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Entrepreneur of the Year – 2015

Top Nominee Considerations

All Nominees (alpha order), Answers to all supporting documentation questions

Table of Contents

Entrepreneur of the Year Top Nominee Considerations At A Glance ……………….………………………..…………………………………………………………………………2

Question 1: Detail your professional achievements………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6

Question 2: How have these achievements advanced the principles of franchising as a viable business strategy, and its positive visibility?....14

Question 3: List the leadership and/or committee/task force positions you have held at IFA……………………………………………………………………………22

Question 4: List other awards and honors bestowed upon you by the franchising community………………………………………………………………………….25

Question 5: Detail your history of community involvement………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..30

Question 6: Demonstrate how this has transcended commercial benefit and heightened the positive awareness of franchising…………………….38

Question 7: Provide details on any pertinent legal actions that concern franchise systems with which you have been affiliated………...............43

Question 8: Include any other information that you believe may be helpful to IFA in its consideration of you as an honoree………………………….46

Question 9: Are there legal, financial or other issues or situations that your selection as the recipient of an IFA award might raise which have the potential to attract negative publicity or attention for the association and/or the franchising industry? ……………………….52

2015 Entrepreneur of the Year Award Documentation (Top Nominee Considerations)

Nominee Name Dan DiZio

Drew French

Nick Friedman & Omar

Soliman Scott Gittrich

Title

CEO & Founding Partner Founder Co-Founders President

Company Name

Soft Pretzel Franchise Systems, Inc.

Your Pie College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving

Toppers Pizza

Founder Yes Yes Yes Yes

Industry

Food: Baked Goods Food: Pizza Home Improvement Food: Pizza

Units (number of units per brand)

151 18 51 36

Years in Franchising (company)

11 5 8 15

IFA Leadership Positions:

None None

Panelist and Executive Roundtable Host at prior IFA events.

Speaker at Emerging Franchisor Conference

Speaker at IFA Annual Conference

Speaker at IFA/FBN local events

Invited to attend as a guest on the executive planning committee

None

IFA Committees

None None None None

CFE No No No No

IFA Educational Foundation

N/A No N/A No

Nominated By:

Supplier

Supplier Supplier: PR Firm Supplier


Nominee Name

Amit Kleinberger Darin Kraetsch Gordon Logan David Long

Title

CEO CEO CEO CEO

Company Name

Menchie’s Flip Flop Shop Franchise Sport Clips, Inc. Orangetheory Fitness

Founder No No Yes Yes

Industry

Food: Ice Cream Retail Stores Hair Salons & Services Fitness & Gyms


350 240 1370

675


7 7 20 4


None None

2015 Board of Directors

2015 Educational Foundation Board of Trustees

IFA VetFran Committee; Vice Chair 2014-2015

Chair of Ve tFran Mentor Program 2013-present

None

IFA Committees

International Committee

International Interest Group

2014 & 2015 Convention Committee

VetFran

Educational Foundation Executive Committee

IFA VetFran Committee

VetFran Mentor Program

IFA Board 2013-present

None

CFE Yes No No Currently Enrolled


N/A N/A Yes - $100K pledge No

Nominated By:

Supplier Supplier-Law Firm Supplier Supplier


Nominee Name

David Nilssen

Guillermo Perales Terry Powell

Peter Ross

Title

CEO & Co-Founder President & CEO CEO & Founder CEO & Co-Founder

Company Name

Guidant Financial Sun Holdings/

Parent Company: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

FranchisEsource Brands International

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

Founder Yes No Yes Yes

Industry

Supplier Food: Restaurants Business Services Senior Care


N/A 248

The Entrepreneur’s Source: 250

AdviCoach: 53

Décor & You: 205

FranchiseSearch.com: 0

Franchise Match: 0

Business Partners: 20

Expense Reduction Consulting:12 Women Empowered by Business: 0

265


9 N/A 15 10


President’s Council


Diversity Institute Board of Directors


Diversity Board None

IFA Committees

Membership Committee

The VetFran Committee

Social Sector Task Force

International Committee

International Interest Group

Strategic Planning Group

Franchisor Forum Advisory Board

None

CFE Currently Enrolled No Yes No


No No Donation to Educational

Foundation No

Nominated By: Supplier Franchisor Franchisor Franchisor


Nominee Name

Chuck Runyon & Dave Mortensen

Jeff Sinelli Chris & Robin Sorensen

Title

CEO & President

CEO & Chief VIBE Officer

Founders

Company Name

Anytime Fitness

Which Wich Superior Sandwiches

Firehouse Subs

Founder Yes Yes Yes

Industry

Fitness & Gyms Food: Restaurants Food: Restaurants


2400 241 855


13 10 21


None None None

IFA Committees

Dave:

Franchisor Forum Advisory Board

Information Technology Committee

2013 FranTech Task Force

International Interest Group None

CFE No Currently Enrolled No


No No N/A

Nominated By:

Franchisor Supplier Franchisor

Nominee Affiliated Company Questionnaire Response No. 1 Detail your professional achievements

Dan DiZio Soft Pretzel

Franchise Systems, Inc.

Dan’s professional achievements start at the age of 11, when he was successfully selling pretzels on a busy intersection in Philadelphia, and organizing neighborhood kids to work for him in multiple areas of the city. In 1998, after graduating college, Dan and his college roommate, Len Lehman decided to open the first Philly Pretzel Factory in the Mayfair neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia. The store was so successful that in the second year, potential franchisees were approaching him to start franchising his concept. In 2004, he started Soft Pretzel Franchise Systems, Inc., franchising the Philly Pretzel Factory Brand across the Philadelphia region, and now expanding outwards from Philadelphia into 12 states.

In 2011, Dan was a finalist for the Ernest & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and won the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from Smart CEO magazine. The Philly Pretzel Factory System has experienced year over year growth as noted by Entrepreneur Magazine (Top 500 Franchise), Franchise Market (Top 200 Franchise), and Philadelphia Business Journal (Top 10 Franchise).

It was a 2012 episode of television’s “Undercover Boss” that introduced the general public to Dan, his values and his vision and desire to grow Philly Pretzel Factory System. From this experience, Dan learned valuable lessons regarding his relationship with franchisees, which he quickly implemented into the family culture of the Philly Pretzel Factory system.

Drew French

Your Pie

Drew French is the founder of Your Pie, the originator of the down-the-line, fast casual customized pizza category. He has been in the restaurant industry for 16 years and with his passion for gourmet food and following inspiration from his honeymoon in Italy, Drew launched the Your Pie concept in 2006 at the age of 24. Your Pie has grown from his one location in Athens, GA to more than 21 locations throughout Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee, and continuing to expand. Drew is the owner of five Your Pie locations, using them as test markets for new ideas and product launches. Your Pie was named a top new concept by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2013, listed in the Bulldog 100 for two years in a row, and Drew was just honored in the 2015 class for 40 under 40 among UGA alumni.

Nick Friedman & Omar Soliman

College Hunks

Hauling Junk and College Hunks

Moving

As CoFounders of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving (www.CHHJ.com), high school buddies

Omar Soliman and Nick Friedman grew a business concept from hauling junk out of a beatup cargo van into the largest and fastest growing USBased junk removal and moving franchise in the nation. We started in college with just an idea, we then wrote a business plan our senior year, which won


(cont.)

College Hunks Hauling Junk and

College Hunks Moving

first-prize in an entrepreneurship competition. We graduated from college, got corporate jobs, and

then decided to quit our jobs to start the business on a full scale, with successfully franchising the business being our ultimate goal.

Omar and Nick were named on the same list as Mark Zucerkberg as two of the “30 Most Influential CEO’s under 30” by Under30CEO.com . We were both named one of the “Top 30 Entrepreneurs in America Under 30” by INC Magazine and one of the “Top 35 Entrepreneurs Under 35” by TechBISNOW. Omar and Nick were also named a Kauffman Foundation Empact 100 Honoree, and twice named as Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalists.

Omar and Nick published a bestselling book, Effortless Entrepreneur: Work Smart, Play

Hard(www.EffortlessEntrepreneur.com), and have appeared as guests on ABC’s premiere episode of Shark Tank, Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker, NBC’s The Nate Berkus Show, Oprah, HGTV’s HouseHunters, A&E’s Clean House, TLC’s Hoarding Buried Alive, and AMC’s The Pitch.

Nick and Omar were also featured in a Newsweek article entitled “College Kid To Millionaire”, which

also featured Bill Gates (Microsoft), Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook),

Fred Smith (FedEx), and the founders of Google.

Nick and Omar have served as a keynote speaker at various conferences and seminars, including the

International Franchise Association’s Emerging Franchisor Conference and IFA’s Annual Conference, and have spoken at numerous colleges, universities and business conferences.

Nick also served on a White House panel for franchising and small business, and contributed to the Young Entrepreneurs Council’s (YEC) nationally published book, titled, “#FixYoungAmerica.”

Scott Gittrich Toppers Pizza

In 1991, Toppers Pizza Founder & President Scott Gittrich left Domino’s to “do pizza better” – focusing on higher quality ingredients and better, more personalized service. Since launching, the brand has grown to 70 locations across 11 states and doubled in size over the last three years, completely selling out three states. Scott is not just the founder and president, but a franchisee. He plans to maintain corporate ownership of 25 percent of all locations while the brand expands to continuously improve on best practices and product development. According to the Technomic Pizza Consumer Trend Report, of the top 50 pizza companies in the U.S., Toppers Pizza was #1 in overall sales increases from 2012 to 2013 at 17.2%. During Toppers Pizza’s fifth period (April 20 to May 17), company system-wide sales were up 29.1 percent and for the year total, sales had risen 30 percent. Same-store system-wide sales also increased during this period, posting growth of 11.2 percent.

Amit Kleinberger

Menchie’s

I have served in the military of the state of Israel for 3 years on active duty, ranking as a sergeant in an infantry combat unit. I graduated commanders and sergeant schools with honors. I received a commendation for a combat operation I led as a sergeant, where I was injured in combat. Post doing so I have built 4 different businesses in various industries. In 2008 I began franchising my business, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt across the country and the world. I have moved to the united states at the age of 22 with a strong desire to make the world a better place and become an entrepreneur. Today, I have 435 franchised Menchie’s locations in 38 states and 16 countries that I have developed in just 6 years. I am currently building additional 558 locations, and projected to have 1000 open locations within the next 4 years. My current system wide sales are 250M. I am also launching an additional new brand in the Pizza category and will own 2 franchise systems. My franchise is currently the world’s largest self-serve frozen yogurt chain. I was featured as “Americas top CEO’s under 35” in Forbes magazine, the cover of “franchise times” for fastest growing franchises in 2014, featured on two different episodes of UNDERCOVER BOSS in 2013 and 2014. I was a 2014 semifinalist in the Los Angeles Ernest and Young entrepreneur of the year program.

Darin Kraetsch Flip Flop Shop

Franchise

I have held several key management positions during the start-up phase of Scottsdale, Ariz-based franchisor Cold Stone Creamery, Inc. A vital member of the start-up team that built the franchise system into the category-leading concept, as well as one of the most successful franchise systems in America, I was one of the original five partners. I carried my direct responsibility for numerous function areas including training, operations, compliance, real estate and research and development into my following role with Raving Brands Holdings, LLC. I also served as co-founder, principal and officer for Raving Brands, the Atlanta-based leader in the fast-casual dining industry which consists of nine of the fastest-growing franchise brands in America. Now, I am a Co-Founder of FFS Holdings, LLC the parent company of Flip Flop Shops Franchise Company, LLC and have been serving as CEO for both since 2007. As Flip Flop Shops’ CEO, I oversee the company’s day-to-day business of finance, legal, franchise sales, shop development, training and support with a focus on real estate. I also serve as a Principal and Board member of FFS Online, LLC. Flip Flop Shops is the world’s first retail chain exclusive to the hottest brands and latest styles of flip-flops and sandals. Most recently, I co-founded OfficeZilla.com an exciting new e-Commerce venture in the $250 billion market of office supplies that offers more than 50,000 name-brand office supplies at great prices—all delivered next day.

Gordon Logan Sport Clips, Inc.


Chair of VetFran Mentor Program 2013-present


Past President of International Salon/Spa Business Network (ISBN) (trade ass. representing ~20,000 chain and franchised salons and spas in the US and Canada): 2 terms 2009-2012

Board of Directors, VFW Foundation (Sport Clips has funded over $2M to VFW programs for active duty and Veterans)

David Long Orangetheory

Fitness

Dave’s work as a Founder and Managing Partner of Ultimate Fitness Group, LLC has provided him the opportunity to combine his passion towards health and wellness with his expertise and experience in business. His focus is complemented with a degree in Physical Therapy and an MBA from the University of Florida. He spent four years at Massage Envy Spa as Vice President of Operations, taking the concept from 20 stores to 800. Dave went on to partner with Jerome Kern to form Ultimate Fitness Group, LLC. Together, they took European Wax Center from five to 200 locations and sold out the entire U.S. for area development. Dave continues to leverage his wellness and business niche expertise to expand the Orangetheory Fitness franchise from its beginnings in March 2010 to more than 225 locations in the U.S., Canada and U.K. today. Since the company’s launch of its first studio in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Orangetheory Fitness has transformed into one of the world’s top fitness franchises and is on track to open 600 studios by 2017. This aggressive growth has been made possible through Dave Long’s experience and hard work.

David Nilssen

Guidant Financial

Twelve years ago, Jeremy Ames and I saw an opportunity and discovered how to make it a reality. Three billion dollars and more than 10,000 clients later, I’m proud to have helped so many entrepreneurs open the franchise or business of their dreams and fuel our country’s small business engine. My professional achievements are seen through the impact our organization has had in helping entrepreneurs and franchise owners fund their own businesses. In 2005, I pioneered the concept of ‘one-stop shopping’ in franchise financing – combining rollovers for business startups with traditional financing options. Twelve years in, our business is stronger than ever. In fact, small business financing among our clients is up 40 percent since last year. We have even made a public pledge to put $350 million to work for small business in 2015, and I’m pleased to report that we’ve already surpassed the halfway mark. I have been a featured speaker at over 350 national and international events, covering topics from entrepreneurship and branding to small business financing. This includes over 30 franchising events.

David Nilssen (cont.)

Guidant Financial

A personal highlight came earlier this year when Jeremy and I were invited as special guests to speak at an executive lecture series at Turan University in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The three-day series focused on strategic leadership and management for undergraduate and master’s degree students, along with seasoned business professionals. While there, we also had the opportunity to participate in the Transformational Leadership Program (hosted by Ernst & Young), which helps develop select students from top Kazakhstani universities, who then compete for internships in the U.S. My company and I have also been highlighted in such media sources such as CNBC, Fortune Magazine, Entrepreneur, CNN, CNBC, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. And as a newly minted Entrepreneur.com contributor, I have highlighted the benefits of franchising in a number of articles. In 2011, I co-authored a book called Making the Jump into Small Business Ownership with a franchise coach. I also serve on the board of Archbright, which specializes in helping small businesses improve their employment practices.

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

For the past 18 years, I have committed myself whole-heartedly to operating my nationally branded, restaurant franchises successfully. In 1997, I opened my first restaurant, a Golden Corral, in Richardson, Texas. Since then, I have successfully developed markets for multiple brands in multiple geographic areas that had languished or been abandoned by my predecessors in the same brand, or where no market had existed previously. I currently own and operate:

267 Burger King restaurants, 95 Popeyes restaurants, 45 Arby’s restaurants, 36 Cici’s restaurants, 24 Golden Corral restaurants, 12 Krispy Kreme Donuts stores, 39 T-Mobile stores, and 8 additional franchised restaurants in three international airports.

I own the largest Golden Corral and Cici’s Pizza franchises; 2nd largest Popeyes franchise; and the 4th largest Burger King franchise in the country. I employ over 12,000 people. Over the years I have been humbled in receiving many accolades, including:

Being identified as the largest minority franchisee of restaurants in the United States (2013); Being rated as the 9th largest restaurant franchisee (by the Restaurant Finance Monitor in its

2013 top 200 restaurant franchisees report awards); Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latino Hotel and Restaurant Association in

Guillermo Perales (cont.)

Sun Holdings

2012; Burger King’s Developer of the Year for 2012; Popeyes’ Developer of the Year for 2003, 2004, and 2006; Receiving Popeyes Golden Sledgehammer Award in 2013 & 2014 for having opened the most

number of new stores. Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 by Ernst & Young

Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 by Asociacion de Empresarios Mexicanos

Terry Powell


Terry Powell’s life has been dedicated to the development and advancement of the entrepreneur and those who desire to become one. Here are details on how he has grown The Entrepreneur’s Source and created Franchise Source Brands International to be a multi-brand franchisor powerhouse:

Terry created The Entrepreneur’s Source® (E-Source) in 1984 as a business coaching firm providing support and guidance to aspiring business owners, and began franchising the concept in 1998. In recent years, E-Source coaches have placed thousands of individuals in businesses and franchises, representing more than $400 million in client investment dollars.

Terry is a forerunner in the coaching and consulting world with his focus on training and continuing education. For instance, this past year E-Source has begun monthly educational webinars, virtual franchise expos, weekly podcasts, weekly blogposts and more. These, plus the launch of E-Source’s ZorSource® division and sponsorship of the CFE program for the IFA educational foundation are evidence of Terry’s passion for educating today’s small business owners and franchise professionals.

Today, with E-Source’s 30-year history, Terry is considered the founder of the business coaching profession. He formed Franchise Source Brands International™ (FSBI) in 2007, which today operates highly-ranked franchise brands, including: The Entrepreneur’s Source, AdviCoach®, Business Partner Marketing Coach®, Expense Reduction Coaching®, Decor&You®, Franchise Match® and WEBB Women Empowered by Business®.

FSBI’s business coaching brands dominate the $1.5 billion market with a commanding 33 percent of the business coaching and consulting franchise market in North America.

Terry is also a co-founder of WEBB Women Empowered By Business.

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

20 Year Career in the corporate arena with key executive roles with ADP, Ernst & Young, and Intuit. Prior to my Franchise experience, as an entrepreneur I launched several businesses in the Employee Leasing and Business Process Outsourcing industries successfully. As a Franchisor, I co-founded three successful brands; Senior Helpers, Doctors Express, and Assisted Transition. Within these 3 Brands, we awarded more than 500 franchises.

http://www.theentrepreneurssource.com/franchise/the-entrepreneurs-source-story.cfm

http://www.zorsource.com/

http://www.franchisesource.com/fs/about_us/

http://www.advicoach.com/

http://www.businesspartner.com/bp/index.htm

http://www.ercfranchise.com/ercfranchising/index.html

http://www.decorandyou.com/

http://www.franchisematch.com/

http://www.womenebb.com/webb/home/



Anytime Fitness

In 2002, Chuck and Dave co-founded Anytime Fitness and quickly built it into the largest and fastest-growing co-ed fitness club franchise in the world – now with nearly 3,000 franchised gyms located in 22 countries serving 2,600,000 members on five continents. By providing franchisees with the best possible training and support, while simultaneously analyzing and anticipating customer demands, Chuck and Dave created a business model capable of succeeding in virtually any market around the globe. The model revolutionized the fitness industry by addressing the most common excuses people use for not exercising more frequently: cost, the lack of time, and the intimidating nature of traditional fitness clubs. For his “unprecedented and unique contributions to the fitness industry,” Chuck was honored as the John McCarthy Industry Visionary of the Year (2009) by the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). In the midst of a challenging economic climate, Anytime Fitness has achieved remarkable and steady growth, opening an average of 300 clubs each of the past eight years. During that same time, Anytime Fitness expanded in new international markets including: Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Poland, the Netherlands, Japan, India, Chile, Canada, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Qatar. In February of 2013, Forbes honored Anytime Fitness as “One of America’s Most Promising Companies.” Entrepreneur magazine (July, 2015) currently ranks Anytime Fitness #1 on its prestigious “Top Global” franchise list.

Jeff Sinelli Which Wich Superior

Sandwiches

I have been at the helm of three franchise concepts: Genghis Grill, Burguesa Burger and Which Wich Superior Sandwiches. After acquiring my MBA from City University in Michigan, I headed to Dallas in the mid ‘90s to develop several independent restaurants and nightclubs before focusing on building multiunit concepts. In 1998, I created Genghis Grill, a Mongolian Barbecue restaurant, which I grew to 11 units in five states. It was awarded the prestigious Hot Concept! Award by Nation’s Restaurant News in 2002. I sold the concept in 2003 to focus on filling a void in the sandwich area, and created Which Wich in 2003. QSR Magazine referred to me as a “branding phenom” upon the launch of Which Wich. The brand has since grown to more than 400 locations domestically and internationally, with more than 100 locations in development. In 2009 I launched my most recent venture, Burguesa Burger.

Chris & Robin Sorensen

Firehouse Subs

We created a single restaurant, menu and concept that works (Firehouse Subs) in 1994 that employed one paid employee and family members. We built on that success and developed it into a regional, then national brand that now employees approximately 10,000 employees. The professional achievement we’re most proud of is Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation that we created in 2005 to donate life-saving equipment to first responders, public safety entities and training facilities. To date, we’ve donated to 572 fire departments, police departments and schools at a cost of more than


(cont.)

Firehouse Subs

$6.8 million. We’re also responsible for creating approximately 10,000 jobs across the country in 36 states and Puerto Rico.

Nominee Affiliated Company

Questionnaire Response No. 2 How have these achievements advanced the principles of franchising as a viable business strategy, and its positive visibility?



The awards bestowed on Dan by Ernst & Young and Smart CEO have resulted in a heightened awareness of the brand and assisted Philly Pretzel Factory’s ability to recruit not only qualified franchise prospects, but also a top notch executive and operational team. The positive effects are proven with seven years of same store growth and of overall system wide growth from new franchisees resulting in a large number of individual unit franchisees growing into to multi-unit franchisees.

Dan’s appearance on “Undercover Boss” had an enormous positive effect on the visibility of franchising and his business strategy. Dan is a big-hearted and caring person with great business acumen. In the episode, he talked about a “new non-traditional model” which has since turned into a store in store (or other location) model. Philly Pretzel Factory has entered into a master lease with Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, to open Philly Pretzel Factories throughout the country, and is directly related to the rapid geographic expansion of Philly Pretzel Factory brand.

Drew French

Your Pie

Drew French is the founder of Your Pie, the originator of the down-the-line, fast casual customized pizza category. He has been in the restaurant industry for 16 years and with his passion for gourmet food and following inspiration from his honeymoon in Italy, Drew launched the Your Pie concept in 2006 at the age of 24. Your Pie has grown from his one location in Athens, GA to more than 21 locations throughout Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee, and continuing to expand. Drew is the owner of five Your Pie locations, using them as test markets for new ideas and product launches. Your Pie was named a top new concept by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2013, listed in the Bulldog 100 for two years in a row, and Drew was just honored in the 2015 class for 40 under 40 among UGA alumni.




Our best-selling book, Effortless Entrepreneur: Work Smart, Play Hard, aims to motivate aspiring entrepreneurs with a fun and entertaining approach to business. It offers relatable advice and

useful resources for taking any business concept and systemizing it to allow the entrepreneur to eventually franchise. The book features a Foreword by Michael Gerber, author of the

bestselling E-Myth series.

Furthermore, Nick was the keynote speaker at the United States Association of Small Business and

Entrepreneurship. Nick and Omar have spoken at several colleges and universities in an effort to


(cont.)



motivate and inspire young people to work toward entrepreneurial success, with a focus on

franchising.

In addition, Nick served on a White House panel for franchising and small business, and spoke about franchising and business growth at the Veterans Employment Conference in Detroit.

Nick and Omar’s contribution to the Young Entrepreneurs Council’s book, #FixYoungAmerica, seeks

to offer realistic, achievable ideas for how our lawmakers can have a genuine, positive impact on

the laws regarding franchising and small business in America.

Nick has also published numerous articles for Huffington Post, one of which focuses on Veteran

franchising, and another which offers franchising as an alternative option to graduate school.


In 1991, Toppers Pizza Founder & President Scott Gittrich left Domino’s to “do pizza better” – focusing on higher quality ingredients and better, more personalized service. Since launching, the brand has grown to 70 locations across 11 states and doubled in size over the last three years, completely selling out three states. Scott is not just the founder and president, but a franchisee. He plans to maintain corporate ownership of 25 percent of all locations while the brand expands to continuously improve on best practices and product development. According to the Technomic Pizza Consumer Trend Report, of the top 50 pizza companies in the U.S., Toppers Pizza was #1 in overall sales increases from 2012 to 2013 at 17.2%. During Toppers Pizza’s fifth period (April 20 to May 17), company system-wide sales were up 29.1 percent and for the year total, sales had risen 30 percent. Same-store system-wide sales also increased during this period, posting growth of 11.2 percent.

Amit Kleinberger

Menchie’s

Franchising is our country’s small business backbone, and a symbol to the strength of the American small business economy. The achievements I have accomplished have helped to promote franchising by virtue of me personally helping 450 franchisees realize their entrepreneurial dreams through franchising of my brand. I have showed my franchisees, in which most have not been in franchising before, that the business model of franchising works, and that franchising is a viable business strategy that is positive and makes people realize their dreams of owning their own business. In addition, I am actively promoting franchising as the avenue for entrepreneurship through speaking and writing engagements - in prestigious institutions such as: University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) , California state university of Northridge (CSUN), FOX business, Money on FOX, two separate episodes of CBS- “UNDERCOVER BOSS”, Forbes, IFA, Franchise update, franchise times, keynote in

Amit Kleinberger (cont.)

Menchie’s

IFA emerging franchisor conference, CEO panelist in Fast Casual conference, CEO panelist in NRA (National Restaurant Association) Conference, High schools, speaker in various business programs, and others…. I participate in promoting franchising in various actions such as FranPAC, VetrFran, international committee, convention committee and more… I believe that franchising is America’s best small business strategy, and am dedicated to advocate our industry to future generations. My achievements help my personal mission which to help inspire people and immigrants like me to pursue their dreams through franchising…


Franchise

At Flip Flop Shops, we advance the principles of franchising through presenting a business strategy that promotes complete honesty—doing things the right way. We pride ourselves on complete transparency and honesty as franchisors, with everything laid out in our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). We work to create a perception of honesty and integrity in our practices that help advance the principles of franchising as a viable business strategy that combats the negative perceptions the franchising industry faces.


VetFran is an important connection for Veterans, esp. those transitioning from military to civilian careers. Much remains to be done to enhance this program, and I am looking forward to becoming the Chair next year. As President of ISBN I got the CEOs of Great Clips and Fantastic Sams on our Board of Directors, joining Regis Corp. and Sport Clips as franchised business representatives. This has helped to raise the profile of franchised salons in the haircare industry to a significant degree.


Fitness

Dave’s proven track record of success using the franchising model has encouraged other entrepreneurs to enter into the franchising field. Several of the first-time franchisees with Orangetheory fitness are a direct result of Dave’s influence and leadership. The aggressive yet sustainable growth of Massage Envy, European Wax Centers and Orangetheory Fitness has helped push the franchising model into a positive business media spotlight. From winning awards in top magazines, such as Entrepreneur and Inc., to highlighting business successes through features in Forbes, Dave’s success in business is always supplemented by a strong media push to showcase the franchising industry in a positive light.

David Nilssen Guidant Financial

At Guidant, our mission is to increase the number of people who succeed in small business. Our core funding service, rollovers for business startups, allows individuals to fund a business with equity – not debt. Our clients are 61 percent more likely to succeed than the average small business owner because they carry no debt. Our organization has focused heavily on serving franchisees because of the industry’s higher success rates. Our recent partnership with MultiFunding and participation in franchise industry organizations (including IFA) are also factors. Furthermore, I co-authored a book with a franchising coach, and the content of the book has a deliberate heavy bias in favor of franchising. In addition to investing countless hours of staff time, travel and PR resources, we pledged two thousand copies of our book to U.S. veterans through the Operation Enduring Opportunity campaign, in partnership with the IFA and Joining Forces, led by the First Lady, Michelle Obama. This has certainly elevated the brand of franchising in the eyes of the small business community and general public. In 2010, Guidant pledged to fund over 500 veteran-owned businesses and have funded approximately 175 each year since making that pledge. By providing more opportunities for financing to the general public, we’re not only raising awareness about franchising, we’re providing a clear path to franchising success.

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

My real life achievements exemplify how applying franchising principles can lead to remarkable success and serve as a viable business strategy for others. Before I began to build my restaurant business, I had no experience in the industry. Moreover, as a newly arrived immigrant, I had no connections to the business and banking communities. But through my involvement in restaurant franchise systems, the doors of economic opportunity opened wide for me. With their experience and practical know-how, the franchisors showed me how to operate my restaurants profitably. They provided me with roadmaps, which, if I followed diligently, would take me to my desired destinations. Although I still had to navigate around many road hazards, the systems developed by the franchisors allowed me to keep my eyes on the road and not worry about whether I was traveling in the right direction. The franchise model also provided me with access to capital to finance my operations and grow the businesses. I have found that lenders are comfortable lending to operators of franchise brands because of the reliability of the financial pro forma information and familiarity with a particular brand’s operation. Additionally, franchising creates formal and informal support networks among fellow franchisees and our franchisors. We meet regularly at conventions, in workshops, and through associations, where

Guillermo Perales

(cont.)

Sun Holdings

we learn from each others’ successes and mistakes. In a deeper sense, I hope that my story inspires others to make use of franchising principles in their quest for a better life.

Terry Powell


Terry and E-Source have been responsible for bringing hundreds of thousands of candidates to franchisors across North America; his company has literally launched the franchises of many of the IFA’s top brands. Terry has also provided advice and encouragement to non-franchise concepts, thereby assisting them in becoming involved in franchising. Through the years, Terry has created the largest and most well-established Franchisor/Franchisee Coaching and Consulting organization that exists today. And, with more than 640 franchisor partners, he has established very strong relationships with many franchisors, including Menchie’s, Meineke/Maaco, and Sport Clips, among others. In addition to this year’s new initiatives that were mentioned in the first response (see below for details) that help prospective franchise owners find the right franchise concept, Terry has created programs designed to help ramp-up new franchisees faster and turn around underperforming franchise units. For instance, E-Source created the FAST™ program—the only online business curriculum specifically designed for franchisees. This program has been recognized as part of the CFE program. On a daily basis, E-Source is dedicated to improving the education of franchise executives through its ZorSource division and sponsorship of the CFE. Terry and his company advance the mission of the franchising industry by giving professionals the ability to discover their dream of becoming their own boss through the path to self-sufficiency. Unlike a franchise broker, E-Source is dedicated to the development and advancement of those who desire to take control of their professional career path for greater success. The company prides itself on having the ability to give the most comprehensive, objective, unbiased and meaningful coaching available to allow prospective entrepreneurs to come to their own conclusions about their future. E-Source helps them find the right opportunities to achieve their desired Income, Lifestyle, Wealth and Equity goals. Terry champions the entrepreneurial movement worldwide and has an incomparable drive to see people succeed. In today’s economy, amid challenging job markets around the world, Terry’s thoughtful leadership is more relevant than ever. Under his guidance, E-Source recognizes the need to support the entrepreneurial movement, meeting the high demand for coaching services that

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http://franchisenewsroom.com/fsbifranchises/tes/international-franchise-association-certifies-the-entrepreneur-s-source-s-fast-program-for-cfe-credits/

Terry Powell (cont.)


support professionals at pivotal crossroads in their careers. Specific initiatives E-Source has created to help move people from Employment to Empowerment through franchising include:

Monthly Complimentary Educational Webinars/Virtual Franchise Expos: In 2012, E-Source launched its state-of-the-art expo series called “Start a Business Weekends”—virtual and live franchise expos that allow prospective entrepreneurs the ability to explore business opportunities and gain advice from experts without leaving their home or office. Since then, E-Source has been alternating each month between offering complimentary educational webinars for prospective franchisees and its Start a Business Weekend virtual expos.

Weekly Podcasts: To give prospective entrepreneurs another platform to educate themselves about franchising, FSBI is launching six weekly, educational podcast series over this year that are hosted by company executives and include industry experts, leaders and coaches as guests. Featured on BlogTalkRadio.com, the following three shows launched this past April:

o “What Keeps You Up at Night,” powered by AdviCoach, Expense Reduction Coaching and Business Partner Marketing Coach: Geared toward small business owners, this show explores various topics impacting today’s self-sufficient professionals and strategies to overcome them. It airs every Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whatkeepsyouup.

o “Franchise Today,” presented by ZorSource: A relaunch of FSBI CEO Paul Segreto’s existing podcast, “Franchise Today,” this series provides a wide range of topics that target the franchise community and is geared toward professionals who serve or work in franchise companies. It airs every Tuesday at noon ET at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/franchisetodayshow. .

o “Franchise Friday,” hosted by E-Source: Aimed to educate the general public on franchise ownership as a career path to achieve one’s desired Income, Lifestyle, Wealth and Equity goals. Topics range from how to know if entrepreneurship is the best next step to how to finance a franchise. The show airs every Friday at 10 a.m. ET at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/franchisefriday.

The second wave of shows will launch this fall and will be hosted by Decor&You, WEBB Women Empowered by Business, and Terry; Terry’s show will be focused on entrepreneurship. These podcast series are part of a larger educational initiative the brands are launching called “ICE,” which stands for Information, Communication and Education. It is a cross-platform, multi-tiered program that allows FSBI to better reach its target audiences and provide them with valuable information. Overall, their goal is to become a go-to resource in each respective space, and they are doing this by exploring topics in each podcast show

http://www.startabusinessweekend.com/

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whatkeepsyouup

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/franchisetodayshow

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/franchisefriday



that audiences will truly find beneficial.

o Consistently Updated Blogs, Infographics: In late 2013, E-Source launched a blog at http://www.entrepreneurssource.com/blog/ to provide prospective franchisees an additional resource for information on franchise entrepreneurship. Each month, one unique piece of content is posted to the following categories: E-Source Says, E-Tips, Franchise Opportunities, Industry News, Success Stories, and Trends in Franchising. This past June, E-Source released an infographic to show the difference in achieving life goals through employment versus business ownership, specifically looking at the benefits of self-sufficiency in the systemized business model offered by franchise companies (view infographic here). FSBI is currently in the process of launching blogs for its AdviCoach and ZorSource brands. The AdviCoach blog will provide advice and how-to tips for small- to mid-sized business owners. For the ZorSource blog, E-Source will be working with its franchisor partners to put together six franchisor profiles each month and two franchisor spotlight videos, which will include interviews with corporate as well as the brand’s franchisees. This blog will be housed on the E-Source website so prospective franchisees can learn more about the various opportunities available.

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

At Senior Helpers, we continue to expand the success of the senior care franchise space. Senior Helpers is very involved with the IFA and other associations such as the Home Care Association of America where I serve on the Board as President. Doctors Express was the first ever successful urgent care franchise and showed that medical services could be franchise in the US.


Anytime Fitness

One of the hallmarks of Anytime Fitness is the fact that virtually anyone with the drive and the passion to own his or her own business can do so – successfully – with the help of our franchisee support system. Most Anytime Fitness franchisees have little or no prior experience in the fitness industry and fewer than 50% ever owned a business before opening their first club. The only thing that Anytime Fitness asks of its franchisees is that they have a sincere and genuine desire to help others in their community improve the quality of their lives by leading healthier, more active lifestyles. If that requirement is met, then the Anytime Fitness franchise support staff will teach new franchisees how to engage public and private entities and transform entire communities – one individual at a time. From a national media perspective, Chuck and Dave shined a bright, positive light on the franchising industry via their recent appearance on ABC’s “Secret Millionaire.” On the show, which was viewed by 5.4-million Americans and re-broadcast in several other countries, Chuck and Dave did a superb job of representing franchisors, dedicated to providing good people from all

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(cont.)

Anytime Fitness

walks of life with opportunities to contribute positively to society in a variety of different ways. Similarly, Anytime Fitness was featured in 2013 in a special episode of “Be the Boss Canada.” More recently, Chuck was featured, promoting franchising, on several national broadcast media outlets in Spain and the UK, while Dave did the same in Singapore.


Sandwiches

Based on my extensive experience in creating and operating various business concepts I have been able to create an iconic brand that has grown dramatically over the past few years. I created Which Wich with the hope of letting others realize their business ownership dreams and to bring a unique sandwich concept to food lovers across the world—I have achieved this by offering a strong franchise-friendly model, providing the necessary tools for the franchisees to successfully grow their franchises, and offering franchisees with as much support as possible. The success of Which Wich reflects the viability of franchising as a solid business model as the brand continues to pop up in new and existing markets, and as our system continues to attract multi-unit franchisees confident in our concept.


Firehouse Subs

We were able to build our brand with discipline and frugality, and we had a plan for growth. We encourage our franchisees to follow the same path we took regarding discipline and frugality. Executing the plan is the decision that everyone had to make. Operators must decide if they’re willing to put business before personal needs. We did and we encourage our operators to do the same. Executing this model makes franchising a very viable option.

Nominee Affiliated Company Questionnaire Response No. 3 List the leadership and/or committee/task force positions you have held in IFA.



Dan is currently seeking national level committee opportunities as well as panelist opportunities for the IFA Annual Convention and other conferences. He is longstanding IFA member and is active in his local Franchise Business Network where he constantly adds value to the franchise community. It is not uncommon for Dan to share information that most people would deem confidential in order to accurately and articulately provide relevant case study information. Dan also utilizes the FBN to seek good advice, share experience and lessons learned and to consistently try to learn new and better ways to stay ahead in the franchise community.

Drew French

Your Pie

Drew French is not currently on any leadership and/or committee/task force positions in IFA. However, Drew is interested in learning how he can help make an impact and further the goals of the IFA and promote the franchise industry.




Panelist and Executive Roundtable Host at prior IFA events.

Speaker at Emerging Franchisor Conference

Speaker at IFA Annual Conference

Speaker at IFA/FBN local events

Invited to attend as a guest on the executive planning committee


Scott has not held any positions within IFA but is interested in any opportunities that might be

Amit Kleinberger Menchie’s

I have served in the IFA convention committee in 2013 and am serving in 2014.

I am serving in the 2014 international committee.

I am active in FranPac as a max donor and the main sponsor for the FranPac IFA September conference.

I am active in VetFran and sponsor a chairman corps max level

I am active in the Taste of franchising event, and am committed to growing this important franchise component on the annual convention.


Franchise

I have been a long-standing member of the IFA and VetFran. I have been a panelist for the International Franchise Association at events based out of Atlanta, Ga. I was also a featured guest speaker at the IFA’s 43rd Annual Legal Symposium in Washington, D.C.



Chair of VetFran Mentor Program 2013-present



Fitness

Dave will be speaking at the Emerging Franchisor Conference in November. Although Dave has not yet held any committee/task force positions in IFA, he would welcome the opportunity.


I am a past member of the Social Sector Task Force; the Membership Committee; the VetFran Committee; and the President’s Council.

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

Member of International Development Committee Member of Strategic Planning Committee Member of the Diversity Franchisee Committee Board Member of Popeyes Independent Franchisee Association NACD Member

Terry Powell


Terry has been a frequent speaker and presenter at IFA Functions. He also sponsored The Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 10 consecutive years (2002-2012) and became the sole sponsor of the CFE program for the IFA educational foundation in 2011.

Terry has served on the Diversity Institute Board of the IFA and, along with FSBI company Decor&You,

also sponsors the Women’s Franchise Committee’s Crystal Award.

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

Early on when we joined IFA, I served briefly on the Supplier Committee. I was very involved in the conferences and served as a panelist on several breakout sessions. I decided to get more involved with the senior care industry associations and have served on the Board and now President of the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA). HCAOA has partnered with the IFA on several initiatives such as the Companion Exemption Lawsuit and the Minimum Wage issue in Seattle. I believed that this was a great way to help both the IFA and HCAOA succeed as there is strength in numbers to create advocacy strategies that can succeed together.


Anytime Fitness

Dave Mortensen served as a session host/facilitator during the IFA’s Executive Leadership Conference at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Dave has also served as a member of the IFA’s Franchisor Forum and Technology committees and he submitted an application seeking to serve as on the IFA’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Chuck Runyon was invited to write a marketing piece for “Franchising World.” His commentary, “Ahead of the Curve: Marketing is a Constant Process of Re-Invention,” was published in the April, 2011 issue. Also, Vice President of International Development for Anytime Fitness, John Kersh, recently served on the IFA’s Annual Convention Committee.


Sandwiches

I have not focused on holding any positions because I have been focused on my growing my franchise and providing support to the system. However, I am certainly looking for new ways to get involved in the franchising community, both domestically and internationally.


Firehouse Subs

N/A


Questionnaire Response No. 4 List other awards and honors bestowed upon you by the franchising community.



Dan has been featured on the cover of Franchise Times, featuring the growth of franchisees, geographical growth, and growth of the Wal-Mart model. Numerous articles have written about the expansion of Philly Pretzel Factory, including publications such as Franchise Market Magazine which identified Philly Pretzel Factory as a “New Franchise” to watch (ca. 2006).

Drew French

Your Pie

Your Pie has consistently been recognized by Franchise Business Review for its unique concept and high satisfaction among franchisees.




At age 25, Omar and Nick were the youngest franchisors in America in 2007.

International Franchise Association Emerging Leader Conference Speakers

International Franchise Association Annual Conference Speakers

INC speaking presentation: Franchising: How to Lead Many Leaders

Small Business Lending Summit Networking – Franchise Finance Networking

Roundtables

Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalists (two-times)


Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Toppers Pizza as one of the top 500 franchises in the U.S and QSR Magazine listed the company as one of the year’s Best Franchise Deals. In 2013, Nation’s Restaurant News declared the brand as one of the 50 breakout chains of the year and Toppers received a No. 58 spot in Pizza Today’s top 100 pizza companies.


Awarded in Forbes list America’s top CEO’s under 35

Awarded on the cover of Franchise times as the fastest growing franchise in 2014

Nominated as a Semifinalist for the Ernest and young 2014 entrepreneur of the year award


Franchise

Named a Top Military Friendly Franchise® by G.I. Jobs magazine for 2012

Ranked No. 297 on 2012 Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 list

Placed No. 14 in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2012 “Top New” category

Ranked No. 94 in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2012 “Fastest Growing Category

Placed in top-10 percentile of Inc. magazine’s 500 | 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States, placing No.425 on the list for 2011

Landed at No. 12 in retail category based on Inc. magazine’s 500 | 5000 list for 2011

Ranked No. 13 in Atlanta-based category based on Inc. magazine’s 500 | 5000 list for 2011

Ranked at No. 1469 in Inc. magazine’s 500 | 5000 list for 2010

Recipient of the International Council of Shopping Centers’ prestigious “Hot Retailer Award,”

Flip Flop Shops is an Environmentally Responsible Retailer™ In my franchising career, I have also received a Franchise Satisfaction Award, ranked No. 1 in Fast Casual Magazine’s Top 100 Movers and Shakers and was recognized as a Hot Concept Award Winner


IFA Distinguished Achievement Award in 1983 as a franchisee of Command Performance Salons.

Sport Clips:

#1 Franchise for Veterans, Military Times, 2013

One of top 10 (#2) franchises in category by Forbes Magazine, 2014

Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500 since 1999

Most Popular Franchise for Veterans (#3), Entrepreneur Magazine 2011

#1 Franchise, Franchise Gator 2014


Fitness

Dave is honored to have been included as one of Broward County’s 40 under 40. Orangetheory Fitness was also included in Entrepreneur’s 2015 Franchise 500® list of the top franchises in the world. The company also recently ranked #399 in Inc. magazine’s Fastest Growing Private Companies List.

David Nilssen

Guidant Financial

I have personally been recognized by:

Top 100 Small Business Influencers (2011)

40 Under 40 Business Leadership Award (2009, 2007)


Guidant Financial

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist (2009, 2008)

SBA National Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2007) Under my leadership, Guidant has been recognized by:

Washington’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, Seattle Business magazine (2015)

Fastest Growing Private Companies in America List, INC 5000 (2009, 2010, 2013, 2015)

Puget Sound Business Journal Washington’s Best Workplaces (2011)

Wash. Secretary of State Corporations for Communities, Honorable Mention (2011)

U.S. Chamber of Commerce NW Regional Small Business of the Year (2007)

CEO Magazine WA Fastest Growing Companies (2007, 2008, 2009)

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

MVP Award as Multi-Unit Franchisee (2013 Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine) Top 200 franchise systems award 2013 Sun Holdings is ranked #9 Board Member of NFA(National Franchisee Association)/ President of the Burger King

Hispanic Franchise Association (IHFA) Board Member for the Latino Hotel and Restaurant Association Board Member of the Burger King Diversity Advisory Board Board Member of NAMG (National Association Management Group) Board Member of the NFA (National Franchisee Association) Recognized by Area Developers magazine as one of America’s top franchisees in 2008 & 2009

Terry Powell


Certified Franchise Executive: Terry was honored with the CFE designation at the 2005 IFA convention, after he completed all the coursework in record time.

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

Franchise 500 – Senior Helpers has been listed on this prestigious ranking each year since 2008.

FAST 55 – Senior Helpers has been ranked in multiple years in the list

Franchoice – All 3 Brands have been given awards by the top Franchise Broker Community for fasting growing, best validation, and fastest to close.


Anytime Fitness

Entrepreneur magazine ranks Anytime Fitness #1 on its “Top Global Franchise” list – and #1 in the “Fitness Businesses” category – four years in a row.

Forbes (June, 2015) ranks Anytime Fitness #9 on its list of “Best Franchises in America.”

Franchise Times (March, 2015) ranks Anytime Fitness #6 on its “Fast and Serious” list of fast-growing franchise systems that also have staying power:

Forbes (February, 2013) names Anytime Fitness one of “America’s Most Promising Companies.”

Inc. magazine (August, 2013) places Anytime Fitness on its “Honor Roll” for being a five-time Inc. 5000 honoree.

CNN Money (June 2011) honored Anytime Fitness as one of “10 Great Franchise Bets.”

Club Business International (July, 2015) ranks Anytime Fitness as the: o “Fastest-Growing Fitness Club in the World” (366 news clubs in 2014) – Eight years in a

row Anytime Fitness is “Fastest-Growing” o “#1 Co-Ed Fitness Franchise in the World” (2,739 open clubs) o #4 on the “Number of Members” list with 2,300,000 o #1 on the “Revenue Growth” list with $967,000,000 (FY2013) – a 21% growth rate.

Minnesota Business magazine (June, 2015) ranked Anytime Fitness the #1 Best Company to Work For in Minnesota (large companies) – for the 4th year in a row!

FranchiseChattter.com (2011) ranks Anytime Fitness the “#1 Best Franchise Business Model.”

Four straight years, Anytime Fitness has been named one of the “Top 50 Franchises for Minorities” by the National Minority Franchising Initiative.

Five years in a row, Anytime Fitness has been honored as a “Top Military Friendly Franchise” by GI-Jobs.


Sandwiches

Which Wich was named a Hot Concept! by Nation’s Restaurant News in 2007, making me one of only a handful of restaurateurs to win the coveted award twice. In 2012, Gourmet named me one of the Top 25 American Food Entrepreneurs and referred to Which Wich as ‘the funnest lunch in the land’. In 2013, Which Wich was ranked number 8 in Dallas Business Journal’s ‘Dallas 100: DFW’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies. In 2014, QSR named Which Wich one of their ‘2014 Best Franchise Deals” and Forbes listed Which Wich as one of their 2014 ’30 Best Franchises to Buy’. We also received the 2015 Nation’s Restaurant News MenuMasters ‘Healthful Innovations’ award.


Firehouse Subs

For two years in a row, franchisees ranked Firehouse Subs No. 1 for franchisee satisfaction in Franchise Business Review.

The Ten Fastest-Growing Chains with Sales above $200MM – Ranked No. 2 by Technomic

Chain Restaurant Consumers’ Choice Award – Ranked No. 1 in Fast Casual Service Category by

Chris & Robin

Sorensen (cont.)

Firehouse Subs

Technomic

Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Regional Award Winner by Ernst & Young in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

Nominee Affiliated Company Questionnaire Response No. 5 Detail your history of community involvement.



In Philadelphia, it is not uncommon for people to ask “what neighborhood are you from,” not “what area or development do you live” and Dan knows and understands the importance of neighborhoods and communities. For this reason, he considers any neighborhood where there is a Philly Pretzel Factory to be his neighborhood, and always there to help. This is why initially he made a conscious decision to be a part of the local community by sponsoring little league teams, arenas, and helping out in every way he can.

Every spring, Dan throws an annual free block party in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia, the neighborhood where he opened the original Philly Pretzel Factory store. Each year, over one thousand people come for pony rides, face painting, kids’ rides, games, and more.

Since 2014, Dan has partnered with Friendwatch, an anti-bullying initiative that allows children to anonymously alert administrators of bullying in school while remaining completely anonymous. This program is offered at NO COST to the individual school.

Drew French

Your Pie

Your Pie’s core value and culture is built around community involvement in all the communities they serve. The brand does a Dine a Donates at all of their grand openings, where the proceeds go to local charities. They also host benefit nights where a percentage of the sales goes to selected community groups. Personally, Drew French is involved with the Extra Special People (ESP) organization, where he provides food with the Your Pie mobile oven, monetary donations, and is involved in different events. Among the whole system, Your Pie has donated thousands of hours and more than $100,00 to more than 20 local organizations.




Nationally, we are partnered with non-profits like Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill Industries. Each year, College Hunks donates over 10,000 tons of used belongings to Goodwill: the equivalent of over $2Million in retail value. Added to our recycling initiative, we are able to donate or recycle over 70% of everything we haul. We have also volunteered our time as speakers for the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), which seeks to inspire inner-city students with entrepreneurial training.


(cont.)



Additionally, College Hunks donates a $5,000 college scholarship award each year through a program called “College Bound,” which helps underprivileged youths in the D.C. area by helping to make college a realistic option where it otherwise wouldn’t have been due to lack of finances.

Locally, our corporate-owned Tampa franchise has participated in charity events such as“Paint Your Heart Out” and “Fight for Air Climb 2013.” We’ve also participated in the local “Gasparilla Parades” and the Red Bull Flugtag Tampa.

As a member of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce, we intentionally chose the location for College Hunks’ World Headquarters to be adjacent to the local community college in order to provide a convenient employment option for local students both in our national call center and within our local Tampa operation. All of this is part of our larger effort to support the local economy and help breathe new life into Ybor City’s Business District.

Our company purpose is to “Move the World” which starts with our community involvement. We have 4 core values as an organization that we adhere to, which are:

Building Leaders

Always Branding

Listen Fulfill & Delight

Creating a Fun Enthusiastic Team Environment


Toppers Pizza has partnered with Feeding America® for the past four years and with their $100,000 donation in 2014, the brand has collectively raised over $250,000 since beginning the partnership. Every dollar donated to Feeding America® provides eight meals for families in need, so that is the equivalent of more than 2 million meals. The brand plans to continue their partnership and fundraising efforts with Feeding America® in 2015. Toppers franchisees also engage in local market charitable causes and efforts.

Amit Kleinberger

Menchie’s

I have been involved with the community as early as my military service at the enlisting age of 18. I support numerous national known charities and organizations, such as “Make a wish”, Girl scouts of America”, the “Muscular Dystrophy association” {“MDA}, American Heart Association”, and more. In 2012 and 2013 I raised over $400,000 for the muscular Dystrophy association. I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the country’s third largest community charity organization “the American Heart Association” {AHA}, and also serve on their executive leadership team. I am also going to be the incoming Chairman of the American Heart Association – “Heart walk” for 2015.

Amit Kleinberger

(cont.)

Menchie’s

I speak and volunteer at known universities with the objective of helping their business schools develop future entrepreneurs, and endorse their schools with my support. Amongst these universities are UCLA and CSUN. Through the years I have raised funds and supported national fundraising efforts for matters such as Haiti disaster through my franchise system all across the US in hundreds of locations.


Franchise

I believe it is important to give back to the communities in which we live, always leaving a positive footprint on the world around us. Throughout my franchising career I have been committed to giving back to the community; I have partnered with Soles4Souls, Make A Wish Foundation, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. My level of community involvement also bleeds into my local community. I volunteer with local youth football and baseball teams, and I am also involved with the Kennesaw Business Association.


Board of Directors, VFW Foundation (2011-present)

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Philanthropy Award 2012

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Large Business of Year Award 2013

Boys & Girls Club Milbank Award (multiple times)

Primary sponsor of Ride On Center for Kids (R.O.C.K.) – equine therapy for kids and Veterans, Georgetown, TX

Primary sponsor of Ageless Aviation Dreams – biplane rides for WWII Vets across US

Primary sponsor of Wounded Warriors Family Support High Five Tour 2013

Sponsor of Honor Flights transporting WWII Veterans to Washington, D.C. to view the WWII Memorial and other military memorials.

Sponsor of Aleethia Foundation dinners for wounded warriors undergoing rehad at Bethesda Naval Hospital

Past:

Board of Visitors, Southwestern University

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Board

Georgetown Industrial Foundation Board

Georgetown Community Clinic Board

David Long

Orangetheory Fitness

Orangetheory Fitness is dedicated to giving back to the local community. The corporate studios contribute to local and national organizations, such as:

Toys for Tots Foundation

The Pantry of Broward Food Bank

American Lung Association – Fight for Air Climb

David Long (cont.)

Orangetheory Fitness

Covenant House Charity

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

National Breast Cancer Foundation sponsor

Sponsorship of underprivileged families during the holidays

Movember participation to raise money for testicular and prostate cancer

David Nilssen

Guidant Financial

I have served on the board of The Seattle Entrepreneur Organization (EO) for six years, and I was the acting President in 2011-2012. The Entrepreneur Organization is a nonprofit group that provides peer-to-peer opportunities for entrepreneurs to learn and grow together. The companies represented in the organization collectively employ 5,500 individuals in Washington and generate $1.5 billion in sales. Globally, they have over 11,000 members who meet regularly to share ‘triumphs and tragedies’ from their own business experiences to enrich the path of others. They also create individual forums comprised of eight to 12 entrepreneurs who support one another in specific areas of business. Today I serve EO Global as a regional director overseeing the entrepreneurs’ education/learning curriculum. As mentioned above, this spring, my co-founder and I were invited as special guests to speak at an executive lecture series in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city and business center. Hosted by Turan University, the three-day lecture series focused on strategic leadership and management. Additionally, we participated in the Transformational Leadership Program (TLP) during our visit, hosted by Ernst & Young. TLP develops select students from top Kazakhstani universities, who then compete for internships in the U.S. I currently serve on their advisory board to help develop student and young business leaders in emerging countries. This was an incredible opportunity to give back, and I was honored to have been chosen. In addition, I served on the board of Ashoka’s Youth Venture for two years, and Guidant is still actively involved with the organization. Ashoka’s Youth Venture is a nonprofit organization that helps teams of young people (aged 12 – 20) design and launch their own social ventures by awarding them seed grants and providing mentorship. Each month Guidant selects a “Client of the Month” from their organization and makes a monetary donation in their name to Ashoka’s Youth Venture. Plus, our company adopted “Shandra,” a hearing-impaired young woman, and helped her build a model to evaluate whether she’d launch a 501©(3) to create a community for underprivileged youth. A total of $20,000 has been committed in donations to the group. Also, through the IFA’s VetFran organization, Guidant Financial has participated in the Operation Enduring Opportunity campaign, offering 12 funding services scholarships to veterans, a commitment to find and fund over 500 veteranpreneurs and providing all veterans with a 10% discount on our


Guidant Financial

services and a complimentary business book. Guidant Financial is committed to giving back to the communities in which its employees live and work. As part of this commitment, Guidant employees have organized a Social Commitment Committee (SCC), composed of Guidant employees wanting to make a difference in the lives of others. Over the past years, we have supported the following organizations with both time and resources:

Project Night Night

Summer Search (Ongoing)

Rebuilding Together

Sole Burner Run/Walk

Newport High School’s High Functioning Autism Program

Life Care Center of Puyallup

Outdoors For All Foundation

American Cancer Society

Salvation Army (Wisconsin)

Seattle Marathon

Bellevue Boys and Girls Club – Guidant’s First Annual Golf Invitational

Connect Cheer Association

Susan G. Komen - Race for the Cure

Rebuilding Together

SCORE - Counselors to American Small Business

The Sibling House – Seasonal Stocking Event

Northwest Harvest – Company Food Drive

YWCA - School Supply Drive

American Cancer Society - Relay for Life

YWCA - Giving Tree

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

In 1999, I initiated the Certificate of Achievement Program for several area school systems. This award recognizes student achievements in local school programs that emphasize reading and encourage students to remain in school. In 2014, my company distributed certificates representing more than four million free meals given to local students in these programs. Although learning and reading has its obvious benefits and rewards, the children also like to see something tangible for their efforts such as a free buffet lunch or dinner. We have also set up a scholarship program for the continual education of students. In 2014 we rewarded 180 scholarships from $100 – 10,000.

Guillermo Perales (cont.)

Sun Holdings

I also make sure that my restaurants honor those who have defended our national freedom by serving more than 50,000 free meals each year to armed services members and veterans.

I am also a co-founder of the Latin American/DFW Fund, which raises money for Latino-based programs, initiatives, and awards especially those in education. I also serve as:

Board Member of Southwestern Medical Foundation Trustees; Board Member for Southern Methodist University(SMU) 21st Century Council; Board Member of the directors for NAFINSA (Mexican Development Bank in Texas); Board Member of Trustees for The Greenhill School; Board Member of Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau; Board Member for the Dallas Assembly; Board Member for the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce; Board Member for the Latin American/DFW Fund; Board Member of the New American Alliance; Member of the Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and, Member of the advisory board for Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de

Monterrey (ITESM).

Terry Powell


Whether for an aspiring franchisee, advancing research to cure illness, or helping to find funding for start-ups, Terry’s involvement in the franchise industry and other meaningful organizations—philanthropic and professional—are evidence of his sincere approach to improving the lives of people. For the past few years, Terry and E-Source have joined forces and pledged substantial financial resources to work with the NFTE Program (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship), a non-profit organization that provides entrepreneurship education programs to youth from low-income communities in 12 countries. Additionally, Terry and his team have founded WEBB Women Empowered By Business. WEBB’s focus is to promote women’s participation and success in the franchising community through the exchange of ideas, resources and experiences. WEBB sponsors the nonprofit agency: Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA). Terry matches E-Source and AdviCoach donations made to FINCA. Terry has always been highly-involved in his local community, a few contributions include:

Active member of the United Church of Christ in Southbury, Connecticut, serving on their

http://www.nfte.com/


http://www.finca.org/site/c.6fIGIXMFJnJ0H/b.6088193/k.BE5D/Home.htm

http://www.finca.org/site/c.6fIGIXMFJnJ0H/b.6088193/k.BE5D/Home.htm



Board of Deacons and has worked with their Youth Groups.

Active in the local high school, serving as a sponsor and chaperone for Grad Night and many other functions.

Co-sponsors Women in Franchising events through his personal commitment to support his wife Karen, who is CEO of Decor&You.

FSBI is also a key sponsor of the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer foundation, involving its franchisees, executive staff and franchisor partners in fundraising for the annual walks. Terry is also a significant personal contributor.

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

One of my core values is that “We Care and Give Back”. During my corporate career, I served on several United Way regional boards. Of late, I have been on the Advisory Committee for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) since 2011. Also, I serve on a not-for-profit Advisory Board for Toilet Hackers. This organization is chartered with providing clean and accessible toilets to people around the world who don’t have access to them. Also, recently I was named to the Board of Trustees at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in Boston.


Anytime Fitness

Anytime Fitness has a long and distinguished history of community involvement. From its very inception, a significant portion of the company’s “general advertising fund” has been used to incentivize individual franchisees to participate in public health projects in their respective communities. These projects range from community health fairs to smoking cessation classes to fundraisers, such as “Relay for Life,” which are designed to find cures for cancer and heart disease. Other initiatives have included a nationwide public education campaign to combat childhood obesity; a system-wide campaign to give hundreds of individuals free gym memberships; a “Feel Like a Million” campaign to “pay it forward” by rewarding others who are doing good in their communities with a total of nearly $1,000,000 in cash and other prizes; and, recently, the creation of a new “HeartFirst Foundation,” designed to make large, charitable donations to a select number of worthy causes. Additionally, Anytime Fitness is a founding partner in the global “Exercise IS Medicine” campaign and an official advocate (and leading participant) in the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. In May of 2015, more than 700 Anytime Fitness clubs participated in a “Free Workout Saturday” initiative, offering free outdoor workout classes to members and non-members alike, five consecutive Saturdays in the month of May.


Sandwiches

I launched Project PB&J in 2014. All Which Wich locations sell PB&J sandwiches in-store and for every sandwich purchased by a customer, one sandwich is donated to a local cause and another sandwich is banked for the global fund, in order to assist in larger scale scenarios where a need exists. In 2015, I have a goal to make over 1-million PB&J sandwiches. As part of the initiative, Which Wich franchisees across the nation also periodically host Spreading Parties to raise awareness for local non-profits. A Spreading Party is where Which Wich staff and volunteers gather to make as many PB&Js as possible. In 2014, we broke a Guinness World Record with our Dallas-based Spreading Party, where we made more than 22,000 PB&J sandwiches in an hour: http://nrn.com/fast-casual/which-wich-tries-break-guinness-record-charity I was inspired to start Project PB&J while at the Conscious Capitalism Conference in 2013 after meeting Kip Tindell, CEO of the Container Store. The life-changing moment occurred when Kip asked: “On your business card it says that you want to make the world a better place. How are you doing that?” As soon as I landed back in Dallas I went straight to the Which Wich headquarters location and made two PB&J sandwiches, walked outside and gave to two homeless people nearby. Thus, Project PB&J was born.


Firehouse Subs

We and our brand donate food, money and time all over the country, but our crowning achievement is our creation of Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

It was created during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We traveled to Miss. and witnessed devastation firsthand when we provided relief. The commitment didn’t stop there. Whenever a disaster strikes, local franchisees and ARs can contact the Foundation and begin immediate disaster relief in the community. This is seen in the short term by providing subs to survivors and first responders and in the long term, providing equipment to departments that may have lost valuable life-saving tools. Through disaster relief and other initiatives, the Foundation donated to more than 570 public safety organizations at a total of $6.8 million.

The Foundation’s community involvement is best illustrated through our involvement. From facilitating the celebration of $300,000 worth of donations to 16 public safety entities in NE Florida and SE Georgia area, to celebrating donations to organizations across the U.S., we’re able to impact local communities and inspire employees and guests to give back. It’s a meaningful way to interact with hometown heroes who save lives every day. In collaborating with franchisees, the Foundation has been able to have a direct impact on more than 572 communities served by Firehouse Subs. For each donation, the Foundation and local Firehouse Subs restaurant celebrate with receiving departments. This helps to educate the community on safety and raise awareness for the needs of public safety organizations across the Nation.

http://nrn.com/fast-casual/which-wich-tries-break-guinness-record-charity


Questionnaire Response No. 6 Demonstrate how this has transcended commercial benefit and heightened the positive awareness of franchising.



The focus of community involvement is engrained into potential franchisees from the very beginning. Philly Pretzel Factory pretzels are a mainstay at every baseball, football, soccer, and any other kind of sporting event. Not only do they taste great, they are healthy with 14 grams of protein per each pretzel. Combined with the overall cost of the pretzel, it has created a wholesale model that for some franchisees it will account for 30 to 40 percent of the total pretzels sold per week.

Drew French

Your Pie

Community service is a major part of the Your Pie brand. Drew and the Your Pie team encourages local franchisees to pick local organizations to support, which in turn raises awareness of the brand and its effect on their local communities, which in turn promotes the positives of business ownership within a franchise system.




As a result of our partnership with Goodwill, we actually have a Non-Profit-Owned Franchise in Virginia (Goodwill of Fredericksburg Virginia), which purchased our franchise as a social enterprise to create more jobs and further their mission and donation stream. This is a groundbreaking milestone in franchising, as non-profits and franchising has not traditionally been something that made sense. Nick and Omar have been at the forefront of this wave, and have been keynote panelists at the Source America Conference to discuss how non-profit organizations can benefit from the franchising industry. Furthermore, our partnership with non-profits, especially Goodwill, allows us to have a tremendous impact on local communities across the country.

Last year Goodwill diverted over 3 billion pounds from landfills. And every second diverts 96 lbs away from the landfill. The proceeds of these donations helps create jobs, and every 27 seconds of every business day Goodwill places someone in a good job.

Through franchising, we’re able to take the localized effort/concept of donating within a client’s own community and duplicate/multiply it to have a positive national impact on Goodwill Industries as a whole.

As an indicator of the positive effect of our franchised business in the lives of struggling individuals and families across the country, several other Goodwill executives have shown interest in purchasing College Hunks franchises for their non-profit organization in order to further integrate our systems into their own business models.


Besides the goodwill created in local communities, the partnership with Feeding America® is entirely focused on improving communities across the country, which in turn sheds a positive light on franchising.


The more people hear my story, and understand that I arrived to the US as an Immigrant and worked from the ground up, the more it will inspire the future generations and show the world that franchising is a great way to live the American dream. The more awareness it gives to the franchising. I advocate franchising in placed and communities that have not necessarily heard of franchising and believe that the American dream is best achieved through franchising. Franchising is a story about entrepreneurship that helps people to become entrepreneurs.


Franchise

It is important to step-up and make a difference in the world around us, no matter how big or small the impact. As a franchisor I have the ability to support charities on a large-scale and help make a difference in individuals’ lives across the globe. Social consciousness and charitable elements are extremely important to me, the Flip Flop Shops team, and our franchise system. I also find it is vital to give back to the local communities in which we live. In a community, we are there to support one another.


We are dedicated to giving back to our communities, with a focus on kids and Veterans. Our involvement has helped raise the positive awareness of franchising by unselfishly donating time and money to these causes, including the awarding of scholarships to Veterans through the VFW Foundation – 130 for spring and fall semesters in 2014. We are also actively involved with the Red Cross blood drives each August-September.


Fitness

Giving back to the local community is important to any organization. Through these sponsorships, Dave often meets various leaders in the community. During conversations with community leaders, Dave often speaks about the franchising community and the proven and positive business model franchisors operate under. Oftentimes, local businessmen and women do not even know Orangetheory Fitness or Massage Envy businesses are franchises until Dave engages with them.


The Entrepreneur Organization is the most influential community of entrepreneurs in the world. By serving as a high profile community member, the opportunity for exposure for Guidant and in turn to spotlight franchises has been immense. Through all of my community commitments, I have highlighted the benefits of franchising and opened eyes for many people on how to get started.

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

My sponsorship of, and personal involvement, in numerous community programs and organizations does not benefit me financially; however, I receive something much more valuable – a sense of purpose and fulfillment. My involvement also demonstrates to my children the importance of selfless giving and public service. I think that my involvement in community service also advances the image of the franchising industry. My name is well-known as a franchisee and operator of franchised restaurants. In press announcements, newspaper articles, list of non-profit organizations, and other publications, the words “franchisee” or “franchise operator” accompany my the name. Therefore, my community involvement and achievements shows the public that a franchisee commits his or her time, money, and energy to improving the community. It shows that the entrepreneurial spirit of the franchisee can be applied to endeavors outside of the business realm. It illustrates how franchisees are motivated to improve the lives of others without necessarily deriving a direct economic benefit. In short, franchisees are exactly the type of person we want in our towns and cities.

Terry Powell


Both locally in the community and through E-Source’s national efforts, Terry has tirelessly carried the flag of franchising. The very core philosophy of E-Source is, “we believe in our client’s dreams in some cases more than they believe in their own dreams,” which has helped thousands of people enter the world of franchising. Terry has promoted franchising as a means for people to become self-sufficient and has advanced the careers of women, minorities and immigrants seeking a better life in America. Take for example, the Virtual Coaching Experience, which Terry helped create through E-Source resources and his own tireless efforts. As many in franchising know, more than 70 percent of the U.S. population looks to be self-sufficient rather than working for somebody else. The problem: many of them call it quits before they even get started. The Virtual Coaching Experience is an innovative way to provide a first step in a successful franchise discovery process. After 30 years of analyzing the process and recognizing the challenges, Terry led the creation of a

http://www.entrepreneurssource.com/



solution that tackles the issue head-on. The interactive, personalized experience breaks down barriers to the discovery process through a combination of Internet technology and customized virtual coaching. The private planning session takes aspiring entrepreneurs from Employment to Empowerment™ with a focus on finding a business opportunity that meets their goals, needs and expectations. It’s truly an objective process that fosters the exploration phase of the business buying journey by giving guests total control. Through its Veteran2Entreprenuer (V2E) program, E-Source is working with several organizations, including the IFA and Small Business Association, to increase its education on franchising to military veterans. As coaches and mentors for our veterans, E-Source actively participates in career fairs, such as Hiring Our Heroes, across the nation. V2E’s goal is to provide information, resources, and networking to military veterans on entrepreneurship in order to assist them in starting and building successful, thriving businesses.

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

During each of my community activities since becoming a franchisor, I have constantly talked about how franchising is great for the economy and a very viable way to conduct business. It provides excellent opportunities for people to realize the America Dream of owning their business. In addition, it creates a significant number of jobs in this country and around the world. When franchising is growing and successful, so isn’t our economy. Finally, at Toilet Hackers, we are looking how we could introduce the franchise model in order to deliver these much needed toilets to areas in most need. This accomplishes two wins; first it creates a business model that will employ people and second it creates access to the almost 4 Billion people in the world that don’t have access to this much needed service.


Anytime Fitness

The owner-operators of nearly 3,000 Anytime Fitness clubs have all been coached to become the “leading authority on fitness, nutrition and healthy lifestyles” in their respective communities. Hundreds of our clubs do so, in a very public fashion, by writing – free of charge – weekly or monthly columns in their local newspapers focusing on healthy lifestyle issues. Anytime Fitness also strongly encourages franchisees to sponsor, or otherwise participate in, a variety of public health activities in their local communities. As a result, with increasing frequency, public officials, large employer groups and community leaders have been turning to Anytime Fitness for advice and support related to healthy lifestyles and disease prevention. For example, Chuck Runyon was recently asked by the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team to provide the keynote speech at the team’s annual “Wellness Fair.” Part of Chuck’s presentation was dedicated to how Anytime Fitness’ individual

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4227452


(cont.)

Anytime Fitness

franchisees are positively impacting lives all over the world. Similarly, Dave Mortensen participated in a series of television, radio and print interviews – related to his appearance on “Secret Millionaire” – in which he praised the positive aspects of franchising. In addition to Chuck and Dave, the Director of Programming for Anytime Fitness (Shannon Fable) is frequently asked by national media for her expert opinion on public health issues. During those opportunities, Shannon is always quick to promote the benefits of franchising.


Sandwiches

The widespread impact that we have made with Project PB&J highlights the ways that a national brand can make a difference on a local level. While Which Wich provides the tools to successfully run the campaign, each franchisee chooses the local organizations that they wish to donate the PB&J sandwiches to.


Firehouse Subs

When we created the format for the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, our franchisees were at the forefront of our minds. The entire structure of the Foundation was built around making our franchisees the "heroes." They are the primary force behind our fund raising efforts at the restaurant level. They are our ambassadors reaching out to the public safety entities in communities they serve. They become the advocates for securing equipment donations for the public safety entities in their trade areas, and most important of all, they are the face of Firehouse Subs and the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation when it is time to make an equipment donation in their market. Many of our franchise candidates express a strong desire to be involved in their communities, so much so that it is not unusual for the Foundation to be the PRIMARY reason that a candidate chooses Firehouse Subs for their future livelihood. In the end, the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation casts a positive light on our franchise owners. This is evidenced by the fact that in 2012, among all Fast Casual brands, Firehouse Subs ranked #1 for Supports Local Community Activities (source: Technomics Consumer Brand Metrics)


Questionnaire Response No. 7 Provide details on any pertinent legal actions that concern franchise systems with which you have been affiliated.



There are no pertinent legal or administrative actions concerning the Philly Pretzel Factory system.

Drew French

Your Pie

None




None


N/A


I support and engage in all lobbying and legislation supporting activities that the IFA participates in, and believe that it is our responsibility to help support the franchise community nationwide in ensuring the safety of our business model, and prevent negative legal implications from new and changing legislation.


Franchise

None


Other than minor routine legal actions that come with the territory in franchising (or any other business), we have involvement with very few legal issues.


Fitness

None


None

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

None

Terry Powell FranchisEsource

Brands International

All legal actions that rise to the level of Disclosure are listed in the FDD attached.

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

We have been very fortunate when it comes to legal action for all three of the brands I helped to create. At Senior Helpers, we have taken legal action against franchisees who have tried to break their non-compete and have been successful in these cases. At Senior Helpers and Assisted Transition, we have never had any legal action brought on my franchisees. At Doctors Express, there were several potential legal actions that were either dismissed or settled before every going to court. Our culture at each of these brands is that we need every franchisee to be successful and we do everything in our power to make that happen. If they are not successful, we do everything we can to effectively transition them out of the brand with as much support we can to leave the best possible experience.


Anytime Fitness

All 2,866 Anytime Fitness clubs are active members in the IFA’s “Franchise Action Network.” Additionally, Anytime Fitness takes great pride in being a leading contributor to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association’s (IHRSA’s) “Industry Defense Fund.” As such, Anytime Fitness helps protect and enhance the business climate for the entire fitness franchising industry in matters ranging from sales taxes on membership fees, certification requirements for personal trainers, staffing issues, consumer protection and liability issues. Additionally, more so than any other fitness franchise, Anytime Fitness has committed the manpower, money and other resources to IHRSA’s annual “Campaign for a Healthier America” – and annual trip to Capitol Hill during which a team of Anytime Fitness corporate staffers and franchisees have met with members of Congress and their staffers to lobby for legislation consistent with the goals of the franchise industry and fitness businesses. Partnering with IHRSA, in recent years Anytime Fitness has single-handedly succeeded in lobbying to achieve new staffing laws in eight states – laws that have benefited all fitness franchises that operate 24 hours a day. Headquartered in Minnesota, Anytime Fitness is currently working with lawmakers in an attempt to pass new legislation to incent more Minnesotans to lead healthier lifestyles. If successful (and we fully expect to be), the legislation would benefit all fitness-related franchises in Minnesota and, hopefully, it could serve as a model for others states and/or federal legislation.


Sandwiches

I have been in franchising for almost 20 years with zero litigation. Which Wich continues to have relationship-based conversations that don’t lead to litigation. I am surrounded by lawyers, from my father to my in-house council and three outsourced lawyers and even my wife. That’s why I’m an entrepreneur.


Firehouse Subs

We are proud of the fact that, after 19 years of franchising, we have never had any litigation with our franchise community. One of our highest values is Fairness, and it permeates our relationships and decision making. The other critical ingredient for successful track record in this arena is a commitment to excellent communication with our franchise community, at all levels of the chain of command.


Questionnaire Response No. 8 Include any other information that you believe may be helpful to IFA in its consideration of you as an honoree.



Dan’s personal story and the story of the Philly Pretzel Factory system has been featured in many local and regional newspapers, as Philly Pretzel Factory pretzels are consistently named “Best Pretzel” in the Philadelphia area. It is not uncommon to see Dan featured on Networks such as Fox Business or Bloomberg.

Dan is also proud alumni of East Stroudsburg University class of 1995 where he is a regular guest lecturer, speaker at business events, and other University functions.

Drew French

Your Pie

The most impressive piece to the Your Pie story and its founder, Drew French, is that this brand was not only started in a recession, but Drew took the risk to introduce a new category in the franchising space. That category has exploded across the nation and is now a highly performing a desirable business opportunity for many franchisees.




Currently, we are still two of the youngest franchisors in America.

Nearly 10% of our franchises are veteranowned, a testament to College Hunks’ participation in the VetFran initiative.

Furthermore, College Hunks is one of the country’s largest employers of 18-25 year-olds, which is the largest unemployment demographic in the country.


Gittrich is a passionate founder/President who is very active within his own franchise system. Also, Gittrich is not afraid to speak out about government policies that go against the well-being of the franchise industry – and has been quoted in a variety of national publications recently about the negative impact that the overtime rule change will have on the industry. He is very interested in being a spokesman for not just Toppers but the entire franchise industry in this case, and others that threaten its success.


I believe that I have included all the important data above, and am honored to have been nominated. Thank you for your support. Amit Y. Kleinberger.


Franchise

I am absolutely passionate about the franchising industry and helping other individuals explore their passion through franchising with a viable business opportunity. We have implemented systems where we receive open, honest communication from our franchisees to improve our franchise system—and this has only led to further success as a franchise. I am proud to represent Flip Flop Shops, our franchisees and the franchising industry.

Supporting Media Articles and Press Releases:

The Street.com article: After Cold Stone Creamery, Future is Bright In Flip Flops Entrepreneur article: Franchise Pros Fill a Niche in Flip Flops Press Release: Flip Flop Shops Shouts Out a Big Thanks to U.S. Troops: Offers Start-Up Discount to Military Veterans Press Release: Flip Flop Shops Packs 2012 Pipeline with 40 New Shops


I started as a franchisee of Command Performance salons in 1979. Served on the Creditors’ Committee during that franchisor’s Chapter 11, and was subsequently elected to the Board of Directors to represent franchisees for two terms in the 1980s. Later I was elected President and Executive Director of our franchisee association, which was disbanded after another franchisee and I bought the franchisor in 1991. We helped the franchisees of that system make an orderly exit from a failed system before starting Sport Clips in 1993 with our first prototype salon. After two years, began franchising in November 1995 with no outside funding, and today our family controls 90+% of the company (some key employees own the balance). We have always put a high value on training and support, which is validated by our success rate…..only 3 stores closed since 2010, and two of those were leases not renewed due to shopping centers having problems with anchors closing.


Fitness

Orangetheory Fitness has more than 225 studios in the U.S., Canada, South America and U.K. With agreements in place to open studios in Australia with several other countries in development.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11593055/1/after-cold-stone-creamery-future-is-bright-in-flip-flops.html

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219818

http://www.pitchengine.com/fishmanpublicrelations/flip-flop-shops-shouts-out-a-big-thanks-to-us-troops-offers-startup-discount-to-military-veterans1

http://www.pitchengine.com/fishmanpublicrelations/flip-flop-shops-shouts-out-a-big-thanks-to-us-troops-offers-startup-discount-to-military-veterans1

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/_66386/

David Nilssen

Guidant Financial

Though the economy is looking up, entrepreneurs are still struggling to find capital. Despite that, my company has succeeded in securing capital for more than 10,000 aspiring entrepreneurs. This has created over 60,000 small business jobs and injected $3 billion into American small businesses. We have led the path to financing using innovative methods and structures for small business and franchise owners. And our pledge to deploy $350 million in small business financing by the end of 2015 has the potential to add up to 25,000 jobs to the economy and $1.2 billion toward overall GDP. This is an aggressive goal, but one I am very proud of. Plus, Guidant’s work with the IFA creates awareness and expands access to credit for thousands of Americans. By providing educational tools and resources to everyday Americans, and offering ways for them to get capital, the possibilities for expansions in the franchise system are limitless.

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

I wear my badge as a franchisee proudly wherever I go and in whatever I do. I think franchising is one of the great institutions of this country. It has allowed me to achieve a level of success that I could not have achieved anywhere else in the world. I also take my responsibilities seriously by operating my in business in a way that tries to improve the lives of my 10,000 employees.

Terry Powell


Franchise Source Brands International (FSBI) is a multi-brand franchisor that offers and promotes franchise business opportunities to entrepreneurs in a variety of industry sectors, including the booming coaching and consulting industry. The synergy of the brand network that forms FSBI, coupled with the robust evolution of the models and franchise systems developed over the last 30 years, has positioned the group for high double—if not triple—digit annual growth over the next five years. Combining all these brands under one network has helped Terry firmly establish his company as a one source resource for all things entrepreneurial. Further information for each FSBI brand can be found at:

E-Source: http://www.theentrepreneurssource.com/franchise/the-entrepreneurs-source-story.cfm

AdviCoach: http://www.advicoach.com/about-us.aspx

Business Partner Marketing Coach: http://www.businesspartner.com/bp/about.htm

Expense Reduction Consulting: http://www.ercsaves.com/about-us/

Decor&You: http://www.decorandyou.com/pages/about-us.php

Franchise Match: http://www.franchisematch.com/franchisematch/Top-Franchises-At-

http://www.franchisesource.com/fs/about_us/



http://www.advicoach.com/about-us.aspx

http://www.businesspartner.com/bp/about.htm

http://www.ercsaves.com/about-us/

http://www.decorandyou.com/pages/about-us.php

http://www.franchisematch.com/franchisematch/Top-Franchises-At-Franchise-Match.aspx

Terry Powell

(cont.)


Franchise-Match.aspx

WEBB: http://www.womenebb.com/webb/about/ Supporting Media Articles and Press Releases: Hartford Business Journal Article: “Firm finds niche advising franchisees”: http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120709/PRINTEDITION/307059949 Press Release: “The Entrepreneur’s Source Launches Start a Business Weekends”: http://www.franchising.com/news/20120314_the_entrepreneurrsquos_source_launches_start_a_bus.html Press Release: “Franchise Source Brands International Commits to Recruit 300 Military Veterans by 2014”: http://www.franchising.com/news/20111214_franchisesource_brands_international_commits_to_re.html Press Release: “The Entrepreneur’s Source Named Educational Sponsor of Franchising Industry’s Certification Program”: http://www.franchising.com/news/20110916_the_entrepreneurs_source_named_educational_sponsor.html Press Release: “ZorSource™ MasterMind Program Takes Franchise Development Teams from Frustration to Freedom”: http://www.franchising.com/news/20110504_zorsourcetm_mastermind_program_takes_franchise_dev.html Press Release: “IFA Certifies The Entrepreneur’s Source’s FAST Program for CFE Credits”: http://www.franchisewire.com/article.php?id=5776 Press Release: “Dawn of New Decade Signals Fresh Start of Franchise Lead Generation”: http://www.franchising.com/news/20100211_dawn_of_new_decade_signals_fresh_start_for_franchi.html

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC (Senior Helpers)

My work with the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) has been very rewarding. It has been a lot of work (with no pay) but I felt it was necessary to insure the success and growth of this very important industry. I have been able to rally almost 20 competing Franchise Brands to work together

http://www.franchisematch.com/franchisematch/Top-Franchises-At-Franchise-Match.aspx

http://www.womenebb.com/webb/about/

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120709/PRINTEDITION/307059949

http://www.franchising.com/news/20120314_the_entrepreneurrsquos_source_launches_start_a_bus.html

http://www.franchising.com/news/20120314_the_entrepreneurrsquos_source_launches_start_a_bus.html

http://www.franchising.com/news/20111214_franchisesource_brands_international_commits_to_re.html

http://www.franchising.com/news/20111214_franchisesource_brands_international_commits_to_re.html

http://www.franchising.com/news/20110916_the_entrepreneurs_source_named_educational_sponsor.html

http://www.franchising.com/news/20110916_the_entrepreneurs_source_named_educational_sponsor.html

http://www.franchising.com/news/20110504_zorsourcetm_mastermind_program_takes_franchise_dev.html

http://www.franchising.com/news/20110504_zorsourcetm_mastermind_program_takes_franchise_dev.html

http://www.franchisewire.com/article.php?id=5776

http://www.franchising.com/news/20100211_dawn_of_new_decade_signals_fresh_start_for_franchi.html

http://www.franchising.com/news/20100211_dawn_of_new_decade_signals_fresh_start_for_franchi.html

Peter Ross (cont)

SH Franchising, LLC (Senior Helpers)

to bring awareness to both the public and the regulators. The HCAOA has more than doubled its membership since I started and our staff which has moved to DC has more than doubled as well. This has been very important as our industry receives attacks by SEIU, regulators, NLRB, and underground competition. The IFA faces many of these same challenges and it is important that the HCAOA partners with the IFA to win these battles. Franchising is such an important part of the business economy around the world and we must continue to protect this industry. I am committed to doing all I can to make this happen.


Anytime Fitness

Anytime Fitness’ remarkable success can be largely attributed to several factors: Unparalleled franchisee support, community involvement, a focus on customer preferences, anticipating future trends, and real commitments to innovation. For franchisees, the net result has been opportunities to realize their dreams of owning their own businesses while experiencing the freedom to spend more time enjoying the things that they love. For Anytime Fitness customers, the appeal centers on convenience – the convenience to exercise whenever they choose (24 hours a day), wherever they choose (join one club, use all 2,800+ worldwide) at an affordable price, in a friendly, supportive and non-intimidating environment. Recent innovations – like 24-hour access to dozens of individualized classes via video projection systems and round-the-clock online access to individualized answers from certified personal trainers – have increased the appeal of the business model even further. The company’s rapid and steady international expansion, in communities large and small, serves as an additional indicator that Anytime Fitness is a unique business model that will continue to evolve and succeed for many years to come. Simply put, Anytime Fitness’ vision is “To Improve the Self-Esteem of the World.”


Sandwiches

Through Which Wich, we have been able to promote the power of the franchise model and make a positive impact in the markets we serve. The brand is visible at nearly every national and international trade show, and I have assembled a team of industry experts and passionate people who live not only the Which Wich “vibe”, but promote the positive vibe of franchising in every aspect of their jobs.


Firehouse Subs

We take being a franchisor very seriously. We’re very proud of our achievements and a being a franchisor. We have a very structured system. To this day, we the founders and our CEO interview every franchisee candidate ourselves. We continue to approve every franchisee and real estate location; we’re involved in every decision. Franchising has allowed us to build a brand, accomplish many goals, hire a lot of talented people and helped us to donate and help save lives via Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. An impressive 64 percent of all Foundation donations come from our customers. We’re two entrepreneurs who took and idea that worked and used the franchising vehicle to

Chris & Robin

Sorensen (cont.)

Firehouse Subs

accomplish everything we’ve done. We take everything seriously, we’re very disciplined to this day. We’re entrepreneurs at heart since kids who founded a company made up of small businesses around the country. We’re not the only two entrepreneurs in the company, but we’d be glad to accept this award on behalf of all franchisees in it.


Questionnaire Response No. 9 Are there legal, financial or other issues or situations that your selection as the recipient of an IFA award might raise which have the potential to attract negative publicity or attention for the association and/or the franchising industry? Please describe.



There have been no legal, financial, or any other issues outside of the rare occurrence of an enforcement of policies and agreement included in the FDD.

Drew French

Your Pie

None




No


N/A


No. I have a pristine business reputation - with no franchise or any other litigation or other issues what so ever.


Franchise

No


None


Fitness

None


There are no issues that have the potential to attract negative publicity.

Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings

No

Terry Powell

FranchisEsource

Brands International

N/A

Peter Ross

SH Franchising, LLC

(Senior Helpers)

Not Applicable


Anytime Fitness

No


Sandwiches

No, I pride myself on having zero debt and a clean legal background.


Firehouse Subs

None

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