HOODZ - Brad Hightdusis

Life is a journey and often our career path is too. Sometimes we go to school for one thing and end up doing something entirely different. That's actually quite common. Sometimes we take time off from our career to raise a family, take care of a sick loved one or perhaps go after a dream. Part of the actual "living" is the journey we go through to get from point A to point B, often not knowing what point B is when we started this journey. That's the journey that our entrepreneur took this month. He took some time away from his career to help raise a family and now he's a business owner. Congratulations Brad, and welcome to the world of entrepreneurship!

Brad Hightdusis

Brad Hightdudis started out his career in California as an avionics technician with the US Navy. There he specialized in component-level repairs of RADAR identification and communications systems. After the Navy, he went on to work for several companies specializing in signal processing. He even worked on classified spy systems. During his employment he was involved in 401K fund selections for his company. Brad found this quite interesting and he liked the analysis behind stock and fund selection. So he decide to take his career in a new direction and went to work for an asset management company as an assistant portfolio manager. This of course required studying and passing the appropriate license exams. He continued to utilize his technical background serving as network administrator as well as managing investment portfolios. When Brad and his wife Jennifer decided to start a family they moved to Wisconsin where Brad took on another career as a stay-at-home dad. In addition to the tasks of taking care of his family, Brad managed rental property that he and Jennifer had purchased. Eventually the kids grew up and went to school and Brad was ready to get back into the workforce. During this time, Brad's wife Jennifer lost her job with Sun Microsystems and received outplacement services. While attending one of their meetings, she learned of a franchise expo that our company was hosting in Chicago and thought Brad would be interested in attending. And, that's where Brad and I met for the first time. Brad had been looking for a job in his field with little success. Jobs were hard to come by as the economy was coming out of a recession, and the employment gap while taking care of his kids made it even that more difficult. Running his own property management business gave him insight in self-employment so he decided that he wanted to explore business ownership and the franchise expo was a perfect place to start. Brad is highly analytical in nature. He worked the franchise expo methodically. We touched base from time to time and he determined that he wanted to come back for the second day of the show to make sure he saw and learned everything he needed. We also decided to set up a time to talk, review what he learned and start his journey of discovery in finding the right business fit. Over the next few months, Brad investigated several businesses that had a technical or service focus. He wanted to maintain a flexible lifestyle, have variety and make a difference. Having the potential to making a nice living to support his family, send the kids to college and fund his retirement were also important.. This is what Brad had to say about the experience: "The approach Marty took to determine what types of businesses I would do well in was very methodical. For me it confirmed and revealed aspects of my personality that steered me to the choice I eventually made". Brad eventually chose HOODZ, a specialty service franchise that cleans cook vent hoods for restaurants. The company is owned by Belfor, the largest restoration and mitigation company in the United States. They also own DUCTZ, a franchise specializing in cleaning ductwork for heating and air conditioning. Brad liked the idea that all restaurants needed the services provided by HOODZ and that there would be repeat sales. He also appreciated the factor that restaurants had to maintain the cleaning of their vents to pass local fire codes and cleaning was also required by the restaurant's insurance company. Brad has been running his business for almost two years. He has a crew of three that are bonded and insured. Most of the work is done at night after the restaurant is closed. Sometimes his crew are the only people in the building. Being part of a national organization is a real advantage in securing new customers. Brad works on business development and supervises his workers. He has found this career path to be an unbelievable experience. In his words; "It truly is unbelievable in all aspects. Good, bad, highs, lows and all the things you need to deal with. I enjoy going into a restaurant that has a problem with their system and present them with a solution from our wide range of products and expertise." HOODZ of South Central Milwaukee, Brookfield and Elm Grove, Wisconsin is located at 6650 W. State St., Suite 125, Wauwatosa, WI. If you own a restaurant or know someone that has a restaurant in this area, call Brad at 414-431-8161 for a free inspection. He has a special camera that he can run through the vent pipes and show you before and after pictures. Some companies use quick inexpensive methods to clean the vent hoods, and you get what you pay for. HOODZ gives you visual proof that the job was done right and that the vent hoods are safe. Brad's career journey took him in several different directions and allowed him to take off time to help raise his family. Now he's in control of his future and running his own business.