Men In Kilts Window Cleaning Wins Top Award

Men In Kilts CEO, Tressa Wood, wins the prestigious Business In Vancouver 40 Under 40 Award for 2012.

Men In Kilts CEO, Tressa Wood, wins the prestigious Business In Vancouver 40 Under 40 Award for 2012: Men In Kilts, a franchised window and exterior cleaning company, officially announced that CEO Tressa Wood has been awarded the prestigious Business In Vancouver 40 Under 40 Award. Men In Kilts is Canada’s largest window cleaning company and is expanding fast into the US, with plans to be in every major market by 2017.

The Business In Vancouver 40 Under 40 Award is presented annually, and highlights the achievement of BC's outstanding entrepreneurs, executives, managers and professionals in public or private business and non-profit sectors. “It’s fantastic to be recognized by the local business community in any fashion, but to win the BIV Top 40 Under 40 award is an honor,” says Wood. Before becoming CEO of Men In Kilts, Wood was VP of Operations for the highly successful 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchise. While part of the senior leadership team at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? revenue grew from $10 million to over $130 million in a five-year period.

“I can’t think of a more deserving recipient… I have the opportunity to witness her exemplary leadership on a daily basis. Tressa manages to keep her family top priority and maintain the diligence and focus needed to lead the Men In Kilts franchise system across North America,” says Brent Hohlweg, Co-Founder & Chief Brand Architect of Men In Kilts who nominated Wood, along with Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?.

While honored to win the 40 Under 40 Award, Wood says she is most proud of her family and finding balance between the two roles. Becoming a mother hasn’t lessened Wood’s drive and ambition. “I see even more potential at Men In Kilts. The opportunity and the vision for this brand are massive. We currently have ten franchises across Canada and the United States and plans to add 20 to 30 more in 2013,” says Wood.

About Business In Vancouver 40 Under 40 Award - The Business In Vancouver 40 Under 40 Award is sponsored by Audi, CGA, EO Vancouver, Fasken Martineau, BCIT, CBC, Clark’s Audio Visual, and TEC Canada. The event consists of a panel of judges that first and foremost look at an individual's professional success. They are also interested in knowing about their education, community service, as well as participation in industry and business associations and other accolades and awards. They look for a cross-section of impressive people from a wide range of industries who are ahead of their time for their age. They’ve progressed up the ranks of their company or industry or have built their own company and demonstrated professional success and responsibility at a relatively young age.

About Men In Kilts: Men In Kilts was started in 2002 by Nicholas Brand with $500, a squeegee and a hand-sewn kilt. The company offers professional window cleaning, gutter cleaning, siding cleaning and pressure washing services to both commercial and residential customers. The first franchise was opened in 2010 in Vancouver, with Fraser Valley and Seattle soon to follow. Calgary, Victoria, Philadelphia and New Jersey opened in 2012, with Toronto and Edmonton scheduled to open shortly. The company expects a 300 percent increase in revenue in 2012. 

More blogs on Men in Kilts here.

Standing out from the rest of the pack isn’t easy, but for Nicholas Brand, the founder of window washing company Men in Kilts, the uniform does most of the work for him.

Window Cleaning Is Height Of Fashion

Peter Waterfield washes windows in his kilt on Oxford Street, near Cook Street Village, Wednesday.

Window cleaning is height of fashion - Victoria goes crazy for Men In Kilts: Peter Waterfield puts on his kilt just like everybody else in the morning - both legs at once. Then he pulls up his socks and laces his boots, straps on a tool belt bristling with little mops and squeegees, and climbs ladders all day. Waterfield isn't your typical window washer.

And Men In Kilts isn't your run-of-the-mill window-washing company. "The air-conditioning is great . . . but there's no peeking," jokes Waterfield, who runs the first Island franchise for Vancouver based Men In Kilts Window Cleaning. Since launching a week ago, Waterfield has been run off his feet.

His tartan-clad van has caught a lot of attention and so has his green kilt as he scrambles up and down ladders washing windows of houses in Fairfield. He's generating business by being out there and through referrals and flyer drops in neighbourhoods.

And he's in the process of hiring staff to take on the burgeoning work orders. "I knew it was a great idea when we first saw them working in Vancouver a few years ago," said Waterfield as he washed the windows of an Oxford Street home Wednesday. "People see a lot of tradition, history and work ethic associated with the kilt, and that's what the company represents. We do a good job and we guarantee customer satisfaction."

Men In Kilts was launched 10 years ago by second-generation Scot Nicholas Brand in Vancouver. With just $500, a squeegee and a rusted-out Honda, Brand adorned his hand-sewn kilt and started washing windows. He brought partner Brent Hohlweg aboard in 2006 and, three years later, added Tressa Wood, who was one of the top three executives who made 1-800 Got Junk into one of the fastest growing franchises in North America.

Over the past two years, Men In Kilts merged with Calgary-based Window Works and added franchises in Seattle, Edmonton and the Fraser Valley. Waterfield's franchise gives the group seven and Hohlweg says it is on track to add 30 more in 2013, with a longer-term goal of a presence in every major metro centre in North America by 2017. Hohlweg said the seven franchises so far are on track for $4 million in sales this year, a 300 per cent growth curve from 2011.

Much of the growth is predicted in Greater Victoria. "It's been an over-the-top response so far from Victoria - more than any other franchise so far," said Hohlweg. "The people have just really responded to it." "We are definitely not an overnight success story . . .

We've been at the franchising side of things for two and a half years, and started the original location 10 years ago. We persevered through all the challenges that come with starting a business, and, even more daunting, a franchising business. "But we built a franchise organization during a recession, while competitors were standing still."

Waterfield, 49, an army brat who grew up on bases on the East Coast and has Scottish roots on his mother's side, was a former technology professional specializing in medical security systems, but had been laid off due to cutbacks. He revels in his new business because it allows him to mingle with people every day. He says there is "great satisfaction" in doing good work. "I'm a people person, so this is perfect for me," said Waterfield.

His partner, Duff Gardner, a technology consultant, said the kilt image grabs attention, but the quality of the work will make the franchise a success. "There's more than enough people going around cleaning windows," said Gardner. "This is about quality first. And if you can be happy and fun while doing a good job, that's what helps us stand out."

The company also offers power washing for houses and decks, as well as gutter cleaning using environmentally friendly products. Jack deMacedo, who hired Waterfield to clean his windows, was impressed with the thorough job and the fact that the company is bonded with insurance.

A workman's kilt is nothing new. Steve Aston, who owns Freedom Kilts in Fernwood, has been manufacturing the Scottish garb for more than a decade and is one of the biggest suppliers of kilts in the country. The kilt is a symbol of work-ethic and trust that has spread from the battlefield to formal occasions and into the workforce, he said. His cargo kilts, made from heavy canvas, are some of his bestsellers as construction workers and others in the trades covet their image and mobility. Kilts not only attract attention but give the wearer a sense of pride and confidence, Aston said.

"It's the power of the kilt - swish plus swagger equals swoon," says Aston. "You walk taller, you feel confident and you do a better job. That's the kilt."

Window Cleaners, Men In Kilts Joins Forces With Window Works

Men In Kilts has announced today - on National Tartan Day – they’ve joined forces with Window Works, a multi-million dollar window-cleaning company. Click to enlarge.

Tartan Window-Cleaners Take Over Canada and Set Sights on US: Men In Kilts has announced today - on National Tartan Day – they’ve joined forces with Window Works, a multi-million dollar window-cleaning company. The new partnership solidifies Men In Kilts’ position as Canada’s largest window-cleaning company. Chris and Robyn Carrier started Alberta-based Window Works in 1992. In early 2011 they started researching growth opportunities, and reached out to Vancouver-based window cleaning franchise, Men In Kilts. In January 2012, with paperwork signed, they took the entire Alberta territory of the Men In Kilts franchise system.

“Our existing model was extremely successful,” says Chris Carrier, “but we were looking for the opportunity to seriously take our business to the next level. The Men In Kilts brand is so memorable and fun, we knew right away we wanted to be a part of it. I see a great opportunity here, and I’m excited to be part of building Men In Kilts into the next big brand.” Men In Kilts’ first franchise opened in 2010 and now operates in Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Seattle, Victoria, and the Calgary window cleaning franchise opened its doors on, April 2, with Edmonton to follow shortly.

Men In Kilts CEO, and former VP of North American Operations at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Tressa Wood is heading up franchise development. She is driving the tartan crew to be in every major US and Canadian metro by 2017. “We’re building a national brand that people are starting to recognize, it’s definitely a really fun and memorable business.” says Wood. “ I’m so proud of the solid business systems our team has built. We’ve got a fantastic business model, combined with an outstanding brand and professional customer service.” When asked if he minds wearing the kilt in the cooler weather, Carrier laughs, “Not at all. That’s what long socks are for. Just remember… No Peeking!”

About Men In Kilts: Men In Kilts was started in 2002 by Nicholas Brand with $500, a squeegee, and a hand-sewn kilt. The first franchise was opened in 2010 in Vancouver, B.C., with Fraser Valley, B.C., and Seattle, Wash., soon to follow. Men In Kilts’ commercial and residential services include:

•     window cleaning
•     gutter cleaning
•     pressure washing
•     exterior building cleaning
•     snow removal services will be available in colder markets later this year

Men In Kilts plans for fast expansion into all major cities across North America, including Toronto, San Francisco, LA, and Denver. The company projects a 300 percent increase in system-wide revenue in 2012. Also see here, here & here.

Window Cleaners Without Pants

Want to work for Tressa Wood? Get your kilt on.

A Window Washer Puts Workers in Kilts to Skirt Competition and Build Its Brand: A unique cleaning franchise recently expanded to the U.S. from Vancouver, British Columbia, via Scotland. It's a notion all of us have had at one time or another: Looking up at a window washer, the clean glass glinting in the sun, we've thought, "The only thing missing from this scene is a kilt." OK, so maybe that thought only crossed the mind of Nicholas Brand, a second-generation Scotsman in Richmond, British Columbia, who took the idea and ran with it.

In 2002, after a night of spitballing business concepts with friends (and perhaps downing a pint or two), Brand began cleaning windows in the Vancouver area clad in a black golf shirt, steel-toed boots, knee-high socks and the tartan of the Wallace clan, hand-stitched by his wife. The bizarre concept took hold, and by 2006 he had brought on board business partner Brent Hohlweg, who helped push the window cleaning, pressure washing and gutter cleaning service over the $1 million threshold.

But Brand wasn't content to limit the idea to the Vancouver area, so in 2009, Tressa Wood, a former executive with 1-800-Got-Junk? and 1-800-Plumber, joined the company as CEO and partner to get the kilted ones ready for franchising. Men In Kilts made its American debut in April, opening its first stateside franchise in Seattle. Next it will target Portland, Ore., San Francisco, Los Angeles and all other major cities in the U.S. and Canada. We caught up with Wood, who gave us a little peek at what's under the kilt. (For the record, it's usually shorts, or black leggings in cold weather.) 

We're guessing this isn't for everyone.

The kilt is mandatory, and the guys have to be comfortable with the amount of attention they get. They go to Starbucks in their kilts and people laugh. We're in growth mode, so we need people ready to dig in, who want to have fun but work hard. If you're really shy and don't want people laughing and pointing and staring, this isn't a good fit. You need to be able to rock the kilt.

Why window washing? Why not plumbers in kilts?

In Canada, there's no national window-cleaning brand. In the United States there are one or two others, but they don't have the same service offering. There's definitely an opportunity here on the business side. Some people see our kilts and it resonates. Other people are like, "What, is that for real?" Some can't get enough of it.

What do you do when it's cold out?

We have to look at regional opportunities in colder weather areas. We may look at snow removal or painting. One of the great things about our brand name is that it's sort of generic. We can add revenue streams as needed. There's definitely an opportunity to regionalize services as we grow.

How do you advertise?

We haven't done much advertising. Mainly, people have been approaching us. Our business is so funny and different, it makes people laugh. These days, it's hard to be a brand and not do anything and still make people smile. It's really unique, almost viral. We've gotten lots of franchising inquiries and haven't done anything.

Have you thought about international expansion?

We thought about the United Kingdom and Scotland, but wondered if it would be a big deal. I'm sure there are lots of people over there cleaning windows wearing kilts.

See previous blogs on Men in Kilts here, here & here.

Business Unusual: Work That Skirt! Steven Villegas fancied a man-skirt. Turns out he wasn't the only one. In the beginning, there was the notion of just a single washable kilt. A loose, comfortable garment that, Steven Villegas says, "I could walk around naked in." And because you couldn't just go out and buy a man-skirt in those days, Villegas made one. And when he saw how nicely it fit him, he wore the kilt to a Seattle nightclub. At the door a bouncer asked, "Where can I get one of those?" And before he even got into the party, it occurred to Villegas: It's a ballsy step, wearing a dress. Like Braveheart, only more so.

Next, Villegas--who likes to be called Krash--scavenged up $1,500 for an office, sewing machine, computer, internet service and fabric. He named his man-skirt the Utilikilt, and soon enough, there was a Utilikilts store in Seattle's Fremont Street Market, a Utilikilts website and Utilikilts across the West Coast and around the world. Incredibly, this year, Krash sold his 100,000th man-kilt since he introduced them in 2000. A fervent constituency has supported the brand's "Original" kilt (even now priced at $150, "the overlapping apron allows you to unsnap the waistband snaps without exposing any curious bits"). Krash's kilts win converts through an ingenious network of snaps that offer an adjustable comfort that Utilikilt fans swear has no parallel.

From the cotton "Original" have come models made of lightweight nylon, leather, duck cloth and black gabardine. And though the bulk of Utilikilt's orders come from warm-weather climes, the network of fans has fanned across all time zones, allowing the practical-minded "Workman" kilt ($230) and the upscale "Tuxedo" ($566) to brazenly coexist. Krash calls his venture equal parts business and social movement. Most famously, disgraced Survivor winner Richard Hatch has worn the brand, but one might also spot one of Krash's kilts among groomsmen at an offbeat wedding, or maybe on the streets of Prague--15 percent of all Utilikilts are sold in Europe. Men from all walks of life, it turns out, are itching to lose their trousers.