Property Management Inc.’s Strong Business Model Motivated Father-and-Son Team Jack and Chris Ashmore to Bring the Brand to Naples, Florida

When Property Management Inc. franchisee Chris Ashmore decided to expand his footprint and open another location, he found the perfect business partner in his dad, Jack.

Chris, whose Property Management Inc. franchise is located in Brainerd, Minnesota, convinced his recently retired father to help him take his relationship with the brand to the next level. Together, they opened a PMI franchise in Naples, Florida on January 31. They opted to merge two separate property management companies, one of which was an existing PMI franchise. The other was a local independent property management company that converted to the PMI model .

“My dad’s in charge of accounting and operations for the Naples PMI franchise,” Chris said. “I just gave him a promotion. I don’t know if he knew that.”

It wasn’t hard for Chris to get his dad on board. PMI, which was first founded in 2008 and has since grown to more than 260 locations nationwide, provides customers with property management services and solutions across four pillars: association, commercial, residential and vacation rental. This focus on multiple services lends itself to a strong business model for franchisees that can survive just about any economic climate.

The brand is still expanding and has available franchise territories across the country. Baltimore, Maryland; Buffalo, New York; and Rockingham, North Carolina have all been identified as viable target markets.

The Brainerd and Naples franchises will complement each other.

“It’s all set up perfectly, because our busy season in Minnesota is June through September and it’s slow in Naples during that time,” Chris said. “Then, when winter hits Minnesota, it becomes busy down in south Florida.”

Chris and Jack’s respective work experiences also complement each other. Jack, for one, enjoyed a long career with the Carver County CDA as a HUD Certified Housing Counselor. As for Chris, he is a real estate franchising veteran.

Before he opened his first PMI franchise in January of 2019, he was an owner and broker with Coldwell Banker. He got out of the business in 2009 during the recession and later decided he wanted to re-enter the field under a more recession-proof model. He did some research and came across PMI.

Like his dad, the Minnesota native loved the fact that PMI operates in four different pillars.

“There are about 500 lakes in this area and PMI was the only franchise out there that had a really good vacation rental pillar to their business,” Chris said.

Chris went to Discovery Day in September 2018 and signed on with the brand in December of that year. Business has boomed since then, and Chris felt the time was ripe to check out expansion opportunities. His research quickly showed that Florida would be a land of possibility.

“I started reaching out to my sphere of influence and found out that a lot of people own properties in the Naples area,” Chris said. “All roads led to Naples.”

The Ashmores also have a long personal relationship with the city of Naples that will serve their franchise well. They have vacationed in the area for several years and noted that the Minnesota Twins have their spring training camp in nearby Fort Myers.

“Naples is the gem of the whole area, and it’s hard not to fall in love with the fact that the busy seasons in Naples and Minnesota complement each other,” Jack said. “That by itself was a huge attraction.”

That said, the Ashmores will run the business from Minnesota and will take frequent trips to the Naples area. For this reason, and since they have not actually lived in Naples, it was important to both of them to acquire an established property management business as opposed to simply opening a brand-new PMI franchise.

“The owner of that business is staying on and working with us to help introduce us to the right people,” Chris said. “That was very important to us, to find someone who was willing to stay on and be our boots on the ground long-term.”

The two Ashmores enjoyed working with the PMI leadership team throughout the whole franchising process. They are open to further expanding their footprint with PMI.

“PMI is always looking to enhance relationships, and when it comes to technology, the brand is willing to make changes to stay ahead of the curve,” Chris said. “Corporate has certainly stepped up to the plate any time we’ve needed anything. It’s been perfect.”

While Jack did not attend Discovery Day, he did get some training from the PMI leadership team and through his son.

“What impacted me hugely was the friendliness and willingness of the staff, as well as their knowledge,” Jack said. “Their commitment to our success is very apparent. I’m so glad I chose to franchise with PMI, and the fact that I get to do this with my son makes it even better.”

The startup costs for a Property Management Inc. franchise range from $22,750 to $175,100. The franchise fee ranges from $35,000 to $40,000. To learn more about franchising with Property Management Inc., visit .