“ Promote from within , celebrate successes , and care for those who stumble .”
2017 MVP AWARDS
PERSONAL
Formative influences / events : I grew up on a farm — and also in the city of Chicago . My parents were sort of hippies who wanted to get out of the big city and live off the land , but they got divorced and I moved around a lot between homes and states , farms , and cities . My last three years of high school in Snohomish , Washington , was the longest , continuous period of time spent at any one school growing up . I went to college at the University of Washington on a scholarship for disadvantaged youth . I worked my way up from a dishwasher in high school to a line cook at a local restaurant . In my sophomore year in college , I got a summer job at a pie shop ( The Pie Pantry ) at the Seattle Center in 1986 . It would be the last job interview I ever had . I worked my way through the management ranks and also got scholarship help from that 24-location multi-concept company ( Orange Julius , Dairy Queen , A & W , Auntie Anne ’ s , as well as independent concepts like the Pie Pantry ). I became a partner in 1993 and eventually bought the seven Auntie Anne ’ s franchises in 2001 . Eleven days after the deal was closed the towers were hit in NYC and we went into a pretty deep recession — but we made it !
Key accomplishments : Started a social enterprise business ( Auntie Anne ’ s ) with a nonprofit that works with people with disabilities . Income from that over the years has helped support their organization . Recognized as a Medium Private Employer in the U . S . for hiring people with disabilities ( 1994 ) and won again in 2004 as a Small Private Employer for Washington state after I bought the Auntie Anne ’ s . Past chair of the Washington Restaurant Association and current board member of the National Restaurant Association . Elected by my fellow Auntie Anne ’ s franchisees to be president of the Western Region of Auntie Anne ’ s franchise advisory council various times over the years . Opened my first Cinnabon bakery in 2015 . I also started a small mystery shopping business with my best friend in 1993 that is still in business today !
Work week : Always with my phone / email . I do travel a lot , but Wi-Fi on the plane helps me keep current and productive .
What are you reading ? Game of Thrones ( again ).
Best advice you ever got : Be tough on standards , but easy on people .
What ’ s your passion in business ? Seeing people grow and either get promoted with us , or move on to their next phase in life . I love creating places where people want to work and stay engaged , where they have fun and feel good about themselves . to pursue their passions , provided jobs to those with special needs , and enabled the company to feed and fund countless community projects and programs .
Stewart didn ’ t have to look far for a corporate role model . Inspired by the giving spirit of Anne Beiler , who founded Auntie Anne ’ s with “ caring for others in mind ,” he created his own Dream Builders program to help fund the goals and aspirations of his team members .
Every Dream Builders recipient has a story . The fund has covered dance academy tuition for an employee who is now a member of her college dance team ; paid
“ Promote from within , celebrate successes , and care for those who stumble .”
for airfare to enable another worker to travel on a mission to treat Indonesians with AIDS ; and covered the application fees for funding to provide hearing aids to an employee who could not otherwise afford them .
This year , the company will award college scholarships to working students and help many employees with financial hardships . The program is funded by company profits and overseen by a general manager , says Stewart , who knows firsthand what can happen when someone believes in you : he attended the University of Washington on a scholarship given to disadvantaged youths with potential and aspirations for college .
“ I want the people who work at my Auntie Anne ’ s , Cinnabon , or Schlotzsky ’ s to look back and think that was one of the best jobs they ever had ,” he says . “ Part of this , I think , is creating amazing opportunities for people to have access to or achieve something they never thought possible .”
Stewart ’ s contributions have been well received within the communities he serves . Two of his Auntie Anne ’ s locations are owned by the social enterprise organization Washington Vocational Services ( WVS ). Stewart oversees the operations and management of the WVS locations , in which the profits are used to fund the organization ’ s mission to provide employment services for people with disabilities . Most of his locations have someone on their staff referred by a social service agency . His company also gives mightily to raise money for Alex ’ s Lemonade
MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy : Be positively engaged . Find solutions to challenges and make a difference . Act honestly and ethically in all affairs . Always focus on the long term , not the short term .
Management method or style : Trust your people , but verify with your systems . Promote from within , celebrate successes , and care for those who stumble . Take care of the details of your people , so they can take care of the details of the guests . I don ’ t micro-manage ! I also want working in my company to be part of someone ’ s life , not their whole life — just a successful part of it .
Greatest challenge : Evolving the business model in this dynamic new retail and governmental regulatory environment . I recently terminated a lease for a 3-year-old location in Seattle because of increasingly burdensome and untenable regulations for a business my size .
How do others describe you ? Friendly , outgoing , optimistic , and kind . ( I hope anyway !)
How do you hire and fire , train and retain ? I think friendly team members and clean stores attract people who want to work in friendly , clean , and busy stores . It ’ s not just good customer service , but it attracts those people who want to be part of that . Keeping people is the most important thing I focus on . It starts the first day on the job ! We need to be really organized and get the paperwork out of the way , but then make sure the new people are welcomed and have fun right away . We want them to experience rolling a pretzel on their very first day — not in the back doing dishes . From there , we hope we can be consistent and flexible with their schedules and give room for internal growth . Our shift leaders help interview new applicants , and supervisors also share in bonuses for sales , food , and labor control . We have Pretzel Olympics every other year . Stores compete with two of the best from each location . It ’ s a great event and I always look forward to it . We also have a Dream Builders fund where our people can apply for funds to help them achieve a dream or personal goal . Financial assistance is also available from this as well . We are giving scholarships away to our working students . Basically , we invest in our people with decent uniforms , through training and participating in choosing new hires , and we try to be a resource for them to move on in their life in a positive way .
MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE III , 2017 41