Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2011 | Page 38

By Debbie Selinsky

Just Desserts!
Modern-day Renaissance man strives for perfection

A

mericans’ love affair with
big, chewy cookies was just taking off in the late 1970s when
Lawrence “Doc” Cohen exited
the retail pharmaceutical industry after
15 years to open his first Great American
Cookies store in Lafayette, La. Nearly
two decades and 35 units in seven states
later, the Baltimore native sold his company, Deblan Corp., to Mrs. Fields Famous Brands. But he didn’t retire from
the cookie business, which he describes
as having “great resilience.” Far from it.
By 2002, Cohen had reacquired the
Houston market for Great American
Cookies and today is one of the brand’s
top franchisees, with 18 stores in the

Houston area. And as president and
CEO of LJC Management, he also owns
multiple Pretzelmaker, TCBY, and Coffee Beanery units.
Cohen, who holds both pharmacy
Name: Lawrence “Doc” Cohen
Title: President and CEO
Company: LJC Management Inc.
No. of units: 26 locations (some

co-branded): 18 Great American
Cookies, 11 PretzelMaker, 3
TCBY, 1 Coffee Beanery
Age: 71
Years in franchising: 31
Years in current position: 31

and law degrees from the University of
Georgia, has never rested on his laurels.
He was founding president of Great
American Cookie’s Franchise Advisory
Council and a founding member of
the Independent Association of Great
American Cookie Franchisees. In 1993,
he became one of the first franchisees to
join the IFA when it opened membership to franchisees.
“I figured this was an opportunity to
learn about the other side of franchising,” he says. “Getting involved with the
IFA was beneficial to me and helped put
me in a position to give something back
and share what I know. I learned that
the relationship between the franchisor

2011 MVP AWARD WINNER
You were recognized for demonstrating
outstanding performance and innovation in growing your organization and
brands. Tell us what you did. I built an
organization of people and they built our company.
We have always tried to be the very best at what
we do while sharing our ideas with our fellow franchisees. We also know that we learn every day by
listening to the others in our system.
As a multi-unit franchisee, how have
you raised the bar within your organization? We never settle for “good enough”
because as everyone knows, it never is.
What innovations have you created and
used to build your company? I don’t know
if it was an innovation, but in our company we
have a “We” mentality. We work together, share
our successes, and strive to correct our failures.
What core values do you feel led you to
win this award? People make it happen. Place
the highest value on people because, no matter how
much talent, drive, and desire a leader might have,
if you can’t sell it to your team it won’t happen.

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Issue III , 2011