DailyFranchiseNews.com

Different Strokes

The gap between the corporate world and business ownership may seem wide to some, but to others, it is easily traversable. Goran Mitich and Eric Glab are those “others.”

The Palatine Countryside reported Mitich and Glab set up shop with their CertaPro Painters franchise in January after several years of working at Mitsubishi Electric. There is, however, at least one similarity between their corporate experience and owning a house painting business: "We come from a background where it was about the delivery of a service to the customer," said Mitich, 32. Glab, who worked for Mitich at Mitsubishi, said what they do now with CertaPro is "very service based."

"It's really about building relationships. With painting, it's co-creation. You're helping customers," Glab said. With a few thousand franchises to choose from, Mitich and Glab enlisted the services of a franchise broker and found Pennsylvania-based CertaPro Painters was one of the handful of franchises that was a match for both men.

"You have a support network, a mentoring system, a discussion board, peer-to-peer meetings to go over business plans. And CertaPro brings to the table certainty," Glab said. Neither men paints home exteriors or interiors, but part of becoming a CertaPro franchise owner involved going to the company's Pennsylvania headquarters and becoming a house painter for a day.

From Zee To Zor

On your mark. Get set. Bid.

The Associated Press reported David Karam, president of Columbus, Ohio-based Cedar Enterprises Inc. and owner of 134 Wendy’s restaurants, is in talks to take his affiliation with the chain to the next level: Karam announced on Wednesday that he and his partners have been invited by Wendy's International, Inc. to a second round of talks to bid on the Dublin, Ohio-based chain.

Cedar Enterprises owns Wendy's restaurants across the country that have a combined annual revenue of $200 million. Karam's first-round proposal was enough to garner entry into a second round next month, where bids are expected. He would not disclose how much he is willing to pay for Wendy's; his competition, however, isn’t as tightlipped. Billionaire investor Nelson Peltz has said his company, Triarc Cos., is prepared to offer $37 to $41 per share for Wendy's in a deal that would peg Wendy's total value between $3.2 billion and $3.6 billion. Triarc owns the fast-food chain Arby's and is also a major Wendy's shareholder.

Karam's father, Joseph, was one of Wendy's original investors and became a franchisee in 1975. David Karam has run Cedar Enterprises for 22 years and Pam Thomas Farber, the daughter of the late Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, said Karam has her father’s backing. The family would like to see the company turned over to someone involved in the company, she told The Columbus Dispatch, which first reported Cedar Enterprises' bid.

Columbus Gets ‘Cued

Though summer is often the season best known for barbecue, the grills are still hot this fall in and around Columbus.

The Columbus Dispatch reported several concepts to make any grillmaster proud are poised to open their doors in the area. Orlando-based Conway’s is expected to open its first Ohio outpost in late October. If all goes well, franchisees Robert Nagler and Jim Harrison have the option to open as many as 19 more Conway's in central Ohio within the next 15 years.

What sets Conway’s apart is that it offers what Nagler refers to as "the four corners of 'cue": mustard and vinegar-based sauces from the Carolinas; St. Louis-style sweet sauce; "smoke-and-fire" sauce from Texas; and a zesty tomato-based sauce from Memphis, all created by the owner of Conway's, Doug Colson. The chain, which began franchising just last year, also smokes all its own meat, including ribs, briskets, turkeys and chickens. Lunch will be a walk-up counter affair, while dinner guests will be treated to table service. The restaurant, which can seat about 150, also will have a patio that can seat 48.

Another newcomer to the local scene is Georgia favorite Shane's Rib Shack, which is within weeks of firing up its pits. Franchisee Mike Koontz said the restaurant, which can seat 75, is family-focused, with an extensive kids' menu.

The concept, which has been franchised since 2002, is fast-casual, but with waiters carrying food in the dining room. In addition to standard barbecue fare, salads and chicken items, Shane’s offers its signature Big Dad pork sandwich and a peach cobbler that Koontz describes as "second to none."

¡Viva La Sushi!

Sushi? From Mexico? Before you exhale a mighty ay dios mio, it could be better than you think.

GlobeSt.com reported Sushi Itto, a Japanese restaurant chain with 100 units in Mexico, Central America and Spain, is hitting the US, executives said at the ICSC Western Division Conference. The Mexico City-based company, which blends Japanese dishes with ingredients from the Western Hemisphere, currently has two US locations in San Diego. The chain would like to add about 20 new units next year, throughout California, Nevada and Texas, says Alberto Romano, Sushi Itto’s owner and president.

“We have all of the factors in our control, so we can work out our expansion,” Romano says. The chain is looking for locations in a variety of real estate, including food courts in malls, urban streets and lifestyle centers. Its restaurants average 2,200 square feet.

Romano says he is not sure yet how many Sushi Itto units he will open in the US, but is planning a major roll out. “If Mexico and Central America can support 100, you could multiply that by five,” he says. For the initial rollout, Romano says that he will not franchise out his restaurants. “It’s easier for me to have control of what I’m doing,” he explains.

Pirtek Keeps You Going

Scenario: your company is working overtime on a multi-million dollar building project and, in the final stages of construction, your biggest piece of machinery blows a hose. You now have two choices: 1. cease construction for days – even weeks – for the machine to be fixed or 2. take action.

The Henry Daily Herald reported that for Atlanta-area businesses caught in a similar bind, Pirtek is the company to call to get back on track in the shortest time possible.

“We replace hoses for construction equipment, recycling operations, plastics and the transportation industry,” said Mike Nagle, who heads a Pirtek USA office in Red Oak, Georgia. “These are not garden hoses, they are larger in diameter. They’re rigid and used at a high pressure. These hoses can be found on car haulers, tractor-trailers and cement trucks.”

The hoses are essential in performing tasks, such as providing leveled ground to build homes, in home services, including the Internet, and transporting merchandise, such as cars between locations. Since these hoses are in such wide use, Nagle’s Pirtek USA offers 24-hour, 7-day-a-week, on-site hydraulic hose replacement to companies all over the state. Nagle said that, on average, a Pirtek technician could replace 12 to 15 hoses daily.

“If a company’s hose breaks, they could lose production right away. This could result in $2,000 to $3,000 being lost,” he said. Nagle continued that replacement hoses are important, because without them, there would be no construction industry. Pirtek USA has eight vans equipped with fittings and a full range of hoses that service Douglas, Fulton, Coweta, Fayette, Clayton, Henry and Rockdale counties.

New Blog in the Franchise Community

This blogger was certainly surprised and flattered to get a “review” of sorts on the new blog The Franchise King.  The voice behind it: Joel Libava.

Joel has been changing lives since 1990 as the president of Franchise Selection Specialists Inc. in Cleveland, which specializes in helping local residents explore their opportunities in franchise ownership. Not only does he help his clients to find their perfect franchise match, but he educates them on ways to properly research and introduces them to the proper resources (think: legal, lending, accounting) to protect their new venture. His blog, The Franchise King, is gaining new readership by the day. In fact, he has just entered into a strategic partnership with B-Source, which will provide more information on specific franchise opportunities to readers of his blog and his Web site. Joel also just started the first ever franchise blog just for war veterans, The Franchise Blog 4 Vets, which provides information and advice on franchise and small business ownership options after the military. He is being interviewed live next Thursday on franchise radio.

The biggest news of all for Joel, however, we cannot mention just yet. What he did tell us is that he has been asked to become a columnist and resident franchise expert on one of the most popular small business blogs on the Web. Which one, you ask? He won’t tell…just look for his expert advice starting next month. Congrats, Joel!

USA Today Celebrates 25 Years

Thanks to the USA Today Franchise Queen Victoria Conte, this blogger got an invite to a very exclusive party last night - the USA Today 25th Anniversary event held at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in Chicago. Since Hyatt Hotels are one of USA Today’s biggest advertisers, the pavilion - named after Hyatt owner, the Pritzker family - was fitting. A lovely, small and classy event which featured about 25 of the most incredible historical front pages of the paper, such as “Farewell Diana” and “Simpson Free,” enlarged, mounted and beautifully displayed.  You couldn’t help but think what a great paper this is and how far it has come in 25 years.  It’s not often that a medium changes the way we get our news, but this is one case where just that happened.  Founder Al Neuharth gave a short but lively speech that talked about the paper and baseball! And Editor Ken Paulson is from Chicago—who knew?  All in all it was a great place to be and a lot of awesome people to be with—special franchise section in Wednesday editions is the domain of the Victoria Group:

Victoria Conte
The Victoria Group Marketing, Inc.
Representing:
USA TODAY
Franchise Market Magazine
Big Holler-on line ordering solution
t: 401-421-7239
f: 401-270-5593
e: 13victoria@cox.net

Fast and Fresh

A burger and fries may sound like a fine choice for lunch but let’s face it: how do you feel afterward? Your stomach may be full but your energy level is far from what it should be. Making this choice every day will do some serious damage to your productivity, not to mention your thighs.

That much-needed change has just rolled into town for Tennesseans craving something different midday. The Williamson Herald reported Tossed has just infused itself into the local dining mix, offering sandwiches, melts, soups, crepes and 14 salad concepts sure to put a spring in diners’ steps.

“It’s nice to eat at a place where you don’t have to take a nap after lunch,” Jennings said. “It’s hard to beat the Tossed Signature Salad and the chef-inspired dressings are amazing. The flavors are vibrant. I think this is the way people want to eat. The menu is pre-selected but not pre-made.”

Jennings’ location is the tenth Tossed to open in the country and the brainchild of Marc Meisel, a chef and twelve-year veteran of the restaurant industry. Since opening its first location in New York City in July 1998, Tossed’s vegetarian-friendly, healthy, fresh take on a franchise has earned them accolades from New York Magazine, Restaurant Business and others.

“This is the one and only Tossed in Tennessee,” Jennings said proudly. Tossed is expecting to open 20 to 25 franchised locations in 2007 with projections for 200 restaurants within five years and long-term potential for 1,000 U.S. locations exclusively through franchised locations. Other franchises are expected to open in Murfreesboro, Chattanooga and Nashville.

“This is the way food is going, people want fresh, healthy food without having to sacrifice taste,” he said. The numbers don’t lie: Jennings’ location set new records in their first few days of business.

Three More Months

Wrestling with tangled strands of lights in 30-degree weather seems like a holiday rite of passage for any homeowner. The end result is indeed beautiful, but the thought of frozen fingers and potential electrocution isn’t exactly my cup of cheer.

The Lancaster Eagle-Gazette reported that with Christmas just around the corner, one national company is looking for people who might be interested in spreading some holiday cheer as a career. Christmas Decor, a franchising company that decorates homes and businesses during the holiday season, hopes some seasonal business owners buy into its niche, as a way to generate revenue during the winter months. Franchisees provide decorating services to people who don't want to do the work themselves, said Steve Moore, director of franchise recruitment for Christmas Decor.

"We recruit all over the country and target market areas where we see households are growing or referrals from franchisees, saying this is a good market," Moore said. Christmas Decor is the nation's leading Christmas lighting and decorating franchise, according to a company press release. The Texas-based company appeals mostly to landscaping business owners and other seasonal-type businesses as an add-on business, said Moore.

Gold's Gym Throws Its Weight Around

Whether you’re working late, can’t find a sitter or your favorite sports bra is in the laundry, people always seem to have an elaborate excuse about why they can’t make it to the gym. In Brooklyn, those days of coulda-woulda-shouldas are numbered.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that in an effort to expand its U.S. presence, Gold’s Gym plans to add 200 locations by 2010. The company, which already has 600 sites in 30 countries, is looking for five to 10 of those new locations to be in Brooklyn.

“Gold’s Gym is turning heads in the franchise investment community,” said Keith Albright, senior vice president of franchising for Gold’s Gym Franchising, LLC. “Consumer demand for our gyms is exploding. We have become the gym of choice for millions of Americans who are becoming aware of the benefits of fitness in their lives. It is an exciting time to invest in a Gold’s Gym franchise location.”

Gold’s says more than 40 million Americans hold gym memberships and that number is projected to increase to 50 million by 2010. Today, two locations already exist in Brooklyn. Across Brooklyn, Bronx and White Plains, the company plans call for 30 new locations.