From Call Center to President: Kris Antolak’s 17-Year Oxi Fresh Journey Earns National Attention
Kris Antolak’s 17-Year Path to President Draws Franchise-Industry Recognition
Earlier this year, Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning reached an important milestone in the company’s history: longtime executive Kris Antolak was promoted to President, putting a 17-year Oxi Fresh veteran at the helm of the national carpet cleaning franchise.
It’s a leadership transition built on a remarkable journey from the bottom of the company ladder to the very top. Antolak joined Oxi Fresh in 2009, working in the company’s call center. Over the years, he took on growing leadership responsibilities spanning operations, franchise development, sales, and other areas of the business, while also gaining firsthand experience as an Oxi Fresh franchise owner. He became Vice President in 2014 before formally assuming the role of President earlier in 2026.
When Oxi Fresh publicly announced the promotion in July, the news quickly traveled well beyond the company’s Home Office.
Oxi Fresh’s Leadership News Reaches a National Audience
By early October, Oxi Fresh’s press release announcement had been syndicated to more than 700 publications, giving the leadership news significant reach across the country. The release appeared on local television news websites and other media properties throughout the United States and Canada.
That widespread syndication helped introduce Antolak’s story to a broad audience. Just as significant, however, has been the attention from publications and organizations devoted specifically to franchising, franchise leadership, and business news.
The International Franchise Association featured the announcement on its website, highlighting Antolak’s 17 years with Oxi Fresh, his beginnings in the call center, and the experience he accumulated across franchise development, sales, and franchise ownership.
Franchising.com also shared the news with its franchise-industry audience, noting that Antolak now oversees Oxi Fresh’s day-to-day operations and continued growth.
Likewise, Franchising Magazine USA focused its headline on one of the most compelling elements of the story: a longtime executive reaching the presidency after 17 years with the same brand. Its coverage also highlighted Antolak’s experience owning and operating Oxi Fresh franchises himself—experience that has given him a franchisee’s perspective in addition to his years at the Home Office.
Franchise Media Takes a Closer Look at Antolak’s Leadership
Some of the most notable coverage has gone beyond the basic announcement to examine the experience Antolak brings to his new position.
In a dedicated story, FranchiseWire explored Antolak’s path through virtually every area of the company and the leadership philosophy he developed along the way.
The publication highlighted a combination that is relatively uncommon among franchise executives: Antolak has worked throughout the franchisor organization while also operating Oxi Fresh franchises of his own. That breadth of experience has given him a view of the business from both sides of the franchisor-franchisee relationship. FranchiseWire also focused on Antolak’s belief that strong leadership centers on helping the people around you succeed.
Another important profile came from Franchise Times, which devoted a feature to the lessons Antolak has accumulated during his 17 years with Oxi Fresh and how he is applying that experience as President.
Coverage from other publications, like citybiz and CB Herald, similarly framed the transition as an important next chapter for the company. These reports emphasized Antolak’s progression from the call center through franchise development, sales, franchise ownership, and executive leadership, as well as his responsibility for Oxi Fresh’s operations and long-term strategy.
Together, this coverage reflects more than basic interest in an executive promotion. It recognizes a leadership story rooted in deep operational experience, long-term commitment to a franchise system, and an understanding of what Oxi Fresh franchisees encounter in their businesses every day.
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From the Call Center to the President’s Office
Antolak’s path is closely intertwined with Oxi Fresh’s own story.
When he joined the company in 2009, Oxi Fresh was still a young franchise brand. Starting in the call center gave him direct exposure to the systems connecting customers, the Home Office, and the brand’s franchisees. From there, he took on broader responsibilities and eventually helped drive franchise development and sales while Oxi Fresh expanded into new markets.
His experience as an Oxi Fresh franchise owner added another dimension. Rather than understanding franchise operations solely from a corporate perspective, Antolak experienced the opportunities and challenges of running an Oxi Fresh business himself.
That combination of perspectives has become increasingly important as Oxi Fresh has grown.
Today, roughly 450 Oxi Fresh franchise territories are in operation, forming a network that stretches across much of the United States—from coast to coast and from northern communities to markets throughout the South—and parts of Canada. These locally owned businesses collectively serve communities across much of the country while operating under the systems, technology, and support infrastructure Oxi Fresh has developed over the past two decades.
Leading an organization of that scale requires an understanding not only of business strategy, but also of the day-to-day realities facing the entrepreneurs who represent the brand in their local markets. Antolak has spent 17 years building that understanding.
A New Chapter for Oxi Fresh
The leadership transition also allows Oxi Fresh founder and former President Jonathan Barnett to concentrate his attention on BE FAST Software, the technology platform that originated within Oxi Fresh and now operates as a separate business serving home service franchise organizations. Antolak, meanwhile, has full responsibility for Oxi Fresh’s daily operations and strategic direction.
For Oxi Fresh, the transition pairs leadership continuity with a renewed focus on the future. The company’s new President is someone who knows its systems, its franchisees, its customers, and its culture at the deepest possible level—not simply from the executive suite, but from experience accumulated throughout the organization.
The growing attention from franchise media, local news, and other publications reinforces why Antolak’s story resonates beyond Oxi Fresh itself.
A career that started by answering calls in 2009 now includes responsibility for leading one of the nation’s most expansive carpet cleaning franchise networks. As Oxi Fresh enters its next chapter, Antolak brings with him 17 years of lessons learned at almost every level of the business and a clear understanding of the franchisees whose experience remains central to the brand’s future.
