, and founded in 2008 by four friends looking to revolutionize a $1 billion segment of a $29 billion industry, We Do Lines, a full-service parking lot striping franchise that provides quality, low V.O.C. and reliable line striping services in a timely and cost efficient manner. Its services make parking lots everywhere safer, more functional and cleaner, while enhancing the overall aesthetics of the property. We Do Lines accomplishes this mission by utilizing a combination of state-of-the-art technology and trained professionals to ensure a top-quality end result.