Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2012 | Page 65

While I was doing residential lawns I worked for him,” says
Keys. “I found out about U.S. Lawns, got my franchise circular, and took it to him to read over it. At the time, I think U.S.
Lawns would finance all but $5,000. He said, ‘Five thousand
dollars is not a whole lot of money. You might not understand
that right now.’”
It’s hardly been a one-way street for Keys. “There’s no way
I’m where I am today without the help of other U.S. Lawns
owners,” he says. “While the franchisor is very important,
what you learn from the other owners is even more important.” Beyond learning how to run the business and understand and manage his financials, Keys received plenty of advice from franchisees, including some you might not find in
a manual—such as the time, early in his career, when a fellow
U.S. Lawns franchisee told him, “You’re an owner, you need
to dress like an owner.”
Says Keys, “That’s what’s great about the group of people
at U.S. Lawns. They’ll let you know what you need to be doing, give you a push in the right direction.”
It’s his time to return the largesse he’s benefited from over
the years—and he’s eager to step into that role even more than
he already has. “Now I do that, especially in South Carolina.
I’ve gone through a lot of the trials and tribulations younger
franchisees have not. That’s my passion. I like helping other
guys out.” In fact, “We’re always on the phone together and
take vacations together,” he says.
“The award is a validation that you’re doing something the
right way,” he says. “Other franchisees notice that. You’re succeeding so they trust you. It’s the same thing I did: I watched
Mike Carlo win awards. I was lucky he picked up the phone
because he’s a very busy person. Now I try to do the same
thing. There’s no way I would be here without the people
who’ve helped me out.”

of equipment donated by the Firehouse Subs Public Safety
Foundation to save the life of Francisco Tuttle. Tuttle, only
47 at the time, was at work as an MRI technician when he
collapsed from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).
According to the Heart Rhythm Foundation, SCA is a leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for about 325,000
deaths each year (nearly 1,000 a day!)—and is not a heart attack, but rather an “electrical problem” resulting from a heart
rhythm disorder (ventricular fibrillation) that causes the heart
to abruptly and unexpectedly stop functioning (cardiac arrest).
Without emergency help, SCA leads to death within minutes.
An estimated 95 percent of victims of cardiac arrest die before they reach a hospital or other source of emergency help.
Tuttle is among the 5 percent who lived, thanks to that piece
of donated equipment—and some luck.
The money to buy the equipment comes from a combination of sources: sales of pickle buckets and donations from
customers, vendors, and the brand’s owners. Each month,
the sub shops sell thousands of the five-gallon buckets for $2
apiece. “Otherwise they’d be in a landfill,” says Hatton, who
operates five Firehouse Sub units in the Charleston, S.C., area.
“And for $2 it comes with a nice lid,” he quips.
To date, the Foundation has donated more than $3.5 million worth of equipment to 335 different communities in 22
different states. “Who knows how many lives we have touched
through those contributions?” says Hatton. “How many Francisco Tuttles are out there?”
Choosing Firehouse was a “no-brainer for me,” says Hat-

Kevin Hatton
Firehouse Subs
Making a Difference

“Who would have thought a pickle bucket could save someone’s life?” That’s a question Kevin Hatton, Firehouse Subs’
Franchisee of the Year, has been asking since late 2009. That’s
when the Mount Pleasant (S.C.) Fire Department used a piece

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