La. Car Dealer Thanks Franchise System for Recovery from Hurricanes

October 14, 2005

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CARMEL, Ind. (Oct. 14, 2005) -- David Harris, who owns a J.D. Byrider franchise in Houma, 40 miles west of New Orleans, credits the franchise system and fellow franchisees with helping him get back on his feet after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast. Thanks to the assistance he received, Harris is now able to come to the aid of his customers to get them rolling again.

Due to the devastation caused by the hurricanes, Harris said many of his 650 customers have not been able to make their car payments, which put their credit and his business in jeopardy.

"These storms put about six out of 10 of our customers under water," he explained. "Without J.D. Byrider -- without the franchise system -- we wouldn't have made it. Financial help from the corporate office has allowed us to offer customers who are in need extensions on their payments. That way they can continue building good credit while they recover, and we can pay our own vendors."

James DeVoe, founder of J.D. Byrider, noted, "This is the first time we've had a franchisee hit by two hurricanes in a row, and we realized that we had to act quickly to help him. We wanted to make sure that both David and his customers got the help they needed to survive this double disaster."

DeVoe transferred $50,000 to Harris, waived his royalties for six months and postponed his pending franchise contract re-negotiations. Harris said DeVoe wasn't the only one to offer assistance, individual Byrider franchisees also called him to see how they could help even before Katrina hit land.

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