Itaya Brings More than Two Decades of Experience to the Position

Bio-One, a crime and trauma scene cleaning franchise under the Five Star Franchising umbrella, announced Danessa Itaya as president. With this position, she will oversee the franchisor’s growth. She brings over two decades of experience to the role and is the second female president in the brand’s history. Other brands under the Five Star Franchising umbrella include Five Star Bath Solutions, Gotcha Covered, ProNexis, 1-800-Packouts, 1-800-Textiles, and Mosquito Shield. 

“Bio-One is an amazing brand, with a highly skilled, experienced, and enthusiastic team. My goal is to continue to grow, strengthen and protect the brand as we welcome new franchisees, focus on the business model, and continue to be innovative in our processes and systems. As we grow, Bio-One will continue to live by our motto of ‘Help First, Business Second.’ This is a highly sensationalized industry, but we are firm believers in discretion and our ‘Help First’ motto,” Itaya said. 

After taking a step back and evaluating what she was doing, Itaya had the opportunity to look at many different options. Ultimately, she decided that she wanted to be a part of something challenging and that represented and lived core values.  Five Star Franchising offered everything she was looking for. “Being able to work with inspiring leaders like Andrew Mengason, Scott Abbot, Chad Jones, Sandi Ellis, and the other amazing driven leaders at Five Star and Bio-One Inc. really checked my professional learning box,” Itaya said. 

With the support of Five Star Franchising, Bio-One is able to leverage the buying power of all Five Star brands to negotiate great pricing and programs for franchisees, she said. Itaya added that working with the other Five Star brands helps with sharing best practices and referring business back and forth between franchises.

Mengason, chief growth officer of Five Star Franchising, is excited to have Itaya take on this role. “Danessa is already inspiring the Bio-One team and the entire family of brands to stellar performance and results. With her impeccable credentials and unmatched track record, she’s the perfect fit to help Bio-One build on its recent growth and extend its success into new markets.”

Itaya believes Five Star Franchising will positively impact franchising with the wealth of data collection and knowledge in the home services field, allowing for continued innovation and great customer experiences. 

Itaya’s Franchising Journey 

Itaya stumbled onto franchising when she applied for an accounting assistant position with Molly Maid. With the growth of the company, she was able to learn many aspects of franchising. Itaya enjoys the amazing franchise community, which includes franchisees, team members, and suppliers, and she feels fortunate to be surrounded by great people. Prior to joining Bio-One, Itaya held leadership positions with Property Management Inc., Service Brands International, and Maid Right. In 2022, Itaya was recognized as one of Entrepreneur’s Top Influential Women in Franchising. She currently serves on the International Franchise Association’s Women in Franchising Committee. 

The Franchise Business Model

In Itaya’s view, nothing beats the franchise model because the blend of an entrepreneur’s drive and a winning franchise model provide great opportunities. She advises aspiring franchise owners to follow the system, adding that franchisee and franchisor relationships are crucial.