Franchise Industry Media Coverage

May 24, 2013 // Franchising.com // CORALVILLE, IA – Pancheros (www.pancheros.com), a fast casual Mexican restaurant known for serving tasty Mexican food, announces its “Bob Gone Wild” contest to mark the sixth anniversary of the franchise’s special burrito tool, Bob. To celebrate “Bob The Tool” and its penchant for producing delectable burritos, Pancheros will be hosting a photo challenge starting May 24th, giving fans a chance to win free burritos for a year and a shot at a hot air balloon ride.
Pancheros salutes Bob, whose claim-to-fame is mixing ingredients for a uniform taste in each bite, by holding a contest where diners take the unique utensil out of the kitchen and into the wild. Participants are encouraged to get imaginative and take Bob to places it otherwise would never see, like the beach or an iconic landmark...

Mayi de la Vega’s sale among highest ever recorded in Miami Beach
MIAMI - May 24, 2013 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Mayi de la Vega and Arlene Susy Dunand of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty ? South Florida’s fastest growing luxury real estate firm that dominates the ultra luxury home market ? today announced that they represented baseball icon Alex Rodriguez in the sale of his $30 million estate at 4358 North Bay Road in Miami Beach. The transaction closed on May 24, and was the highest sale price ever on the prestigious North Bay Road and one of the biggest sales on record in Miami Beach.
“The demand for trophy homes worldwide, especially those contemporary in design, has never been greater,” said de la Vega, CEO and Founder/Estate Agent of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, which has more than 300 agents across South Florida catering to the discerning needs of celebrities, CEOs and the international elite...

CPA Express Service Being Offered to CPAs and Accountants Who Wish to Expand their Business without the Cost
May 24, 2013 // Franchising.com // Katy, TX. – BookKeeping Express, the first U.S. franchise focused solely on bookkeeping services, recently opened its first office in Katy, TX., serving businesses throughout Katy, Richmond and portions of Houston. Today, Director of Business Development, Byron Davenport, announced that area accountants and CPAs will be able to start taking advantage of an innovative ‘CPA Express Program’ so that they can get back to focusing on their core competencies; like analyzing numbers, growing their business, increasing client retention, and keeping clients compliant while offering a bookkeeping service that drives additional revenue...

Company's goal is to raise $50,000 for the USO; Papa John's Founder, John Schnatter, to host a pizza party celebration for 10,000 troops and their families at Charlotte Motor Speedway
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- May 24, 2013 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Pizza lovers throughout the country can join Papa John's in thanking the brave men and women of the US armed forces for their service through a special USO Meal Deal. Beginning today, customers can go to www.papajohns.com and use the promo code "USOMealDeal" to order two large, two-topping pizzas for $22, with $1 from every order going back to the USO. The offer is valid through Thursday, May 30.
"This is a great way for all of America to show its appreciation for the service of the brave men and women of the US military," said John Schnatter, Papa John's founder, chairman and CEO...

Company’s Military Ties Include Veteran Franchise Owners and Partnerships with Organizations that Benefit Military Personnel and their Families
Plainfield, Ill. (PRWEB) May 24, 2013 - Memorial Day is a very special occasion for Spring-Green Lawn Care, as the company’s military roots run deep. Veterans who hold corporate leadership positions and those who own franchises have made a significant contribution to the lawn care company’s success. In fact, Spring-Green’s chairman Tom Hofer is a Navy veteran himself.
Hofer is proud of his military background, and strives to help his fellow veterans however he can. Hofer was one of the main reasons why Spring-Green got involved with VetFran, a subsidy program offered through the International Franchise Association that provides support to veterans looking to buy a franchise...

RICHMOND, Va. - May 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - The long weekend ahead kicks off the unofficial start to summer with outdoor parties, barbeques, parades and celebrations under the stars. However, a perfect storm of weather conditions over the past months have made conditions ripe for what is being predicted as a powerful crop of mosquito and tick populations to wreak havoc on outdoor plans.
Reported cases of Lyme disease continue to rise with more than 280,000 Americans being diagnosed since 2002, with an additional 30,000 diagnoses just last year. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An illness that can have lifelong debilitating effects such as arthritis, fatigue and even neurological deficits, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged or deer ticks...

Chicago, IL, May 24, 2013 - (PR.com) - A special Educational Presentation on the science of ballooning will be presented to Danielle-Joy Peterson Elementary School in Naperville on May 28 by the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon Team. Ninety 5th grade students at the school, located at 4008 Chinaberry Lane, Naperville, Ill., will learn about various aspects of ballooning, including its history and the scientific principles involved. They will also see a demonstration on how the balloon functions. The interactive educational program was developed for K-12 students and is sponsored by the RE/MAX real estate network in northern Illinois.
The program will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium, giving all students a chance to participate. The 75-foot-tall balloon envelope will be inflated with cold air, permitting students to walk inside it...

May 24, 2013 // Franchising.com // DALLAS - Management of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), will participate in the upcoming Goldman Sachs Lodging, Gaming, Restaurant and Leisure Conference on June 4th at 3:15 p.m. Eastern.
A simulcast of the presentation will be available on the company's Web site - www.brinker.com. An online replay of the presentation will be available for two weeks. To access the live simulcast of the presentation, please go to the company's Web site at least 15 minutes prior to the presentation to download and install any necessary audio software.
Brinker International either owns, operates, franchises, or is involved in the ownership of more than 1,600 restaurants under the names Chili's Grill & Bar® and Maggiano's Little Italy®...

May 23, 2013 // Franchising.com // WAYNE, NJ - The Toys"R"Us Children’s Fund today announced a $100,000 donation to Save the Children to provide immediate and longer-term recovery programs for communities in Moore, Oklahoma following this week’s devastating tornado.
To provide urgent assistance to families in shelters, Toys"R"Us, Inc. has made local product donations to help children impacted by the tornado. The company is also encouraging its customers to join in helping the littlest victims of this disaster by donating products through the official Save the Children registry at www.Babiesrus.com/SavetheChildren.
As a national leader in child-focused disaster response and recovery programs, Save the Children is deploying Child Friendly Space kits in shelters, creating safe play areas for kids impacted by the tornado, and is also providing infant and toddler hygiene materials to support the well-being of young children while they are displaced from their homes...

May 23, 2013 // Franchising.com // MADISON, N.J. - Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services, today announced the selection of 15 emerging technology companies that will compete at the Realogy FWD Innovation Summit on Tuesday, June 18. The inaugural event will be hosted at the Company's new state-of-the-art headquarters building in Madison, N.J.
"The response we received from technology entrepreneurs was tremendous, and we are thrilled to be hosting a select group of 15 companies that will compete for the right to be crowned the Realogy FWD Innovation Summit Champion," said Alex Perriello, president and CEO of the Realogy Franchise Group...

Owner Celebrates Grand Opening with Free Subs
May 17, 2013 - Statesboro, GA - Jersey Mike’s Subs, known for its fresh sliced/fresh grilled East Coast-style subs, officially opened its doors in Statesboro on May 15. Franchise owner Chris Brown held a grand opening and free sub fundraiser from Wednesday, May 15 to Sunday, May 19 to support Statesboro High School Football.
The new restaurant, located at 721 South Main Street, circulated 7,500 coupons throughout the community offering a free regular sub for a minimum $1 contribution to Statesboro High School Football.
Started at the Jersey Shore in 1956, Jersey Mike's continued its steady growth in 2012 opening 92 new restaurants throughout the country, a 33 percent increase in new store growth over 2011...

Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, PGA TOUR Players and Fans Rally to Benefit Four Charities
May 23, 2013 // Franchising.com // FORT WORTH, TEXAS – PGA TOUR golfers at the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will once again be playing for more than the traditional tartan plaid jacket. This year’s Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts “Charity Foursome” program will benefit four charities: The First Tee of Fort Worth, Year Up Atlanta, Junior Achievement USA and the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Shelter In A Storm Program. Expect plenty of birdies and eagles over the weekend, with the entire field working hard to shoot low scores for one of the participating organizations. During Saturday and Sunday rounds, each golf pairing will be playing for one of the four charities with IHG’s Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts brand donating $100 for every birdie and $500 for every eagle made to the pairing’s corresponding charity, up to $50,000...

May 23, 2013 // Franchising.com // Atlanta, GA - Welcomemat Services celebrated a successful year at its second annual national conference on May 3-4 at Lake Lanier in Atlanta.
The top franchisees were recognized for their hard work by Welcomemat Services founder and CEO Brian Mattingly, who awarded these model franchisees. The top categories were Franchise of the Year, awarded for the second consecutive year to Dave and Sheryl Eickman, and Franchise Runner up of the Year, won by Frank and Shelli Bernardini. The Rookie of the Year award went to David Tabb, and Trainer of the Year was awarded to Julie McCord. Welcomemat Services promotes strong connections between franchisees through business support relationships like trainee positions, as well as through events like the national conference...

May 23, 2013 // Franchising.com // Local children's music franchise owner, Elizabeth Hawkhead, is celebrating her 10th successful year bringing music classes to the babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers of Leeds.
Former Bank Manager, Elizabeth, bought her Rhythm Time music franchise ten years ago after having her own children. As a bank manager, I had looked after other peoples' businesses and this gave me an appetite to run one of my own. Music was a passion of mine, so Rhythm Time gave me the perfect opportunity to do what I love and have a career that fitted around my young family," she quotes.
The music franchise owner's classes have proved so popular that over the past ten years, over 4000 babies and young children have attended Elizabeth's classes in Leeds...

ST. LOUIS - (BUSINESS WIRE) - May. 23, 2013 - Build-A-Bear Workshop® announced today initiatives to provide support for children and families affected by the tornado that devastated Moore, OK and surrounding areas earlier this week. The company is inviting its Guests to share the hug of a teddy bear through several initiatives. Nationally, Guests can donate $1 or more to the American Red Cross at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores or online at buildabear.com. In Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Guests can make bears for local children affected by the tornado. Additionally, the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation has contributed $2,500 to DonorsChoose.org for a specially directed teacher program to rebuild the schools in Oklahoma that were hit hardest by the storm and replenish classroom supplies in the upcoming months of recovery...

TGA challenges young people’s creativity with national T-shirt contest.
El Segundo, CA (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 - Over the past ten years, TGA Premier Golf and Tennis has been enriching the lives of youth across the country through its innovative after-school youth sports programs.
In celebration of this milestone, TGA did what it does best: It gave young people the opportunity to express themselves, but this time, it wasn’t on the golf course or tennis court, but through artistic impression. Students were challenged to design a T-shirt that would be used nationally in 2013 summer camps to mark the 10th anniversary.
This unique activity gave TGA students the opportunity to design a colorful themed T-shirt that expressed what TGA and ten years of fun and learning the sports of golf and tennis meant to them...

America’s Diner partners with leading minority organizations to offer more than $50,000 in scholarships to deserving high school and college students, helping address the issue of hunger in local communities.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - May 23, 2013 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Denny’s, Inc. (NASDAQ: DENN), one of America's largest full-service restaurant chains, is pleased to announce the formation of the Hungry For Education (HFE) scholarship program, now open for qualified student applicants across 12 targeted states within the Denny’s restaurant demographics (CA, FL, GA, IL, NV, SC, TX, NM, NY, CO, AZ, DC). The scholarship competition for high school and college students will award scholarships to deserving candidates that share unique, actionable ideas on ways Denny’s can help end childhood hunger in the student’s local community...

Healthy Vending Concept Worthy of the Media’s Attention
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 - Fresh Healthy Vending is a San Diego-based company whose franchisees provide vending machines stocked with healthy food and drinks in locations such as schools and businesses throughout the country. The company’s in-house, full-service marketing and advertising department has a goal of generating as much “noise” as possible in the media for their franchisees, and to promote the Fresh Healthy Vending brand.
Fresh Healthy Vending has been featured in many leading publications and TV networks across the nation such as MSNBC, FOX Business, CBS The Early Show, and in Bloomberg Businessweek. Local interest stories have focused on recent legislation, franchisees, healthy food and drink options, new vending location categories and the general health of many communities across the country...

Students walk inside the Re/Max hot air balloon's envelope during a special indoor educational presentation.
May 23, 2013 // Franchising.com // CHICAGO – The Re/Max Hot Air Balloon will pay a June 3 visit to Rock Cut Elementary School, 7944 Forest Hills Road, Loves Park, Ill., where the balloon crew will present an interactive educational program developed and sponsored by the Re/Max real estate network in northern Illinois.
The Re/Max balloon has become a nationally recognized corporate symbol since it was created 35 years ago and then combined with the now familiar Re/Max “Above the Crowd!”® slogan. Today, the balloon enjoys great success in achieving both educational and promotional objectives, appearing frequently at festivals, parades and charity events...

Educational Childcare Company Collaborates With Let's Move! to Promote Healthy Lifestyles for Children
BALTIMORE, MD - (Marketwired - May 22, 2013) - Over 90% of Kiddie Academy® locations nationwide have received certification as participants in the "Let's Move!" child care initiative -- a public statement of Kiddie Academy's system-wide commitment to a healthier future for children.
Health and fitness are integral parts of Kiddie Academy's Life Essentials® philosophy, which addresses the importance of keeping children fit and healthy by ensuring children's daily routines meet and exceed the recommendations of leading national health and fitness organizations.
"The health of the children in our care is a top priority, as is the development of healthy habits...