SUBWAY(R) Restaurant Chain Honors Baltimore Businessman
MILFORD, Conn., Sept. 15 // PRNewswire // -- The SUBWAY(R) restaurant chain, the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise, is proud to announce that it has named Jim Smith, of Baltimore, Maryland, as the recipient of its 2009 Development Agent of the Year award for North American markets, during the company's recent convention in Washington, D.C.
From the ranks of franchisees themselves and chiefly responsible for building and managing a geographical territory, SUBWAY(R) Development Agents, or DAs, provide local franchisees with the necessary support and expertise to help them run a successful business.
As a SUBWAY(R) Development Agent of the Year, Smith is honored for accomplishments in developing the SUBWAY(R) brand within his territory, the level of service and support provided to local franchisees, and his ability to communicate and cooperate within the parameters of the SUBWAY(R) franchise system.
"Being named DA of the Year is an affirmation that we have a tremendous team of franchisees and field consultants. We have remodeled many locations, built some beautiful new stores and grew sales and customer counts dramatically and worked closely together to make Baltimore one of the premier territories in Subway's global family," says Jim Smith.
A member of former Baltimore Mayor, William Donald Schaefer's senior staff, Smith and his brother Jerry had wanted to open a sandwich shop.
"We were thinking of purchasing an old railroad car, moving it to Baltimore and setting up shop, but determined it wasn't practical. At about that time, my brother heard an ad on a New York radio station for a Subway restaurant on Staten Island and made a visit. He loved the food and the simplicity of the operation and advised me to pursue a Subway franchise," says Smith.
The Smith brothers became SUBWAY(R) franchisees and Development Agents in 1976 and were among the early pioneers who brought the brand to consumers in areas outside of its Connecticut origins.
"Jerry managed the store while I worked in the Mayor's office. At night, I would handle the books and talk to prospective franchisees," recalls Smith.
Within six months Smith quit his City Hall job and bought out his brother's share of the business when Jerry moved to California. Today, his territory includes 68 SUBWAY(R) restaurants within the Baltimore Beltway, which are owned and operated by 47 individual franchisees. There are another 10 locations in various stages of development. Smith owns and operates two SUBWAY(R) restaurants in Baltimore himself.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Smith says that his attention for the coming years will be focused on continuing to build beautiful stores in premier locations and working with local franchisees to increase their sales.
"One of the many groups that play an important role in moving the Subway business forward is our Development Agent team. They focus on all three main areas of our business: Building profits through operational excellence, building sales through effective marketing and building restaurants through smart development. The Development Agents continue to set records in franchise sales, leases signed and restaurants opened time after time. They work tirelessly to implement the programs and initiatives that are helping our franchisees grow their businesses," says Don Fertman, the SUBWAY(R) restaurant chain's Director of Development.
With more than 31,000 locations in 90 countries, including 380 in the state of Maryland, the SUBWAY(R) restaurant chain is the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise. Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, the SUBWAY(R) chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. That partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey -- one that made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business. The SUBWAY(R) brand has been honored as the number one franchise opportunity in Entrepreneur magazine's "Annual Franchise 500(R)" listing for 16 of the past 22 years, and was ranked as "America's Top Global Franchise" for 2009.
SUBWAY(R) is a registered trademark of Doctor's Associates Inc.
SOURCE SUBWAY
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