Press Release

Our Franchisees of the Year display the very best business acumen, family focus and dedication to clients

Curious about what you can achieve as a DreamMaker® Bath and Kitchen remodeling franchise owner? Have a look at our Franchisees of the Year, Bob Ender and Lee Willwerth of DreamMaker Ann Arbor. In their industry-award-winning remodeling franchise, they’ve achieved strong margins and quality of life while providing award-winning service to clients, and we’re proud to call them a part of the DreamMaker family.

Strong margins, quality of life for remodeling franchise owners

DreamMaker wasn’t always in the plans, but once they started exploring our home improvement franchise opportunity, Willwerth and Ender felt it would be the right fit.

“DreamMaker found us at a remodeling show and speaking with them, we just felt that this was something we were being led to do,” says Willwerth. “It fit with the way we thought about things. We had some construction and remodeling background, and it made sense to partner with someone like DreamMaker who could help give us a leg up, and we really believe in the Code of Values and the culture of the company.”

Any business also needs to make money, and for the Ann Arbor team, that’s helped them provide a great quality of life for themselves and their team.

“Right from the beginning, we had two families to feed, so we had to get it up and running quickly,” says Willwerth’s wife, Brenda. “That was our mindset. We made sure we met our goals with sales and margins. It’s definitely afforded us the quality of life that we were looking for.”

“Quality of life also means being able to treat employees the way they need to be treated,” adds Lee. “We pay them well, we give them benefits, we go on outings with them. That’s very rewarding, to have a team you can treat as a family. And when you can trust your team, that gives you the ability to take time off and go on vacation, and the business will still run well while you’re gone.”
A bathroom remodel with sky-blue walls, brown cabinets with marble countertops and a separate bathtub and shower.

This year, the Ann Arbor team also won a Regional Contractor of the Year award from NARI and a client-satisfaction award from GuildQuality.

Becoming part of a franchise family

That family extends from their own franchise team throughout the entire DreamMaker system. Joining DreamMaker means having access to a national network of talented, hard-working inpiduals whose advice and support can help you get even more out of your business.

“The systems are very important, but being in the culture and the environment with the corporate staff and the other franchisees helps you learn to view the business the right way,” says Willwerth. “Connecting with people who are doing the same thing as you makes a big difference in getting you where you need to be in the business.”

Through events like our annual DreamMaker Reunion or our Next Level Groups where franchisees tour each other’s businesses, owners are a tight-knit group who are always willing to share thoughts, ideas and experiences. That’s unique in the remodeling industry; even when independent owners network with each other, they sometimes hold back to avoid giving away too much info to the competition. As part of DreamMaker, other owners are interested in your success, as well, because everyone wins when our network grows.