Between the two of us, we spent more than three decades in the United States Army. We deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Korea. We commanded teams, supported families through repeated separations, and learned the same lesson that gets reinforced on every deployment: mission first, people always.

When the time came to take off the uniform, we wanted to keep serving in a new way. In 2023, we found that next mission in Pillar To Post Home Inspectors. Eighteen months later, we were named Rookie of the Year.

The path between those two points was not a straight line. It included a torn bicep tendon, a hurricane that knocked our regional housing market offline, and the steepest learning curve either of us had faced since basic training. 

A Shared Starting Point

Jeremiah served 22 years on active duty, including multiple deployments to Iraq, a tour in Afghanistan, and assignments in South Korea. He began his career in Military Intelligence, later became a Field Artillery captain, and then transitioned to the Signal Corps, where he went on to command two signal companies. He was awarded the Bronze Star for service in combat.

Maria spent 10 years in the Army and was part of the early deployments into Iraq. She also carried the load at home through Jeremiah’s later tours. We met overseas, married, and have spent the last 20 years building a life that now includes five children.

Augusta, Georgia became home after Jeremiah’s final assignment at Fort Gordon. When he retired, we wanted something local, something that would let us put roots down for our kids, and something that would let us keep serving people. Franchising made sense, but the question was which one to open.

Why Pillar To Post Home Inspectors

When we evaluated franchise options, we focused on values. Did the brand stand for something? Did its leaders talk about families and communities the same way we did? Did the system give a new owner a real path forward, or just a logo and a manual?

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors answered those questions. The model is built around helping homebuyers make confident, informed decisions about the largest purchase of their lives. The training is structured. The standard operating procedures are clearly documented. The support is consistent. For two people coming out of an organization that runs on SOPs, that structure felt like home.

We purchased our franchise in 2023, completed training that year, and launched in 2024.

Operating as a Team

Our husband-and-wife dynamic is a competitive advantage. We’ve spent two decades learning how to work alongside each other under stress, and we know what we’re good at.

Jeremiah leads our operations, inspections, and day-to-day execution. Maria leads the relationships, marketing, and community engagement. She also completed home inspection training herself, because she wanted to understand the product well enough to speak credibly with referral partners. Real estate is a relationship business, and Maria has the kind of presence that turns strangers into long-term clients inside a single conversation.

Two Tests in the First Year

About ninety days into the launch of our business, Jeremiah arrived early to an inspection, went to pull a ladder out of his trunk, and tore his bicep tendon. He finished that inspection, and a second one the same day. Then he went to the emergency room and into surgery.

Our second test was bigger. When Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast in September of 2024, our area was not supposed to take a direct hit. It did. Power went out. Roads were blocked. 

We did what veterans do. We looked for a way to be useful. We offered discounted inspections to homeowners who needed someone to assess storm damage and tell them whether their houses were safe to live in. We partnered with a local roofing company to inspect repair work and help homeowners document conditions for insurance. We shared food with neighbors who had none. We waited out the recovery alongside everyone else, and we kept showing up.

That period did two things at once. It kept our business running through a market that had effectively shut down, and it introduced us to a community of homeowners who now know exactly who we are and what we stand for.

Advice for Veterans Considering Franchise Ownership

The transition from military service to civilian life is genuinely hard. Everyone tells you that, and it is still true when you are living it. To any veteran weighing franchise ownership, we would offer a few things we have learned.

Find a brand whose values match yours. Read the system carefully and ask yourself whether you can execute it. Lean on the support structure. For us that has meant weekly startup calls, monthly regional director check-ins, and a network of other owners who pick up the phone. The structure that made you effective in uniform is the same structure that will make you effective as an owner.

Then put in the work. Success in any business does not arrive overnight. Network locally. Show up at open houses. Get creative when conditions change. Keep going when it gets quiet. The franchise model gives you a proven playbook, but you still have to run the plays.