Experts in Leather, Plastic and Vinyl Restoration
Michael Wilson was born and raised in New Zealand. After leaving his home country in 1969, he spent 11 years globe trotting which included 2 years in the outback of Australia, 3 years in the Canadian Arctic and several stints of international yachting in the years in-between. In 1980 he settled in Calgary, Alberta where he married and shortly thereafter, began a construction company. He ran the construction company until 1987 when he re-aimed his entrepreneurial sights on Fibrenew and purchased the very first franchise. In 1994, he and his now late wife, Fran purchased the entire company which at the time had 19 franchises. Today, under Michael’s leadership, the company has grow to nearly 240 franchises in 5 countries and continues to expand its global reach each and every year.
BeTheBoss.ca: Tell us about the Fibrenew franchise concept.
Michael Wilson: We are a mobile operation that specializes in the restoration of damaged leather, plastic and vinyl. What makes us unique is that we are not a reupholstery service. Our products and techniques have our technicians repair holes, cracks, fades, stains, burns, etc. on any type of leather, plastic or vinyl ‘in situ’. This means that we repair the damaged items without having to remove them. It could be on furniture in a home, office or hotel, it could be on a vehicle’s seats, armrests, dashboard or panels, it could be leather, plastic or vinyl in a boat or plane, it could be medical exam tables or gym equipment, etc. We repair it on location and at a fraction of the cost of replacement.
BTB: How and when did you become involved with Fibrenew franchise?
MW:The previous owners of the company were just starting to franchise the concept and I had recently lost my construction company because of the devastating recession that had just happened. In a round about way, I bought my franchise out of an act of desperation – and I’m sure glad I did! It turned out to be one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made. My wife and I then had the opportunity to purchase the entire company in 1994. It was shortly thereafter that we pushed hard to expand the business across Canada, into New Zealand, USA, Mexico, Australia and parts of Europe. I was the first franchisee, and today, we now have close to 250 locations in 5 countries around the world. . . click here for more of the interview!
Leather Franchise Business Opportunity 