LandJet, a mobile office service with roots in the Quad Cities, is launching a new franchising business model to help drive growth nationwide, company leaders announced Monday, April 4. LandJet is a travel solutions company that utilizes luxury RVs and a team of certified drivers – who it calls pilots – to transport business travelers […]
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LandJet, a mobile office service with roots in the Quad Cities, is launching a new franchising business model to help drive growth nationwide, company leaders announced Monday, April 4.
LandJet is a travel solutions company that utilizes luxury RVs and a team of certified drivers – who it calls pilots – to transport business travelers door to door.
Outfitted with customized mobile offices, LandJet’s private chauffeured transportation services allow business travelers to stay productive and on the go while the pilots handle the driving. They take teams door-to-door in RVs equipped with a conference room, Wi-Fi, TV and other work amenities.
Currently, LandJet serves a client base throughout the Midwest including Kansas City, Chicago, Des Moines, Quad Cities, Madison and Minneapolis.
As part of its national expansion, LandJet is focusing on franchising into several states including but not limited to: Texas, Indiana, Ohio and Florida, the company said in a news release. LandJet partnered with United Franchise Group to develop its franchise model.
“These make ideal markets for our ‘hub-and-spoke’ strategy where you don’t want to drive, but don’t want to fly either,” Mark Ross, co-founders and one of the owners of LandJet, said in a news release announcing the new franchising. “Indianapolis, for example, has interstate access to Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit and Louisville making them ideal for LandJet travel and attractive investment opportunities for entrepreneurial franchisees.”
In an interview Monday with the QCBJ, Mr. Ross said this marks the company’s entrance into franchising. Its goal, he added, is to have 60 franchises within five years.
After completing the research and the necessary legal documentation last fall, he said “We’re now official to have franchises.”
States with more demand for regional travel among metropolitan areas are at an all-time high, which is the company’s main focus, according to LandJet. Mr. Ross said the company also is targeting states with policies and rules that are friendly to small businesses.
Thanks to the partnership with United Franchise Group, new franchisees will be able to get a jumpstart in business by utilizing LandJet’s experience and its ongoing support.
“Having solid back-office services for hiring, marketing and financials are essential for any business but can be really distracting for startups,” LandJet President and CEO Scott Frigon said in the release.
Originally founded in 2005 in Elkhart, Indiana, LandJet was a business that designed, built and sold mobile offices.
According to Mr. Ross, he and Steve Thornburg developed and vetted the rolling office business idea as they participated in the Quad Cities Venture School co-hort.
In 2018, the two men along with Quad Cities entrepreneur Jim Thomson purchased the LandJet name. Mr. Ross said the original working name was RoadJet Rolling Offices. The ownership group was joined by Nick Thuls shortly after Venture School, who today serves as the vice president of operations.
The group, which considers the Quad Cities and Kansas City as dual headquarters, hired Mr. Frigon to lead LandJet in January 2020.
In the release, LandJet said it expects to be operating in 15 markets within the next two to three years. The franchise application process is now open. For more information, visit landjet.com/franchising.
“We could be in all 50 states but some are more friendly than others for a small franchise to start up,” he said.
