Why I Keep Reinvesting in Christmas Decor: Fred Huffman in Waco, Texas

Christmas Decor, the leading holiday decorating brand in the U.S. and Canada, was originally created to offer landscapers and outdoor business owners — including pest control companies, irrigation companies, roofing companies, pool companies, landscape companies and tree care companies — a reliable way to offset fixed overhead costs, maintain key employees year-round and generate new income streams during the off-season. Fred Huffman, for example, is a Christmas Decor franchise owner in Waco, Texas who has been in the pest control business for 35 years.

Huffman started his pest control company, GGA Pest Management, in 1987. After growing the company for over a decade, Huffman began looking for add-on services in 1999 as a way to bring in supplemental revenue during the slower months.

“We weren’t doing a whole lot of business in the wintertime, and I knew I needed an add-on to keep my employees busy,” said Huffman. “I attended a pest control convention in Dallas, and there was a Christmas Decor booth. We struck up a good conversation, and they invited me to come to San Antonio and meet other franchise owners and learn what Christmas Decor was all about.”

Right away, Huffman loved what he saw and was confident that the Christmas Decor business model would be the perfect addition to his portfolio. He signed his first franchise agreement in 2001 for the Waco area, and in 2004 decided to purchase a second franchise in the Temple-Belton market.

Franchise growth and expansion

“We’ve been working both those areas successfully for 22 years,” said Huffman. “We have really done well with it and have continued to expand with other services beyond Christmas lights. We have a great group of people working with us, and we’ve been able to split employees and have full-time staff for each area of the business.”

Franchisees like Huffman who want to diversify their portfolio can take advantage of other The Decor Group brands within the parent company, including low-voltage landscape lighting provider Nite Time Decor and permanent commercial lighting provider PermaLites 365, allowing them to operate a year-round business. In addition, these ancillary services allow franchisees to better tap into the commercial side of the business.

“We were primarily a residential business model in the beginning, but we’ve seen specialty services become more in-demand, and we’ve responded to that by expanding our offering in terms of commercial sales,” said Brandon Stephens, Christmas Decor’s President. “Commercial lighting sales can happen 12 months out of the year, so we are trying to create a model that offers year-round revenue, not just a seasonal add-on.”

Market demand and trends

Now, despite over two decades with the company, Huffman has no plans of slowing down. In fact, the growth-minded entrepreneur just signed another franchise agreement in April 2022 for a territory southwest of Fort Worth. And Huffman isn’t alone when it comes to expansion — the last two years have proven to be the strongest in the brand’s nearly 30-year history.

When it comes to reasons behind that growth, Huffman says demand is a key factor. People are still spending more time at home following the pandemic, and as the real estate market continues to thrive, home improvement sales have been tremendous.

“Texas in general is growing exponentially right now, with a lot of people moving to the state,” said Huffman. “Demand is continuing to grow, not only when it comes to holiday lights, but also to landscaping and permanent lighting as well. We also see it as a cross-selling opportunity to expand our pest control business.”

Overall, Huffman says Christmas Decor is a great opportunity for any individual looking to invest in a quality franchise. “We’ve been able to continually reinvest in the brand because the Christmas Decor team is full of good people and are very supportive in the home office,” he said.

Now, Christmas Decor has seen double-digit revenue increases year-over-year for the last 11 years. Looking ahead, Stephens says the Christmas Decor team is looking for qualified and passionate franchisees like Huffman to help expand the brand to new parts of the country.

“The Decor Group brands are created to help franchisees generate year-round revenue and supplement other seasonal businesses,” said Stephens. “Now, after experiencing some of our strongest growth yet over the past two years, we are excited to continue partnering with franchisees and giving them the opportunity to service their communities all year-round.”

Originally created as an off-season supplement to the landscaping business, the Texas-based franchise now brings holiday cheer to over 300 communities across North America, ultimately creating jobs for 3,000-plus seasonal workers that might otherwise be unemployed. Backed by a strong business model and double-digit revenue increase year-over-year for the last 11 years, Christmas Decor is looking to grow in markets across the U.S.