In the winter of 2003, Shaun Mason, Director of Business Development for Johnsons Cleaners, the largest retail dry cleaner in the United Kingdom, telephoned Custom Commercial and asked if Custom Commercial was interested in developing a Johnson's restoration division for the UK. During early discussions, it became clear that the company philosophies of the two groups were very similar. “The synergy was incredible, right from the start,” recalls Jim Nicholas. A visit to the UK restoration facility. From L to R: Andrew Taylor, John Preston, Jim Nicholas, Mark Richardson, Courtney Nicholas, Shaun Mason. In the early spring of 2004, Jim and Courtney Nicholas visited the Johnsons headquarters near Liverpool. A partnership relationship was created to fast track the development of a fabric restoration division using the existing resources of Johnsons and the business model of Custom Commercial. Within the year, Johnsons Fabric Restoration Services, the newest division in the Johnsons Service Group, was up and running and establishing itself as the leading fabric restoration company in the United Kingdom. When asked why Custom Commercial was chosen as a business partner, Shaun Mason had the following statements: “We chose to work with Custom Commercial because after initial research and subsequent fact finding visits, they had a service proposition that was far ahead of the market that occupied the USA. They gave us confidence in their ability to translate the model to the UK. Although Johnsons is a PLC and Custom Commercial is an independent family business, there were many synergies in our cultures and methods of doing business. I believe that the single most important factor was the absolute focus on providing the customer with what they wanted, be it insured or contractor or insurer.” Johnsons Fabric Restoration Services UK facility. “The benefits realised out of this partnership are the acquisition of a solution to the UK market that no one else comes near to meeting. In addition, we have enhanced some processes, such as deodorization, to industry leading levels. Based on the relationship between the two companies, we both aspire to continually improve and raise the standard in the market. Already we are setting the standard in the UK and intend to develop this model, along with the support of Custom Commercial, to new heights.”