Laid off from her role as an executive at a healthcare company in her 50’s, Filta Franchisee Keri Gardner was at a crossroads. It was November 2020, the pandemic was still fresh, and Keri thought to herself, “Do I want to continue working for someone else, or do this just for me?”
With that in mind, Keri started exploring options, especially in franchising. When Keri found Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions, she was intrigued. The Filta franchise opportunity gelled with her passion for the environment and sustainability and she used the money in her 401(k) to buy two territories on Long Island. Six months later, she was generating so much business that her husband left his job to join the burgeoning family business. Today, the power couple own 6 territories and they haven’t looked back since.
Most recently, Keri spoke to Entrepreneur Magazine about what attracted her to Filta, what she finds the most rewarding about owning her own Filta franchise business, and what she does on a regular basis as a small business owner.
When asked how she found out about Filta, this is what Keri had to say.
“I worked with a franchise coach. He asked what I was interested in, and I said the environment. I also looked at mobile dog grooming because I love dogs, but there are a lot of mobile dog groomers out there, and nobody was doing this oil filtering on Long Island.”
When asked how Filta helps the environment, Keri responded.
“Instead of just dumping oil and getting rid of it, we’re saving so many things. We’re saving on the plastic jugs. On fertilizer. On all the farming of all the soybeans. We take oil out of the fryers to be processed into biofuel, so it can be used in planes and things like that. It’s double revenue and double environmental impact.”
When asked about rolling over her 401(k), Keri had this to say.
“It was terrifying. I thought: If I don’t get another job that I deserve, and I can’t keep padding my 401(k), then it’s really not enough to retire on anyway. So why not roll the dice? I didn’t want to have loans. I wanted the first year [of the franchise] to be fully paid for, so we could jump in and run — and that’s what we did.”
To read more about Keri Gardner’s incredible journey and career transition into Filta franchise ownership, read the rest of the Entrepreneur article HERE.
To learn more about becoming a Filta franchisee and available territories, contact Rob Totten at rtotten@filta.com or visit filtafranchise.com. To learn more about Filta’s services including fryer cleaning, microfiltration, and waste oil removal/recycling, call 866-51-FILTA or visit GoFilta.com.
