U.S. Iraq Veteran Joins Five Star Painting Ranks

SPRINGVILLE, UT, October 09, 2010

After nine years in active duty, Michael Leonard has already adjusted to civilian life. Now he's breaching boundaries into entrepreneurship. Five Star Painting, one of the fastest-growing painting franchise companies in the world, welcomes former U.S. solider Michael Leonard of Indianapolis, Ind. as their newest Five Star Painting franchisee. Leonard will provide services to customers in the NE Indianapolis area.

Michael Leonard spent 13 months deployed in Iraq as a combat medic in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. Since then he has continued service working as a health care recruiter for the Army.

With nine years of active duty and military training under his belt and on his way to earning his Bachelor's of Business Administration , Leonard has the leadership and experience to stay motivated and keep others motivated. His greatest inspiration is his family. "I have a six-month-old daughter that I wish to build a great future for," he says.

Leonard has always wanted to be his own boss and saw owning his own business as a natural choice. He even tried it on his own for a short while, but quickly realized he was not prepared to handle the burdens of starting a business from scratch. He began investigating franchise opportunities as a means of taking control of his future so that his success would be dependent on his work. "In other careers, you could work your hardest and in the larger picture all your hard work and dedication goes unnoticed or overlooked."

Leonard was ultimately drawn to Five Star Painting because of the support the corporate office gives to its business owners. "There is so much marketing, web support, branding, and even a call center that has been set up for me. All the little things that would have taken me years to accomplish on my own."
Scott Abbott, C.E.O of Five Star Franchising, expressed confidence in Leonard's ability to succeed in the business. "Mike has a lot of sales and recruiting experience that will make him very successful with his new Five Star Franchise. We're excited to see how this soldier performs in the Indianapolis territory."

Formed in 2001 and franchising since 2005, Utah-based Five Star Painting Inc. has grown to more than 70 franchises in North America, with operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Five Star Painting offers its franchisees access to software, a 24/7 call center, marketing, training and management support. Five Star Painting Customers receive a Five Star job without a five star price. As one of the fastest-growing franchises in the service industry, Five Star Painting works with industry leaders to deliver business opportunities to entrepreneurs committed to a high level of customer service.