International Franchise Association

Tampa – – September 13, 2026 -- Greg DuPey, owner of a Pillar To Post Home Inspectors franchise in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, has been named a 2026 Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association (IFA), the trade group's highest honor for individual franchise owners.

DuPey grew his territory nearly fourfold since buying an existing franchise in 2012

DuPey, a former foodservice operations executive, and his wife Theresa acquired the Morrisville franchise in 2012. Under their leadership, the business expanded to nearly four times its original size, according to Pillar To Post.

DuPey rebuilt the business after a severe roof-fall injury left him in a body cast

Shortly after taking ownership, DuPey suffered a serious back injury falling from a roof. He continued working through recovery, and the couple steered the franchise through the injury and subsequent economic downturns while continuing to scale operations.

Richardson, Texas – September 13, 2026 -- Trey Thomas-Piazza, the first-ever franchisee of Service Experts, has been named a 2026 Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association (IFA), marking a milestone for the residential HVAC company's year-old franchise system.

Service Experts launched franchising in 2025 after three decades as a corporate-owned business

Thomas-Piazza, who previously served as General Manager of the company's Tulsa market after years in maintenance, installation and operations leadership, became the system's inaugural franchisee when the program launched. His transition gave Service Experts an early test case for refining franchise infrastructure while maintaining continuity for employees, customers and vendor partners in the market he already managed.