Based in Crystal Lake, Illinois, since 1978, Arrow Septic and Sewer was still a fledgling company when Mark Christ bought it from his brother in 1988. Because the employee base of Arrow Septic and Sewer, consisted only of Mark, one other service technician and a secretary, the company experienced a constant backlog of customer calls.

In 1994, Mark asked his wife, Kathie, to join the company as its office manager. "After Kathie came on board, we became more organized and I had more time to do service calls, but most importantly, it made us both realize that there had to be a better way to run our operation," Mark said.

While attending the 2000 Pumper and Cleaner Environmental Expo, in Nashville, Tennessee, Kathie picked up some literature regarding the A-CORP agent program and the expansion of the ROOTER-MAN franchise system. Kathie and Mark then called Donald MacDonald, CEO of A-Corp and ROOTER-MAN to find out more information. "What impressed us the most when we spoke to Donald was that he is big on customer service, and unlike other franchisors, he wasn't just into to making money the easy way. Basically, I immediately liked his ethics," Mark said.

But if their business was already up and running with a two to three week waiting list for their customers, why did Kathie and Mark Christ join ROOTER-MAN? "Because even though I'm good at doing septic and sewer work, that doesn't mean I understand how to run my own business. You have to be wear a lot of different hats to be a business owner and I knew that we needed help. We learned the hard way that other people's advice doesn't always work for you, so we went to ROOTER-MAN to tap into their 30-years of experience," Mark explained. "We just got tired of burning our own wheels for nothing and decided instead to go with an organization that had a proven track record of success," Kathie added.

Mark and Kathie, clearly seeking help for an already existing company, said they got much more from ROOTER-MAN than they ever expected. After the contract was signed, Donald MacDonald and his Training Consultant, Gene Dundey, spent two days at their Illinois facility, and assisted them with setting up the A-Soft software program including training their personnel. "Prior to joining ROOTER-MAN, we used one notebook to schedule our service calls and we had a problem with how we answered the telephone. Donald and Gene corrected those problems by setting up our dispatch board and teaching our dispatcher to do more than just answer the customer's questions," Kathie said. "Then our revenue increased by 80%." Mark added.

Mark said what he appreciated the most is the inspiring ROOTER-MAN newsletter via e-mail that helps him boost employee moral. "I especially like the articles that deal with how to keep customers satisfied and how much mistakes can cost your company." Mark said. "Donald's enthusiasm is contagious and now our business is really pumped!" Kathie added.

The Christs decided to "double brand" and now they maintain Arrow Septic and Sewer Company as a separate business while also promoting the newer ROOTER-MAN name to further expand their customer base. "I received a triple benefit because I've used the ROOTER-MAN system to make Arrow Septic and Sewer a better company, I have a successful ROOTER-MAN franchise and I am also an A-CORP agent. By being an agent, I not only received a 35% discount on my franchise, I also have two prospective franchisees in my territory waiting for me to decide who will be awarded the ROOTER-MAN franchise. Can you believe that all of this has happened in the last twelve months?" Mark said.

By using the ROOTER-MAN promotional package such as newspaper and yellow page advertisements, and their FREE home page listing linked to www.Rooterman.com, the Christs are guaranteed success. When asked if there was any advice for their colleagues, Kathie said, "Just remember if you try to do everything yourself, if you don't do it right, everybody loses, but if you are part of a winning team, everybody wins."