Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2011 | Page 14

Grow Market Lead

By Debbie Selinsky

CEO
profile: Paying It Forward
Mentors have played a huge role in John Rotche’s life

I

n 1985, after committing to play
for the powerhouse University of
Michigan Wolverines, high school
football senior John Rotche suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury
that left him a quadriplegic. Although
the prognosis from the doctors was
bleak at best, many weeks later Rotche
regained full movement and was able to
walk out of the hospital, with doctor’s
orders to avoid contact sports.
Recognizing his potential, legendary
Coach Bo Schembechler named Rotche
a member of his coaching staff, making
him one of the youngest coaches in the
NCAA. When Rotche graduated, he left
Name: John Rotche
Title: President
Company: Belfor Franchise Group
Brands: Ductz (130 units), Hoodz (140
units)
Age: 43
Family: Wife Amy, children Payton, 10,
and Quinn, 8
Years in franchising: 20

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with a degree in sports management, a
Rose Bowl ring, and a life-altering philosophy on inspirational leadership. He
believes sports has helped shape him
into the leader he is today.
In 2002, Rotche, who began his franchising career with executive posts at
Domino’s Pizza and Krispy Kreme,
bought a one-van duct cleaning company. Though he started out as a “passive” investor, his realization that duct
cleaning could greatly improve indoor
air quality for young children led him to
leave his job at Krispy Kreme to grow
Ductz. In 2007, he sold his growing
company to Birmingham, Mich.-based
Belfor, the world’s largest property restoration company, and agreed to stay
on as president and form the Belfor
Franchise Group.
Two years later, Belfor launched
Ductz’s sister company, Hoodz. “In
2009, we recognized an opportunity that
was synergistic with Ductz that would
allow us to leverage our core competencies within the service sector. Like
duct cleaning, kitchen hood cleaning for
restaurants was a fragmented industry,”

says Rotche.
It took Ductz about four years to
exceed 100 franchise units, making it
one of the country’s fastest-growing
franchises. It took Hoodz only seven
months to hit that number. Rotche attributes the success of both brands to
its franchisees and staff.
Following his philosophy on building
a strong company culture, Rotche spearheaded the creation of a 20,000-squarefoot franchise facility in Ann Arbor,
Mich. The facility includes corporate
office space, a two-story house inside
the building used for training Ductz
franchisees, and a commercial kitchen
used to train Hoodz franchisees. The
space also houses a workout facility, a
gourmet kitchen, locker rooms, and
multiple coffee bars.
Rotche, who also spearheaded the
IFA’s Franship mentoring program and
the MBiz mentoring program for University of Michigan student athletes,
says he is grateful for the opportunity
to give back. “I believe the two greatest
moments in your life are the day you
are born and the day you understand
why. Many of my own mentors helped
to shape who I am today, so paying it
forward is just the right thing to do.”
Leadership
What is your role as president? My

job is to set the bar for integrity, accountability, and culture for our entire
system so as to create an environment
for people to succeed.
Describe your leadership style: I

believe very strongly in inspirational
leadership backed by accountability.
What has inspired your leadership
style? Mentors like Bo Schembechler,

the former and legendary Michigan football coach who taught me how to be an
inspirational leader and not to settle for