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I HEART MAC AND CHEESE Launches neW naTionaL BranDing camPaign, anD a LiTTLe “more!”

I Heart Mac & Cheese, a fast-casual concept specializing in made-to-order, fully customizable build-your-own bowls and grilled-cheese sandwiches, has launched a new national brand campaign, “Build Your Happy”.

The campaign was created to support the company’s goal of providing a plethora of choices for consumers from all walks of life. It doesn’t matter if you’re vegan or gluten-free—with seemingly endless combinations and ways to build your perfect meal, I Heart Mac & Cheese wants to put a smile on your face, no matter how you build your meal. “We’re not just a mac & cheese joint anymore. Between the melt in your mouth grilled cheeses, the gluten-free and vegan options, and millions of other ways to customize your meal, it just made sense to add more,” said I Heart Mac & Cheese CEO Steve Giordanell.

Developed with Greau Creative out of Boca Raton, FL, “Build Your Happy” has already begun rolling out nationally across all of I Heart Mac & Cheese and More’s customer touchpoints including web, mobile app, in-store, and all digital and traditional marketing assets. “We are so honored to help create this next chapter for the I Heart Mac & Cheese brand with a campaign that shows their commitment to providing the opportunity to build what makes YOU happy,” said Jason Bailey, Founder of Greau Creative.

iheartmacandcheese.com

THE JUICY CRAB announces franchise oPPorTuniTies for asPiring franchisees in The u.s.

The Juicy Crab is proud to announce they are currently offering franchise opportunities to qualified candidates in the United States.

Qualified applicants who are awarded the opportunity to own and operate a franchise will be provided with an exceptional business model, extensive training, and consistent, ongoing support from senior management. The Juicy Crab was first opened in Duluth, Georgia by the Chen family in 2015.

“The Juicy Crab is all about having a good time and getting your hands dirty,” says CEO/Founder Raymond Chen. “With great music, marine atmosphere, southern comfort seafood, always expect a great time at The Juicy Crab.” Once brought on board, franchisees will obtain access to the brand, tested and proven processes and support, purchasing power and distribution chains, cooperative marketing, new product research, development and roll-out, experienced training staff, and continuing training and education. The Juicy Crab already has an established market presence and substantial market penetration in the south-east United States. From this highly successful platform, the company is looking to expand the brand in select key areas domestically. The Juicy Crab has 28 locations in the south-eastern US with more expansions on the horizon.

EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS WeLcomeD 50 neW franchisees in 2020

Express Employment Professionals, a global staffing provider franchise, announced significant growth in 2020, signing a total of 61 franchise agreements to bring 27 new offices to key target markets, while continuing operations at 34 existing locations and welcoming 50 new franchise operators, systemwide.

In February 2020, Express also acquired direct hire staffing firm, Frontline Recruitment Group, further expanding its global footprint into Australia and New Zealand for the first time.

“The global workforce was hit hard in 2020 by COVID-19 and each industry sector had different needs at different times. Despite the challenges and complexities that the pandemic presented, our franchisees rose to the occasion and helped fill thousands of jobs last year,” said Bill Stoller, CEO of Express Employment Professionals.

Throughout 2020, Express was recognized among the franchise and staffing industries’ most prestigious accolades, including Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500, Franchise Direct’s Top 100 Global Franchises, the Canadian Franchise Association’s Recognition Awards, and ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Client and Talent Awards.

Express Employment Professionals works with job seekers to help them find the right job for their skills and experience, and annually employs over 552,000 people across 830+ franchise locations worldwide. Express has been recognized as the staffing category leader on Entrepreneur magazine’s prestigious and highly competitive Franchise 500 ranking of the top franchise opportunities for 10 consecutive years and its franchisees have average annual sales per territory of over $6 million in the U.S.

PIEOLOgY ParTners WiTh siTezeus for smarT a.i. eXPansion DaTa

Pizza innovator Pieology teams up with SiteZeus on a new recipe for data-driven expansion. The 120-unit pizza chain will leverage SiteZeus’ artificial intelligence-powered location intelligence platform to optimize market opportunities.

California-based Pieology is partnering with SiteZeus as it embarks on a plan to expand its 120-store multi-unit footprint, leveraging SiteZeus’ A.I.-powered location intelligence platform to learn more about their customers and identify high-volume trade areas. Just like building the perfect pizza, SiteZeus combines key ingredients to quickly build highly accurate market planning models. This data driven approach combines brand specific POS and location information with a variety of third-party metrics.

Standard data on demographics and traffic counts are enhanced with the latest tools that offer insights gleaned from social media and cellular data to provide a granular view of consumer behavior and movement. These models enable the real estate team to learn more about the true potential of every individual site – all in a matter of minutes.

“With access to SiteZeus’ platform our real estate team is able to look beneath the surface of our locations and understand what’s truly driving the location performance. This helps us understand where to focus and which locations to avoid in a completely new dimension,” said Ramzi Daklouche, Chief Growth Officer at Pieology. SiteZeus was built to help multi-unit brands answer two important questions – WHERE to open the next location and WHY prioritize one location over another.

what’s new!

DREAMMAKER nameD #1 home serVices franchise for 2021

DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen, with its ‘Code of Values’ emphasizing service, honesty and integrity, has been named the top home services company in franchisee satisfaction by Franchise Business Review.

Each year the leading franchise market research firm ranks the 200 best franchise opportunities, based on results of an independent survey of franchise business owners.

DreamMaker was among over 300 franchise brands, representing more than 28,000 franchise owners, that participated in the research.

Franchisees were surveyed on 33 benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction in critical areas of their franchise systems, including training and support, marketing, technology, operations, franchisor/franchisee relations, and financial opportunity.

“This is a tremendous honor for our organization,” said President and Chief Stewarding Officer Doug Dwyer. “Our business systems haven’t been built overnight. It is to the credit of our corporate team and franchisees. Together, they have elevated our systems to where they are today enabling our franchisees to grow their businesses and deliver an excellent remodeling experience.” “Our franchisees understand how big of a decision remodeling kitchens and bath is for homeowners,” added Dwyer. “They guide clients through the remodeling process from design to completion so homeowners feel comfortable and informed every step of the way. It is a simple process with constant communication managed all by one company; this is how we try to deliver on providing a remodeling dream.”

www.dreammakerfranchise.com

franchisee seLecTion, cLienT eXPerience maKes groWTh PossiBLe for gOTCHA COVERED

Gotcha Covered—a North American window treatment franchisor—said they experienced record growth last year, despite the issues of the pandemic. Company president Paul Linenberg said their thoughtful process for selecting franchisees was pivotal to that success. “We have high standards for people we award franchises to because it’s important for us to maintain our reputation for quality. That’s extremely helpful for our owners because when homeowners are looking for someone to advise them on their window treatment project, that reputation gives them some comfort and proves that we are trustworthy.

“Our clients have given us a 4.9 out of 5-star rating. We think that reputation also comes from the training and support we give our franchise owners. As long as they are here, we are going to help them find success. We are going to train them, support them and give them all the tools they need to be successful.

“When you start talking to the owners about their experience the company, you hear that we were doing really well. It was a record year for growth among our franchise base, but it was also a record for their sales,” he said.

inDoor air QuaLiTY franchise BreaThes fresh air inTo LeaDershiP Team

After a year of momentous growth in 2020, Green Home Solutions is pleased to start 2021 by introducing two new members joining its executive team—Duone Byars as Executive Director of Marketing, and Al Winnick as Executive Director of Business Development.

Byars brings to Green Home Solutions more than two decades of franchise and marketing experience, having most recently served as the Field Marketing Manager at Sonic Automotive.

“I have always been passionate about working with and helping entrepreneurs with skin in the game grow and succeed, so I’m excited to return to the franchise industry,” said Byars who will develop the existing brand and local marketing strategies.

Adding to the experienced Green Home Solutions leadership team, the company has also recently brought in Al Winnick as Executive Director of Business Development. Prior to Green Home Solutions, Winnick spent 26 years in the optometry industry, most recently with True Spec Eye Bar as COO. Winnick notes, “For 26 years, I was blessed to be able to give the gift of sight. Now, with Green Home Solutions, I’m able to give the gift of good, clean air.” As part of the executive team at Green Home Solutions, Winnick will be responsible for the sales and profit growth of the company. He will also work closely with area representatives and national accounts. Winnick plans to continue to build on existing relationships with key companies and vendors, and network to continue growing the brand.

www.greenhomesolutions.com

KIDDIE ACADEMY DonaTes $25,000 To famiLY Promise

Kiddie Academy® Educational Child Care, a nationally recognized provider of comprehensive educational childcare programs, announced a partnership with national nonprofit Family Promise, designed to empower families experiencing homelessness and set children up for success.

Providing an initial gift of $25,000, Kiddie Academy will work together with Family Promise to develop a program for spreading awareness about family homelessness, as well as fundraising in support of the organization’s mission. “Family Promise shares our commitment to improve communities and build brighter futures for children,” said Greg Helwig, CEO at Kiddie Academy. Together, Kiddie Academy and Family Promise will work to empower all stakeholders—volunteers, donors, community members, businesses and government officials—to effect change across communities so families can achieve economic stability and children can access a brighter future.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, many families are experiencing increased risk in their housing stability. Kiddie Academy believes in developing a foundation for long term success, and Family Promise’s prevention, shelter, and stabilization model does just that for families in need by providing critical resources across every step of their journey.

“Kiddie Academy’s initial contribution to Family Promise is the foundation for a system-wide fundraising and resource model to help further the nonprofit’s efforts in solving homelessness for families across the country,” added Mike Miller, executive chairman of Kiddie Academy.