Glass Doctor Partners with Ronald McDonald House Charities

Glass Doctor is proud to announce that it is supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) and their efforts to help families with children in hospitals across the United States and Canada.

The partnership is part of an initiative by five service brand concepts in The Dwyer Group® (Aire Serv®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric® and Mr. Rooter®) to provide a helping hand to Ronald McDonald House locations and the families that rely on them for support during stressful times.

Ronald McDonald House Charities is a non-profit corporation separate from the McDonald’s Corporation that creates, funds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. RMHC provides houses that are a “home away from home” for families with children being cared for at the most prestigious children’s hospitals in the world.

"Glass Doctor is a natural fit for RMHC because Glass Doctor franchises can provide in-kind services like window repair and replacement to Ronald McDonald houses in their areas," said David Kozlowski of Glass Doctor of Southeastern Wisconsin.

Glass Doctor franchises will also help support RMHC through fundraising efforts, volunteer activities and advocacy.

Glass Doctor of Abbotsford, BC Ready to Serve Southern Vancouver

The Glass Doctor of Abbotsford franchise owned by Peter Christen and Darren Cox is now open and ready to “fix your panes!” in the southern Vancouver area. Glass Doctor of Abbotsford offers mobile residential, automotive, and commercial glass services. Located at 2770 Garden St., Unit #102, the showroom and shop are open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday. Emergency service is available after regular business hours.

“We’re pleased to be a part of Glass Doctor, we know it will help us expand our business,” Christen said. “We want to introduce the Glass Doctor customer service system to Abbotsford, as well as offer Milgard Windows, which have a lifetime guarantee.”

Foggy Windows No More, Thanks to Glass Doctor

As if all the record snowfall weren’t bad enough this winter, having an Insulated Glass (IG) window fog up can run up your electric bill. The fog in the window means the seal has failed, so the window is not insulating properly and your heat is literally going right out the window.

Trudy Capel of Hiram, Ohio, shares her story about how Glass Doctor saved her IG windows and her energy bills:

Around Thanksgiving, we started looking around our home and planning out what we wanted to do to decorate home for Christmas. We noticed that as the colder weather approached, our front living room windows did not look so good anymore. They were all fogged up and had so much moisture between the panels that you couldn't even see out them. So we opened up the yellow pages and called Glass Doctor of Cleveland to come give us a quote on replacing the glass. We also called two other places.

Tammy showed up at our place in just a couple days and gave us a quote to replace the glass on all four front windows, plus four more we found that needed replaced around the house. She was very professional and thorough. She even showed us how our windows had tilt in accessibility for easier cleaning. We didn't even know that. We had two other window companies give us a quote and they were not as impressive, plus they were more expensive. The decision was easy - Glass Doctor.

So we ordered our windows, which arrived and were installed the day after we put up our Christmas tree. The installer was just as professional as Tammy. He installed all the new glass in our eight windows in just a couple of hours. My husband wasn't even late for work. When I arrived home from work later that day, I was so excited to be able to see the lights of my Christmas tree glistening thru my new front windows, just in time for the holidays. Thanks Glass Doctor.

Thank you, Trudy, for sharing your story with us. Trudy’s story is the winner in our Reflections e-mail newsletter “Help Santa” contest. She will receive a $50 gift card to Applebee’s in appreciation. To sign up for Reflections, go to http://www.glassdoctor.com/e-news.htm

Franchise Times Ranks Glass Doctor on Top Franchise Systems List

Glass Doctor is ranked No. 243 on the Franchise Times Top Franchise Systems list.

Franchise Times bases its selections on annual sales in 2008. Last year Glass Doctor reported $140 million in sales with 163 franchise units in the United States and two in Canada.

Glass Doctor expects to finish the fourth quarter of 2009 strong by adding seven U.S. franchises and four Canadian franchise locations. This year 14 new locations have opened across North America.

Established in 1962 in Seattle, Glass Doctor started franchising in 1977 with a shop in Atlanta. Today there are more than 175 Glass Doctor franchise owners.

Glass Doctor is seeking qualified franchise owners in major markets across the U.S. and Canada, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Francisco and Toronto.

Open mid-size markets include Dayton, Ohio; Duluth, Minn.; Eugene, Ore.; McAllen, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; and Wichita, Kan.

Financial assistance is available to new franchise owners, especially military veterans through The Dwyer Group VetFran program. For more information about Glass Doctor franchise opportunities, call 1-800-280-9858 or visit The Dwyer Group Web site at

www.leadingtheserviceindustry.com.

Glass Doctor Opens in Frederick, MD

The Glass Doctor® of Frederick franchise owned by Kevin and Jennifer Cuozzo is now open and ready to “fix your panes!” Glass Doctor of Frederick offers mobile residential, automotive, and commercial glass services in Frederick County and the surrounding area. The shop is open 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday. For businesses 24-hour emergency service is available.

“We’re pleased to be a part of Glass Doctor, because we know it will fit with our existing businesses,” Jennifer Cuozzo said. “We also own Doctor Tint and Details, Doctor Details Auto Salon, and A Touch of Class Limousines. Now we can add window and windshield repair and replacement to the services we can offer our current customers. Plus we can expand our customer base with services like entry door glass, custom mirrors, tabletops and storefronts.”

Glass Doctor of Frederick also will offer G12, a one-year guarantee on windshield replacement. If an OEM replacement windshield that a Glass Doctor franchise has installed is damaged or broken within 12 months of the replacement date, Glass Doctor will repair or replace the windshield glass only at no additional charge to the customer (some vehicle restrictions apply, contact Glass Doctor of Frederick for complete details).

Upon purchasing the franchise, the Cuozzos attended the most in-depth training in the glass services industry, a 10-day training course on the latest glass repair technology, customer service techniques and marketing methods held at the Glass Doctor University Training Center in Waco, Texas.

The Glass Doctor of Frederick shop is located at 575 N. East St. For more information or to schedule service, call (301) 418-6049.

Energy Efficient Replacement Window Tax Credit Helps Get Your Home Ready for Winter

With winter just around the corner now is the time to replace drafty and damaged windows with energy efficient windows. It'll save you money on your energy bills and help your home's resale value. Plus you can get your share of the federal stimulus money in the form of a tax credit when you file next year. The credit is 30% of product cost up to $1,500 per household.

What's the catch? The federal tax credit on replacement windows is good only for windows that meet a new criteria, called the "30/30" rule. It's tougher than Energy Star, and not all double-pane windows meet it.

Find out from the experts at Glass Doctor which windows qualify as energy efficient.