--- title: "Eric Blakely: Austin Tech Entrepreneur & ServiceMaster Restore Franchisee" url: https://burnaze.com/article/d4573836-1146-4d71-b848-094763fb08a8 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/eric-blakely-servicemaster-restore-austin-2730269 category: "Restoration" industry: "Home Services" segment: "Restoration" topics: ["Technology"] published: 2025-11-12T18:13:01.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T20:30:43.563Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/1758127773_2730269.png --- # Eric Blakely: Austin Tech Entrepreneur & ServiceMaster Restore Franchisee **TL;DR:** Eric Blakely, an Austin tech entrepreneur, is expanding his ServiceMaster Restore franchise to West Austin and beyond, aiming to become the go-to expert for disaster restoration services. ServiceMaster Restore is a leading restoration franchise with approximately 2,000 locations worldwide. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2025-11-12. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/eric-blakely-servicemaster-restore-austin-2730269).* ## Story Eric Blakely is no stranger to entrepreneurship or reinvention. After launching and running businesses in staffing, real estate and even children’s salons, he wanted something more tangible, community-centered and values-driven for his next chapter. That journey led him to ServiceMaster Restore, the industry-leading restoration franchise. Now, Blakely is ready to bring trusted disaster restoration services to West Austin and beyond. Backed by a household name and national network, he’s focused on local impact — becoming the go-to expert for families and businesses navigating fire, flood and other disasters. **1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?** **Eric Blakely:** I’ve been a serial entrepreneur my whole life. This is my third company — and will probably be my last. I’ve spent most of my career in high-tech staffing, and I’ve done some real estate investing and management on the side. But I got tired of sitting behind a desk. I’m in my 40s, and I wanted to do something different. The staffing industry is getting very automated with AI, and I wanted to move into an industry where I could have a more personal experience. We still own the staffing firm, and I’ve co-owned property renovation and rental management companies. We even owned a small children’s hair boutique — that was a franchise too. **1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?** **Blakely:** One of the things that really appealed to me was doing something that felt bigger than just me. When you have a 100% owned small business, you can get stuck in your own bubble. I wanted to be part of something bigger — something with a broader reach and a strong support system. **1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?** **Blakely:** ServiceMaster has some amazing capabilities. They helped clean up the Pentagon after 9/11 — when there are big disaster situations, they can pull together this incredible network of restoration professionals. I liked that history. The brand has strong roots, conservative foundations and the right heart and core values. I also wanted a brand people had heard of. I didn’t want to start over with something new or unknown. A lot of my decision-making came down to reputation — I wanted to align with the most reputable brand I could find. **1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?** **Blakely:** My number one mission is to serve the community and be known as the local expert in disaster restoration. Long-term, I’d love to grow our commercial restoration capabilities and take on more complex projects. I also want to mobilize and be ready to help with catastrophic events — when something big happens, I want to be part of the response. You can do a lot of good that way. **1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?** **Blakely:** We’re very involved in our community. Our kids go to St. Theresa Catholic School, and we live in a large neighborhood in Austin called Steiner Ranch — there are probably 15,000 people here. We want to let our neighbors know we’re here and ready to help. We’re a flag football and dance family — we’ve got two kids at home and another out in the real world, and we love being part of this community. **1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?** **Blakely:** Some franchisors will sell anyone a franchise. You have to do your due diligence and find the brand that really aligns with your core values. Don’t just listen to the money or the promises. Ask yourself: Who do I want to spend a lot of time working with? Find the people who are most like you — who share your values — and you’ll be glad you did. With approximately 2,000 franchised and licensed locations around the world, ServiceMaster Restore and ServiceMaster Recovery Management (SRM) serve customers through a global network of franchises available 24/7/365 to provide residential and commercial restoration services resulting from damage caused by water, fire, smoke or mold. SRM is the large-scale commercial catastrophic disaster restoration unit of ServiceMaster Restore. ServiceMaster Restore is a business unit of Atlanta-based ServiceMaster® Brands, a leading franchise provider of needs-based residential and commercial services. ServiceMaster® Brands is a leading franchisor of residential and commercial services in the restoration, cleaning, moving, junk removal, and bioremediation industries. Founded in 1929, the company is home to over 3,200 franchisees across 4,600+ locations serving over 1 million homes and businesses each year. ServiceMaster was founded with a deep commitment to its franchisees and has franchise opportunities available in ServiceMaster Restore®, ServiceMaster Clean®, Merry Maids®, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK*®, and TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK®. Visit servicemaster.com/franchising to learn more. ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Home Services (sector) - franchise expansion (topic) - franchising (topic) - community involvement (topic) - entrepreneurship (topic) - austin (location) - ServiceMaster (company) - ServiceMaster Restore (company) - disaster restoration (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/eric-blakely-servicemaster-restore-austin-2730269). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/d4573836-1146-4d71-b848-094763fb08a8).