A Glimpse Into the “Dream Team” of Franchisees

Meet Our Guest

Mark Liston

Vice President of Operations at Glass Doctor

Mark joined Glass Doctor as the vice president of operations in April 2010.

Mark’s experience in franchising began in 1981 when he joined Kinetico Incorporated and worked with Kinetico dealers throughMike Gai started with Glass Doctor as a successful franchisee in Seattle before selling his franchise in 2010 and joining the Glass Doctor Corporate Staff in Waco, heading up the National Sales efforts. he was recognized as one of the fastest growing Glass Doctor Franchises in his seven years of operation.

Gai has been the Director of National Account Services for the past year. Before that, he owned the Glass Doctor of King & Pierce Counties franchise, the flagship shop in Seattle, Wash., for seven years. In those seven years, he grew the business from three mobile trucks to 18. Prior to that, Gai was President and CEO of A Sport, Inc., a cross-seasonal sporting goods company manufacturer and distributor. Prior to that, straight out of college, Gai was president and owner of Straight Line Watersports.

“I’m a big believer in the Glass Doctor model and system and I look forward to working with our independent franchisees to continue our growth and position as the number one truly professional, full-service glass company in North America,”Gai said. “Having been a franchisee, it’s great to bring that experience and perspective to the table when working with the corporate team and franchisees to maximize the effectiveness of our proven system.”out the world. After 18 years in the water treatment field, on both the corporate and franchise level, Mark joined Batteries Plus to lead their franchise development effort. Later, Mark joined Midas International in franchise development, where he awarded franchises throughout 27 states and western Canada.

In 2002, Mark became a member of Valpak. Initially a franchise consultant for Valpak, Mark eventually led Valpak’s franchise sales efforts and started Team One, the support group that worked with new franchisees. From there he assumed the operational responsibilities for all of the franchisees in the markets of under 150,000 households, which was 60 percent of Valpak’s network. Finally, he was named director of recruiting and was a finalist for the prestigious Stevie Award for his department’s recruiting efforts.

In 2009, Mark became the vice president of sales and marketing at Clockwork Home Service’s Success Group International before becoming the vice president of sales and marketing for Clockwork. He left Clockwork in 2010 to join The Dwyer Group.

Mark is also very involved in the International Franchise Association (IFA). He currently serves as chairman of the Board of Governors for the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives having earned his CFE in 2005. He is also on the IFA’s Educational Foundation Board of Trustees. Previously, Mark was a member of the VetFran Committee and IFA’s Public Relations Committee.

Meet Our Guest

Michael “Mike” Gai

Director of National Account Services

Mike Gai started with Glass Doctor as a successful franchisee in Seattle before selling his franchise in 2010 and joining the Glass Doctor Corporate Staff in Waco, heading up the National Sales efforts. he was recognized as one of the fastest growing Glass Doctor Franchises in his seven years of operation.

Gai has been the Director of National Account Services for the past year. Before that, he owned the Glass Doctor of King & Pierce Counties franchise, the flagship shop in Seattle, Wash., for seven years. In those seven years, he grew the business from three mobile trucks to 18. Prior to that, Gai was President and CEO of A Sport, Inc., a cross-seasonal sporting goods company manufacturer and distributor. Prior to that, straight out of college, Gai was president and owner of Straight Line Watersports.

“I’m a big believer in the Glass Doctor model and system and I look forward to working with our independent franchisees to continue our growth and position as the number one truly professional, full-service glass company in North America,”Gai said. “Having been a franchisee, it’s great to bring that experience and perspective to the table when working with the corporate team and franchisees to maximize the effectiveness of our proven system.”