Franchise Interviews

The legendary Michael Gerber, author of the incredibly successful E-Myth revisited gives his advice to the new entrepreneur.

If you are a frequent listener to our weekly franchise radio show, than you already know what fans Don and Marty are of Ritas. Listen in and find out why!

Chris Newcomb of the Newk's Franchise Opportunity. Chris is Newk's Founder, President & CEO. The team behind Newk's Franchise Company, LLC has a special talent for developing innovative restaurant concepts that not only meet consumer's current needs, but anticipate their future needs as well. As the founders of McAlister's Deli, Don Newcomb, Debra Bryson and Chris Newcomb pioneered the fast casual restaurant concept, defining and energizing the fastest-growing segment in the restaurant industry. After providing a solid foundation and establishing strong upward growth for McAlister's Deli, they sold the successful chain to focus on creating the future of fast casual dining: The Newk's Express Café concept has been developed and refined to meet the needs of consumers and franchise operators alike. For consumers, Newk's Express Café units provide a tantalizing variety of made-to-order menu choices, available for comfortable in-café dining or for convenient pick-up. For franchise owners, it's a streamlined, low labor operation that's designed for efficiency, site adaptability and multiple revenue opportunities.

We are meeting with Mark Van Wye, COO of Zoom Room. Zoom Room is the only brick-and-mortar dog training franchise in America with an innovative array of classes and activities that teach owners how to teach their dog everything from agility, therapy dog training, to scent tracking, Pup-lates(tm) and skateboarding, giving not only the dog a workout, but the owners as well. The original Zoom Room opened in Culver City, CA in 2007 and converted to the first franchised location in 2009. The company has received thousands of franchise inquiries from all parts of the country and are set to open their second location this summer in Austin, TX and the third, company-owned flagship location will debut in September, 2010 in Hollywood, CA.

AAMCO is the world's largest chain of transmission specialists and one of the leaders in total car care services. The AAMCO brand has approximately 900 automotive centers throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Established in 1962, AAMCO is proud to have served more than 35 million drivers. Today, under the leadership of CEO and President Marc Graham, American Driveline Systems Inc., the parent company of AAMCO and Cottman Transmissions Systems, LLC, AAMCO has laid out a comprehensive strategy focused on strengthening current franchisee profitability and complemented by a growth plan through the next five years, which includes strengthening its brand footprint in existing markets and venturing into untapped territories through franchise development. We are meeting with Tony Padulo. Prior to joining ARCO, Padulo spent 22 years working with Dunkin' Brands, Inc., parent of Dunkin' Donuts, and Baskin-Robbins. For nearly a decade, Padulo served as Vice President of New Business Development, International, where he responsible for launching the brands in over 30 new countries. He spent his final three years at the company as Vice President of New Business Development and Franchise Services, guiding franchising activities for the brands as well as overseeing development of non-traditional units inside chains. Padulo was also Senior VP of Franchise Development for Papa Gino's Inc, holding company for both Papa Gino's Pizzas, and D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches, and most recently worked with RE/MAX of New England, where he developed the industry's first nontraditional development program with third party retailers.

We are meeting with APG’s CEO Mark Charnet ABOUT AMERICAN PROSPERITY GROUP American Prosperity Group (APG), a 10-plus-unit franchise concept headquartered in Wayne, NJ, was founded by Mark Charnet, a Certified Annuity Specialist, with a mission to continue helping people solve their individual problems of successful retirement and estate planning. The emerging franchise does this by implementing parts of a total retirement and estate planning system required to meet each client’s needs. The system is built around Charnet’s proprietary and copyrighted system known as the Trinity Method of Investing©. Unlike many financial advisors within the financial planning industry, APG presents its ideas and concepts that solve the dilemmas and obstacles facing all retirees up front, with no cost nor commitment to do business, before asking the prospect to reveal any financial data necessary to customize a plan for their individual needs

EagleRider is the world's largest motorcycle rental and tour company specializing in Harley-Davidson® rentals, ATV rentals, Dirt Bike rentals and Watercraft rentals. The franchise offers bike enthusiasts the opportunity to rent the American Dream and experience the ultimate motorcycle touring adventure from worldwide locations. Whether for a weekend escape or for a cross country motorcycle tour, EagleRider provides the means to release the pent up outlaw that yearns for the open road. The franchise boasts 110 locations around the world in 12 countries with plans to add 50 more locations in 2010.We are meeting with Chris McIntyre, President of EagleRider

We are meeting with Monty Smith, Vice President of Franchising for PuroClean. Since its 2001 inception, PuroClean, the nation’s fastest growing franchise in the $212 billion property damage restoration industry, has grown to more than 300 franchise locations serving the U.S. and Canada. Known as the “Paramedics of Property Damage™” among insurance professionals and property owners, PuroClean certified technicians provide emergency services to restore properties damaged by water, fire, smoke, mold, and biohazard events. With approximately six of every 100 households making insurance claims for property damage, including water, mold, fire and other common household mishaps, PuroClean’s services are a necessity for all homeowners. PuroClean technicians arrive at the scene of a loss 24/7 and take the necessary steps to bring the situation under control, prevent it from becoming worse and provide restoration services to help bring the property back to pre-loss condition. With 2009 system-wide revenues of more than $90 million, PuroClean continues to attract entrepreneurial-minded individuals looking for a personally and financially rewarding business opportunity in the recession-proof insurance property claims industry

We are meeting with Terry Harstad from Stockade Companies. Stockade Companies are the franchisor for three different brands: Montana Mike's, Coyote Canyon and Sirloin Stockade. With the incredible deals for real estate they're offering some incredible incentives for new and existing franchisees.

Empowerkit is the ultimate toolkit for medium to large organizations to empower their employees, agents or business units on the web. You are looking to ensure brand continuity yet provide customization capabilities, offer powerful apps, and closely track metrics to measure results - a challenging dilemma to say the least. Empowerkit allows your various business units, agents or employees to easily customize and manage their own presence online using a powerful web-based platform. You maintain control over your brand, and they get control over content, functionality and daily maintenance tasks. Empowerkit offers a library of all the latest and greatest apps all under one roof. You also gain deep insights by having access to comprehensive analytics that showcase key metrics that can inform critical decisions. And the best part, there's no installation, no setup, and no waiting. We will be speaking with Chris Anderson and Dennis Mulgannon.