Amherst pilot's pal helped brand Black Dawg Sealcoat
By NANCY FOSTER New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent
Sunday, May. 6, 2007

AMHERST – Jack Child is hoping to change the way the driveway sealing industry in New Hampshire does business, while at the same time offering a hand up to veterans.

Child, an Amherst resident, created Black Dawg Sealcoat in 2005, after a medical condition grounded him from his career as an airline pilot.

"I realized that when it comes to driveway sealing, there is no brand name to reach out to," Child said. "There's a lack of trust in this business, and I wanted to change that." Armed with a pen and paper, Child got to work on a business model, and a young pup named Olive who laid at his feet while he worked became the namesake of his company: Black Dawg Sealcoat.

"That name was the best decision I ever made," Child said. "The branding has been phenomenal. People remember Black Dawg." Child said that his goal was to create a company that focused first on customer service, and followed that up with quality work, and earth-friendly materials.

"We have a full-time customer service center so you don't have to chase us down," he said, "we guarantee our work for a full year. If there's a problem, we'll be right there to fix it." Child has also abandoned the traditional coal-tar emulsion used by most sealing companies in exchange for what he calls an environmentally friendlier, and better quality, asphalt mix.

"The asphalt emulsion has less odor and fumes, is non-flammable, and is asphalt-based, instead of coal-based," he said. Though the product is slightly more expensive, it is showing 20% better performance in manufacturer scrub tests than traditional coal-tar emulsion.

These days, business at Black Dawg is booming, and the calls for people requesting the company's service are coming in from across the state. For a while, Child was turning down work, but now, he has begun selling Black Dawg franchises.

His first franchisee, Kim O'Connor, has taken the model Child created to the Seacoast area, and has pledged to follow the lead of Child by providing the same quality of service.

Child is hoping to branch out into other parts of the state, and has a dream of eventually making all of New England Black Dawg territory.

In order to bring in reliable new franchisees, Child is offering discounts on the $9,750 franchise fee to military veterans and former airline pilots.

"Veterans and pilots are used to showing up on time, adhering to rules and regulations, and doing the right thing," said Child. "I think they'd make great team members for us." Child said he would also consider waiving the entire franchise fee for disabled veterans so that the men and women returning from war have a chance to run a business of their own, despite their physical limitations.

"Our franchisees won't be out sealing driveways," Child said. "They're going to be running the business. Disabilities won't get in the way of that." Child said that drawing people into the sealcoating business is a challenge because people interested in franchises are often drawn to more glamorous businesses.

"This is a non-sexy business," he said, "but I believe that it's not what you do, but how you do it, that determines your success." For more information, visit www.blackdawgsealcoat.com , or call 1-800-998-DAWG.