DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen Continues Commitment to Veteran Entrepreneurship

May 30, 2023

DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen founder and chief stewarding officer (CSO) Doug Dwyer has joined the committee of IFA’s nonprofit VetFran program. VetFran is a program that educates veterans about how their military experiences and skills set them up to be great franchise owners when they return to civilian life. Nearly 15% of franchisees in the U.S. are veterans.

This is particularly meaningful to Doug because his father, Don Dwyer Sr., was the founder of VetFran in 1991.

Don Dwyer served during the Korean War. In the years after his release from the military, he started his own franchising company. Then he had an idea – franchisors could give discounts to veterans who want to buy franchises – and he started VetFran.

After Don’s death, VetFran became inactive for some years. Then Don’s daughter, Dina Dwyer-Owens, stepped in. Dina was on the IFA Board of Directors, and she recommended that IFA restart VetFran. The IFA agreed, and the program has grown ever since.

“I am honored to be a part of VetFran and my father’s legacy,” Doug Dwyer says. “What started with the simple desire of one man to help fellow veterans sparked a program that has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of veterans and their families, and is still growing to this day.”

One VetFran program beneficiary is Air Force veteran Nate Coombs (above, with Doug Dwyer), who owns DreamMaker of Ogden, Utah.

Coombs recently won the National Association of Remodeling Industry’s regional 2023 Contractor of the Year award for outstanding remodeling work. In 2014, he was recognized as DreamMaker’s Top Franchise.

A lot of Coombs’ remodeling work is for veterans, the elderly and the disabled, such as making modifications that make their homes easier and safer to live in, including wheelchair ramps and stair lifts as well as cabinets and appliances designed to be more accessible for those with special needs.

DreamMaker’s connection to the VetFran program is aligned with the company’s Code of Values™, which commits to treating others with respect and integrity.