What are your operations team's key roles and objectives at Signarama and Starpoint Brands, and how do you support them?

Serving in a dual leadership role as president of Signarama and president of Starpoint Brands, I rely on my operations teams to help me steer the ship and ensure we’re all collectively moving toward success each day. 

At Signarama, our versatile operations team is led by Chuck Gerardi, our vice president of operations. He oversees our development and training efforts as well as our technology team, focusing on integrating solutions that streamline workflow and enhance efficiency for our franchisees. 

Being a large franchise system with 700-plus locations worldwide, our operations department expertly manages the day-to-day franchisor activities while adapting to the ever-evolving needs of our franchisees. Operations plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success and uniformity of our brand, serving as the backbone to guarantee that each franchise location adheres to our brand standards and provides the high-quality experience our customers expect from Signarama.

Additionally, our marketing team collaborates regularly with operations to foster open lines of communication between the corporate team and franchise owners to collect feedback, communicate new initiatives, and share best practices. Regular communication efforts through newsletters, webinars, and short-form videos address challenges and align opportunities swiftly.

At a local level, our dedicated team of field representatives plays a crucial role in guiding our franchisees through their entrepreneurial journey, offering continuous support through ongoing communication, in-person visits, and setup support. Also crucial at a local level is having supportive vendor partners. Our vendor team regularly engages with industry providers in both service and equipment arenas, ensuring the Signarama network has access to 24/7 support and the latest technologies. This allows us to consistently deliver excellent products.

On the Starpoint Brands side, I turn to my vice president of operations, Donna Wichman, to ensure a smooth and efficient opening process for all nine of our brands, which are Signarama as well as Fully Promoted, Transworld Business Advisors, Venture X, Office Evolution, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Graze Craze, Network Lead Exchange, and Cannoli Kitchen Pizza. Donna has her ear to each of these brands’ respective operations teams and is there to provide high-level support.

As president of both entities, I provide strategic direction and resources to drive growth, profitability, and overall success. I work closely with each operations team to execute on our goals and objectives and facilitate seamless information flow. This critical function not only furthers key goals and objectives, but helps to identify them.