New franchise locations open in Treasure, Magic valleys and beyond

A new Pet Wants franchise is open in Twin Falls, with Valerie and Mike Steinmetz at the helm. The Steinmetzs are local to the area with backgrounds in construction and retail. Pet Wants is a franchise business that provides communities with fresh, nutritional pet food. The Steinmetzs are starting with a mobile unit that is open for business now and plan to open a brick and mortar location this fall.

The Steinmetz said they understand the importance of healthy pet food and want to make sure folks in Twin Falls have access to it.

“The more we talked to Pet Wants, the more they fit everything we were looking for,” the Steinmetzs told Idaho Business Review. “We wanted to provide the best nutrition for our Shiba Inu, Stella, after she began having allergy and skin issues and that’s how we initially discovered the concept. In our community, we had limited options with big box stores, or you had to order online. Now, pet owners in the community will have a health-conscious option for their pets but also access to education on why certain ingredients are more beneficial for their pets than others.”

Pet Wants also has a Give Back to the Pack program that allows it to donate food and supplies. When asked about the impact they want to have on their community, the Steinmetzs said, “Our main goal is to teach local pet owners about how they can keep their pets safe through their diets. We want to provide educational information and tools for the Twin Falls community and provide an outlet for questions, advice, and tips.”

Kuna saw the grand opening of a new Pieology Pizzeria location in January. The new pizza place is owned by Laurie and Rob Wylie and Michael Gordon.

Laurie Wylie has been in the food industry her entire life and said she is excited to bring it to Kuna.

“I worked at Pieology and fell in love with the concept,” Laurie Wylie said. “We moved to Idaho, and wanted to pursue Pieology as a franchisee.”

Pieology is known for providing pizza made with high quality ingredients and intends to give back to the communities it serves. To kick off the opening of their store, the Wylies and Gordon ran a multi-day fundraiser for the Kuna High School Special Education Department, where 20% of all eligible purchases were donated to the school.

The first of four Take 5 oil change franchise locations is now open in Treasure Valley. Located in Ontario, Oregon, Take 5 works to make car fluid changes fast and easy. All four locations are a partnership of Alturas Capital and Saranac Holdings.

Rick Pierce, owner of Saranac Holdings, is the Take 5 franchisee for the state of Idaho and parts of Oregon and Washington.

“We want to make Take 5 a household name when it comes to where folks want to go get their oil changed, where they know it’s going to be easy, quick, and hassle-free,” Pierce said. “Part of that is making the process as convenient as possible. And of course, a component of that is putting these in as many convenient locations as possible.”

Alturas Capital is a local real estate investment and operating company. Pierce said, “We were looking for someone whom we could rely on for our growth as we continued to build out this market and potentially look outside the market.”

Pierce said he is also looking forward to bringing additional employment opportunities to Treasure Valley as he expands his Take 5 franchise.

Clean Juice announced the grand opening of its Idaho Falls store in early February. It is the third in the state. Clean Juice provides USDA-certified juice and food options to its customers.

Glenn and Kathleen Leavitt are the franchise partners and said they are pleased to welcome their community to their store.

“We are excited to open our doors to the Idaho Falls community, offering all people better access to healthy, all-organic foods and beverages, especially while on the go,” said Dr. Glenn Leavitt. “Clean Juice serves that purpose perfectly for a growing segment of people becoming more aware and proactive in how they fuel their bodies and what foods they consume while feeling great about it.”

Dr. Leavitt is an OB-GYN, surgeon and owner of Leavitt Women’s Healthcare. This newest venture is another way he is continuing to care for the health and wellness of his community. He is the sixth physician in the past several months to invest in a Clean Juice franchise. Clean Juice’s focus on wellness is central to the business model.

“This is an exciting moment for the Leavitt family, and we are proud of them for being Clean Juice’s 100th franchise partner,” said Landon Eckles, CEO of Clean Juice. “We could not have imagined a more passionate and dedicated family to join our brand’s historic rise as one of the fastest-growing, all-organic fast-casual restaurants in the nation. We are honored to be a part of the Leavitt family’s other medical and businesses focus on delivering premium health and wellness products and services.”