which specialized in the sales of training and personal development programs for small-business owners , individuals , and companies . In 1975 , he joined the central office of SMI and spent 9 years in franchising . In 1984 , he moved to the Leadership Management Institute , a sister company of SMI , and became a franchise consultant , training and assisting franchisees in building and growing their franchise business . Previously , he held management roles at E . K . Williams , General Business Services , and All Tune & Lube franchises , to name a few .
GRANT KRUETZER Director , Franchise Business Development , Jack in the Box / QDoba Grant Kreutzer , Director , Franchise Business Development for Jack in the Box and Qdoba , develops and manages franchise recruitment programs to attract top multi-unit operators . His 15 years of experience in franchising , business development , branding , and marketing include 10 years of franchise business development in the QSR and fast casual segments , and 5 years leading marketing and sales for a start-up web application firm . His work with national restaurant chains in their franchise expansion efforts employs consultative selling techniques and marketing principles to create franchise brands that differentiate their investment proposition and engage the right franchisees best suited for long-term success . Recent programs include new development incentives and the Jack in the Box “ seed ” strategy , where new market franchisee growth starts with an acquisition of company-developed restaurants . Jack in the Box has transitioned to become a 76 percent franchised system , up from 25 percent in 2005 , with more than 1,100 restaurants franchised to multi-unit operating groups .
RICHARD LEIVILLE VP Franchise Development , Floor Coverings International After nearly 25 years at Smoothie King , including more than 15 as Executive Vice President of Franchise Development and Real Estate , Richard Leveille became Vice President of Franchise Development at Floor Coverings International . As EVP , he directed the franchise sales , real estate , and the construction and design departments and served on the Board of Directors . Credited as the first employee of Smoothie King starting in March 1989 , he was involved in developing the brand systems and opening more than 650 stores , 130 international and 40 to 50 in non-traditional environments . He earned his CFE designation in 2006 .
PETE LINDSEY
VP Franchising , Sport Clips Pete Lindsey is Vice President of Franchising at Sport Clips . His 19 years in the franchise business includes National Sales Manager for Franchise Development at MBE , a UPS Company ( The UPS Store ), National Operations Manager at MBE , and Executive Director of Franchise Relations for MBE , where he was responsible for informal dispute resolution , renewals , transfers , customer service , and insurance
compliance . He was also part of the team that offered The UPS Store to MBE franchisees , which culminated in one of the largest rebranding initiatives in history .
ERIC LITTLE
Chief Development Officer , Right at Home Eric Little has been in franchising for nearly 20 years and has been a member of Right at Home ’ s executive team since 2008 . He is responsible for both domestic and international growth . During his tenure the company has grown to more than 450 locations and achieved system wide sales of over $ 300 million in 2014 . Right at Home recently celebrated its most productive three-year period for franchise sales , opening 165 locations in 2012 – 2014 . Eric has been a Certified Franchise Executive ( CFE ) since 2005 and is a former Overall 1st Place winner of the Franchise Update STAR Award Mystery Shopping competition . He is an active member of the franchise community and enjoys sharing best practices with others in franchising . Prior to Right at Home , Eric worked with Valvoline , AlphaGraphics , and BounceU .
LORI MERRALL Director of Franchise Sales & Development , Dessange Group Lori Merrall , recently joined Dessange Group , as the Director of Franchise Sales & Development after spending 5 years with Massage Envy Franchising . Previously , Lori spent five years in the franchise industry at Blimpie and Cold Stone Creamery . Prior to franchising , Lori worked in advertising and sponsorship sales for the Phoenix Coyotes and has spent the bulk of her career in the TV and film industry , primarily in sales , distribution and marketing .
SCOTT NICHOLS
SVP Development , Charter Fitness Scott Nichols recently joined Charter Fitness . Prior to joining Charter Fitness , Scott was Director , Franchise Business Development for Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores ( SHOS ), where he was responsible for franchise development of Sears Home Appliance Showroom , Sears Appliance & Hardware stores , and Sears Outlet stores . Since starting with SHOS in March 2011 , he sold 194 franchises with a total gain on sale of more than $ 44 million and nearly $ 5 million in initial franchisee fees ; completed a revamp of its entire development process , including the rollout of a new franchise recruitment website ; and heightened the brand ’ s franchise web presence and improved ease of use for visitors , leading to increased lead generation and deal-closing ratios . He has more than 25 years of director-level franchise development experience in the hotel , QSR , and retail industries , working for such industry icons as Holiday Inn , Sheraton Hotels , Arby ’ s , Baskin-Robbins , and Dunkin ’ Donuts . He also took a leading role in the initial development and rollout of Jimmy John ’ s franchising program .
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