Wyckoff Business StearClear Going National

StearClear, a Wyckoff-based business designed to help get bar patrons and their vehicles back home safetly, has begun to expand out past the borders of Bergen.

The company has developed an innovative, turnkey opportunity in which business operations are handled through an iPad application and the company is looking for potential franchisees that are interested in generating full or part time income while offering a vital service that will protect and serve their local community.

StearClear's "Franchise in a Box" iPad app provides everything a franchisee needs to run their business, according to a press release from the company. The application manages employees, payroll, customers, pickups, drop-offs, fares, drive team locations, financial transactions and payments.

Critical information about pickups in progress and locations of drivers and drive teams are shown in real-time. The application also allows franchisees to communicate with their drive teams through its interface and respond to urgent requests or emergency situations.

Territories are exclusive and will encompass a minimum of 75,000 people. Franchisees will manage local drive teams that fulfill pickups requested through StearClear's designated driver service. Customers connect with the drive teams through a mobile app on the iPhone and Android platforms. Drive teams respond to a customer pickup request in a reverse auction, bidding by arrival time. The customer can see the drive team and their user ratings before they make their selection. The drive teams take the customer in their own vehicle, making sure they and their cars get home safely.

"StearClear is really starting to pick up momentum throughout Bergen County and other parts of New Jersey," said representative Stephanie Vaughan. "Our franchisees are working with local bars and restaurants to provide a safe ride home for both patrons and their cars."

Vaughan said that by teaming up with these bars and restaurants, StearClear can keep bar patrons feel safe by ensuring customers have an alternative to getting behind the wheel following an evening out.

"This both looks good for the restaurant owner while keeping the roads of Bergen County safe," Vaughan said.

StearClear also hired twenty year, franchise industry veteran James Banahan to head up their business development efforts.

"We have used technology and the powerful platforms provided by the new smartphones to create a scalable business model that eliminates most of the overhead and inefficiencies associated with driver services," said Banahan. "Our goal is to have franchisees up and running within a few days of signing their agreement. Our iPad application and training program put franchisees on a fast track to start earning money."

StearClear is offering financing options, allowing potential franchisees to put as little as 20% down and finance the remainder. As part of the package, StearClear provides franchisees with core operational services including employee onboarding, employment forms, background checks, payroll processing, tax reporting, credit card processing, management reporting and a full operations manual.

Each franchisee goes through a 3-day training academy where they will learn critical skills to run their business. The training covers administrative tasks such as finances, accounting and payroll; operations and management including health and safety, protocols, recruitment, hiring, training and employment policies; and sales and marketing functions for promoting the business as well as customer service and community relations.

StearClear, the brainchild of an innovative team led by CEO and Wyckoff resident Craig Sher, links 2-man driving teams with individuals who need to get themselves and their cars home safely after a night of drinking.

Sher first began brainstorming the idea last summer when a friend visiting from his home country of South Africa mentioned a designated driver service that had become pretty ubiquitous there.

"They have incredibly stringent drunk driving laws and no public transportation system at all," Sher, 38, said before asking himself the inevitable question: Why not here?

To read more about from a Wyckoff Patch story published earlier this year.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Joseph M. Gerace at Joseph.Gerace@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.