We Do Lines featured on lawnandlandscape.com

We Do Lines was recently featured on lawnandlandscape.com in an article titled, "The Franchise 5: Chris Couri". The article focuses on the We Do Lines inception story and their franchise opportunities. Chris talks about the franchise in general, provides franchise costs and fees, and offers expertise about the franchise industry. Click here to read the entire article.

The Franchise 5: Chris Couri
By: Brian Horn

When landscapers Chris Couri and his partners Tom Darrow and Dan Rella started We Do Lines in 2008 in Ridgefield, Conn., the trio knew they were onto something good. They wanted to gain a first-to-market advantage in an industry in order to be the nation’s premier provider of that service. As far as they were concerned, there wasn’t a standout parking lot striping company, which is where the company and eventual franchise idea was born.

“We knew we could do better and improve upon that,” Couri says, adding it costs $25,000 for the franchise fee and an overall investment of $75,000-$113,000 to start a We Do Lines franchise.

“We also noticed there was no brand, so it felt like a company with brand recognition could really stand out in this industry.”

While serving as both a franchisor and franchisee for the company and still operating their landscaping company, Young’s Landscaping, the group has 11 We Do Lines franchises in operation as of February.

(Read More)

We Do Lines featured in Entrepreneur Magazine

The nation’s first ever parking lot line striping franchise debuted in Entrepreneur Magazine this month. The article is titled “All Lined Up and In The Paint,” and written by Entrepreneur reporter Jason Daley. Entrepreneur interviewed all three co-founders of We Do Lines Chris Couri, Dan Rella and Tom Darrow to catch up with them about tapping into a $1 billion underserved industry, their current growth and future expansion plans as well as becoming a national franchise with opportunities for development all across the U.S. With 50 million parking spaces out there, someone needs to do the job! Check out the article here!

All Lined Up and In the Paint
Three landscapers go from lawns to lanes, forging new ground in the $1 billion business of parking lot striping.
By Jason Daley

There are roughly 50 million parking spaces in the United States, and by law many of them have to get a fresh coat of reflective paint every year or two. You would think re-striping would be easy, but back in 2008, Chris Couri, Daniel Rella and Tom Darrow, who all owned landscaping businesses around Richfield, Conn., found themselves in a bind.

"Danny called around to 13 guys to stripe our parking lot, and only two called back," says Couri, CEO of We Do Lines. "We realized the parking lot striping industry was underdeveloped, and didn't have any real standards."

(Read More)

We Do Lines featured in Newsday

Newsday has published an article called “Parking-line painters expand in LI,” which focuses on Long Island’s newest parking lot line stripers, Skip Barrett and Rob Schlosser of We Do Lines, Long Island. Skip describes how he became involved with We Do Lines from a corporate perspective and then turned franchisee all while still managing franchise development for the brand. Check out the article here.

Parking-line painters expand into LI
By JAMES BERNSTEIN

Three entrepreneurs have proved that just about anything can be made into a business, including painting those ubiquitous white lines in parking lots.
We Do Lines, a Ridgefield, Conn.-based franchiser that began only two years ago and boasts customers from Maine to Florida in its first year, is expanding to Long Island.

Skip Barrett and Rob Schlosser, both of Huntington, are the company's franchisees for Long Island and Westchester County. Barrett was We Do Lines' franchise development director before taking up some territory himself. The Island, Barrett said, is perfect for the business.

Sometimes, he said, Long Island seems like one long parking lot. The shopping malls, businesses, schools, and municipal buildings all have lots, and the spaces need to be maintained. There are also guidelines required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Airports too need lines.

(Read More)

Franchisee Profile: Bob Russo, Tim Hastings, & Leon St. Jean - franchisees in Connecticut and Southwest Florida

Franchisees Since: March 2010
Franchise Locations: Connecticut; Southwest Florida

How Tim Bob, Tim, and Leon Got Started With We Do Lines…
Bob, Tim and Leon are all lifelong residents of Ridgefield, CT and had seen several articles in local newspapers about We Do Lines and the franchise opportunity. The three friends came together and realized they had a great opportunity in front of them with We Do Lines and began researching more in depth the business opportunity. After speaking with the We Do Lines team, Bob, Tim and Leon knew this was the business they wanted to become part of. Together they are part of a development deal and have taken over five territories, including the state of Connecticut and Southwest Florida, which includes Port Charlotte, Venice and Greater Orlando.

What Intrigued Bob, Tim and Leon about We Do Lines…
With combined experience in commercial construction, manufacturing and sales, Bob, Tim and Leon had seen the We Do Lines proposition of an untapped market hold true across the state of Connecticut, as well as through Southwest Florida. Bob, Tim and Leon saw the growth potential of We Do Lines throughout the state of Connecticut and Southwest Florida and with the support of the We Do Lines corporate team, together Bob, Tim and Leon are able to exclusively concentrate on interacting with customers and gaining new clients.

Something Interesting About Bob, Tim, and Leon’s Story…
All lifetime Connecticut residents, Bob and Tim have been friends since elementary school, and Leon was Tim’s college roommate. The three business partners have great business experience to help make their new We Do Lines business successful and profitable. Bob has extensive experience in sales and marketing within the commercial construction industry. Tim has a strong background in sales as well and is part owner of a mortgage company in Ridgefield. Leon is an experienced entrepreneur having owned his own mortgage bank in Connecticut, as well as partners in a mortgage bank throughout 18 states. Additionally, he also has experience and knowledge in computer logistics and manufacturing.

Bob is married to his wife Pamela and together they have two children, both who are very excited to be working part time for their dad throughout the summer. Leon is married with three children. His daughter is five years old and his twin boys are three years old. Tim has three children.

Where Specifically Did Bob, Tim and Leon Learn About We Do Lines?
Tim was reading the Danbury News Times article about We Do Lines and presented the idea to his friend Bob. They came together with one of Bob’s college friends, Leon, and realized they had a great opportunity to grow and expand as business owners together.

Franchisees Buy Entire State of Connecticut; Turning We Do Lines into the First National Parking Lot Line Striping Franchise

After Successfully Proving its Methodology with Service from Maine to Florida, Connecticut-based Company Expands Statewide

RIDGEFIELD, CT – (April 22, 2010) – With over 500 million parking spaces across America, it makes one wonder who is responsible for painting all of the lines. The men behind the mask for the State of Connecticut are Bob Russo, Tim Hastings and Leon St. Jean. For the first time, Connecticut businesses will have a go-to for all of their parking striping needs, as local entrepreneurs Russo, Hastings, and St. Jean have launched We Do Lines, the first national parking lot line striping franchise, across the state of Connecticut, turning We Do Lines LLC into a viable franchise.

With over 75-years of combined business and entrepreneurial experience in commercial construction, manufacturing and sales, Russo, Hastings and St. Jean have seen the We Do Lines proposition of an untapped market hold true across the state of Connecticut, as well as through Southwest Florida. Lifelong Connecticut residents, Russo, Hastings and St. Jean have taken over five territories, including the State of Connecticut and Southwest Florida, which includes Port Charlotte, Venice and Greater Orlando.

“There are hundreds of thousands of parking lots that need to be striped. Having your businesses parking lots properly and regularly striped gives customers the best first impression. The end result for a business striping its parking lots on an annual basis reduces its liability risk,” says Russo.

We Do Lines is known for their personalized expert service, and this new expansion is no exception. Russo said that the comprehensive training and support the franchise provides has fully prepared his team for a successful launch.

Parking lot striping is one of a business’s top priorities as many establishments are required by contract and/or lease to re-stripe their parking lots every year. For the first time, Connecticut businesses from Hartford to New Haven to Fairfield can properly lay down a corporate welcome mat, clean and striped to code, which will have a multitude of advantages aside from carrying a high return on investment.

“Bob, Tim and Leon exemplify all of these characteristics,” said Chris Couri, co-founder of We Do Lines. “This team is a perfect fit for We Do Lines and we are confident that they will prove to be an asset to We Do Lines. Together they will become completely ingrained in the community, while playing a significant role in the continuous development and growth of the We Do Lines brand.”

Franchisee Spotlight: Bob Russo, Tim Hastings, Leon St. Jean

Each week we like to highlight our new franchisees to show how vast the We Do Lines team is! This week, Bob Russo, Tim Hastings and Leon St. Jean are our spotlight franchisees.

Franchisee Since: March 2010
Franchisee Territory: State of Connecticut; Southwest Florida

How Bob, Tim, and Leon Got Started With We Do Lines…
Bob, Tim and Leon are all lifelong residents of Connecticut and had seen several articles in local newspapers about We Do Lines and the franchise opportunity which piqued their curiosity. In turn, the three began researching more in depth the business opportunity We Do Lines had to offer. After speaking with the We Do Lines team, Bob, Tim and Leon knew this was the business they wanted to become a part. From their research, they found that the parking lot line striping industry was fragmented and could benefit from a business that solely focused on line striping. Together, they have taken on the task of developing five territories, which include the state of Connecticut and Southwest Florida, from Port Charlotte to Venice and Greater Orlando.

What Intrigued Bob, Tim and Leon about We Do Lines…
With over 75 years of combined experience in commercial construction, manufacturing and sales, Bob, Tim and Leon had seen the We Do Lines proposition of an untapped market and the growth potential hold true across the state of Connecticut and throughout Southwest Florida. With the full support of the We Do Lines corporate team, including training, marketing, billing and a customer call center, together Bob, Tim and Leon are able to exclusively concentrate on interacting with customers and gaining new clients.

Something Interesting About Bob, Tim, and Leon’s Story…
All lifetime Connecticut residents, Bob and Tim have been friends since elementary school, and Leon was Bob’s college roommate. Together the three entrepreneurs have an extensive background and experience in business, which is helping to provide insight towards their new We Do Lines business. Bob is a veteran of the commercial construction industry in sales and marketing, which is proving to be beneficial, especially when it comes to gaining new clients. Tim is part owner of a mortgage company in Ridgefield and with his experience in business ownership, he is able to structure We Do Lines in the best way possible. Leon is an experienced entrepreneur having owned his own mortgage bank in Connecticut, as well as partners in a mortgage bank throughout 18 states. Additionally, he also has experience and knowledge in computer logistics and manufacturing.

Bob is married to his wife Pamela and they have two children, both who are very excited to be working part time for their dad throughout the summer. Leon is married with three children. His daughter is five years old and his twin boys are three years old. Tim has three children.

Bob, Tim and Leon are all very active within their communities, participating in local events and fundraisers. They have also served on various town and charitable boards.

For more information on Bob Russo, Tim Hastings and Leon St. Jean, We Do Lines or the We Do Lines franchise opportunity please visit http://www.wedolines.com/.