Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2011 | Page 12

By KERRY PIPES

Recognizing and
rewarding success

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s we like to say here, numbers tell only one part of the
story. The individual franchisees who create those numbers flesh
them out, give them character, make them come alive. That’s
why we profile successful multi-unit operators each issue. Once again, we
have benefited from the generosity of half a dozen multi-unit franchisees who have taken time from their busy lives to provide a window into
how they live and work. By the way, all were recognized as 2011 MVP
Award winners at the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference this April.
• Gary and Sally Myers are one husband and wife team
who know how to succeed in business and in life. After more than 27
years as Sizzler franchisees and 34 years of marriage the couple is still
growing and loving every minute of it.
• Greg Thomas simply can’t sit still. The self-professed ADHD
multi-unit franchisee always has his mind on his business and community,
pondering ways to pour more of himself into both. He likes to buy distressed units and turn them around and now operates 13 Great Clips and
2 Smoothie Kings. Thomas also led a highly successful branding initiative
for Great Clips that continues to pick up speed.
• John Scharnweber was raised in the restaurant business.
In college, he studied hotel, motel, and restaurant management before
turning back to the restaurant business. Being in the right place at the
right time led him to become a franchisee, and today he oversees topperforming units for three Ground Rounds and four Denny’s.
• Zane Tankel has taken Applebee’s to the Big Apple and been
wildly successful. He says one of his critical roles as a manager is to be a
cheerleader for his employees. He’s doing just that for his 35 Applebee’s
locations spread around the New York City metro area.
• Doc Cohen has a sweet tooth for business—or at least a business for customers with a sweet tooth! Fifteen years ago, Cohen left his
pharmacy and law degrees behind to become a franchisee. Today he
operates more than two dozen units for Great American Cookies, Pretzelmaker, TCBY, and Coffee Beanery and in 2011 became the first franchisee inducted into the IFA’s Hall of Fame.
• Kevin Hatton went from EMT to franchisee and back
again… sort of. The South Carolina native keeps actively involved in
Charleston, where he operates five Firehouse Subs shops. And because
of his dedication to the community, he found himself talking to Anderson
Cooper on CNN after equipment he’d purchased for a local fire department helped save a man’s life.
For more about these spectacular multi-unit MVPs… read on!
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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue III, 2011

By Debbie Selinsky

Married
with
Sizzlers
Persistence, consistency,
hard work, and faith

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s multi-unit franchisees with 24 Sizzler restaurants, Gary and Sally Myers spend a lot of time
together at work, where he is president and CEO of
their Temecula, Calif.-based company, and she is vice
president of marketing.
And after working together for more than 25 years and
being married nearly 34, the energetic couple still jokes about
the “sizzling” romance they started in high school. Gary, a
business major, proposed three times during their college
years—the final time in front of her fellow cheerleaders at
Pepperdine University. Sally, who majored in marketing and
communications, accepted as soon as they graduated. “Let’s
just say I’m known as persistent and consistent,” he says.
Gary, who put himself through school by moving up
through the ranks of the Market Basket grocery store chain,
had benefited for years from the tutelage of his father-in-law,
Jack Williams, a veteran Sizzler franchisee. When Williams offered him a position as director of training with his company,
Name: Gary Myers, president/CEO; Sally Myers, vice
president of marketing
Company: BMW Management
No. of units: 24 Sizzlers; 1 Richie’s Real American Diner
Age: Both 55
Family: Three children: Bryce works for us in real estate
development and lease negotiations and is married
to Heather with one child and another on the way;
Britney Neffendorf, a married teacher with two children
and husband Jimmy, who does our Sizzler building
maintenance; and our youngest, Brenna, who works in
catering in the hospitality industry.
Years in franchising: 27½
Years in current position: 27½