Kitchen Guard Signs First Franchise Agreement

New Disruptive Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Company is Part of the EverSmith Brands' Platform of Strong & Growing Business-to-Business (B2B) Franchise Brands

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kitchen Guard®, the nation's premier commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning franchise, announced today its first signed franchise agreement, a multi-unit agreement in Denver, Colo. The new owner, Ryan Kleve, is a seasoned small business and franchise owner across multiple industries including gas stations, car washes, fast casual restaurants, and retails store. His first Kitchen Guard unit is expected to begin operation in the third quarter of 2024 as Kitchen Guard of Denver-Boulder, serving a portion of Denver Metro area including Coor's Field, downtown and the Denver International Airport, as well as the Aurora, Brighton, Boulder, and Greeley markets.

Kitchen Guard is an emerging and disruptive new B2B franchise revolutionizing the commercial kitchen exhaust and cleaning industry, an $8 billion industry with steady compounded annual growth rate.  Backed by modern and sophisticated technology, Kitchen Guard's mission is to help its customers – restaurants, sports venues, universities, hospitals, and any business with a commercial kitchen – be fire safe and compliant through professional cleaning, and repair services. Highly trained technicians ensure all community commercial kitchens remain fire safe and compliant with local, state, and federal regulations and only to the highest standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 96).

"What intrigued me most about was its recurring revenue model, the fact that it is a required service for all restaurants and any facility with a commercial kitchen. To be a part of a company on the ground floor and build something special is also really appealing," said Ryan Kleve, who has played an active role in small business management for more than 30 years.

Originally from the Denver area, Ryan worked with his father at the age of 13 after he bought his first gas station and convenience store. Through hard work and a focus on treating employees like family, he played a key role in growing their family businesses to four gas stations/convenience stores, two car washes, a liquor store and several rental properties. Ryan has partnered with trusted associate, Danielle Johnson as General Manager, who will lead the day-to-day foundational elements of the business' onboarding. Johnson was raised on a farm in Ohio where she developed a strong work ethic.  The bulk of her experience is managing small businesses mostly in the fast casual restaurant space.

"Franchising is different today than it was in the past. With all the different niches and verticals, you're getting more specialization and the support like training and marketing is much better.  You can't do all that stuff alone, especially if you want to grow and multiply it," said Kleve.  "Danielle and I want to instill the same things we learned in our experiences, and that's hard work, taking a family mentality, and taking care of your employees and clients," he said.

In the highly fragmented kitchen exhaust cleaning industry with little-to-no national competition and mandated regulations at the local and federal level for ventilation cleaning, Kitchen Guard is poised for tremendous growth in its first full year of franchising.  Kitchen Guard is one of several franchised brands held by EverSmith Brands, a platform company focused in the B2B Commercial Facilities sector backed by The Riverside Company.  In 2024, the company aims to add at least 20 franchised units across the country.

"It is truly a special day for Kitchen Guard, EverSmith Brands, and Ryan's family," said Stephen Schiller, Chief Growth Officer at EverSmith Brands. "Every great franchise or brand worldwide started with one.  And now we have our first one and we could not be more excited and ready to dive in," he said.

As the first franchisee, Ryan and Danielle are excited to get out there and sell.  "We're just really excited and honored to be the first franchise.  We're ready to get out there, create customers for life, and grow quickly," he said.  "We're confident that given this model and their commitment to customer service excellence, coupled with our business experience and existing contacts with our network, we're going to be successful.  You won't be disappointed!"

About Kitchen Guard®

Founded in 2009 in San Diego, California by Nathan Leathers, Kitchen Guard (formerly Green Guard Services) is a disruptive new B2B franchise revolutionizing the commercial kitchen exhaust and cleaning industry. In 2023, The Riverside Company, a global private investor, acquired Kitchen Guard to add to its B2B portfolio managed by EverSmith Brands. Kitchen Guard offers a variety of professional services from full kitchen exhaust/hood cleaning services to a recurring-revenue filter exchange program, consultation, technical repairs, and other cleaning services to help protect its customers' capital investments. For more information about the franchise opportunity, please visit KitchenGuardFranchise.com.

Media Contact: B. Quick Chadwick, Sr. Director of Marketing, EverSmith Brands, [email protected], 678-637-5552

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SOURCE Kitchen Guard