Franchisee of the Month

Franchisee of the Month

When “too good to be true” is for real.

by Jill Abrahamsen

When Amy Clegg was approached to convert her independent staffing company into an Express Employment Professionals franchise, she was skeptical. “It sounded too good to be true,” says Clegg. “I already built my business, why would I want to invest in a franchise system? But it turned out to be the best business decision I ever made.” Clegg converted her business to Express Employment Professionals in 2009, and it’s still going strong.

With 500 percent growth in her first year, you could say the proof is in the pudding. So what made the difference? “Tremendous resources. I don’t have to do it all on my own. The training, marketing, leadership events, and support is amazing,” Clegg says. “I thought it would be hard to follow a system, but it was great. They took all the back-end tasks off my plate, so I could focus on growing the business.”

Being part of a franchise system gives Clegg more time to spend with family and to make a difference in her community—and in the world. Clegg is passionate about giving back. She’s involved in many charitable organizations, and Express corporate supports and encourages her efforts.

Having adopted her own kids internationally, Clegg is a huge advocate for chil dren. Clegg and her team support the Ruel Foundation, which provides love, care, and cleft palate surgeries to malnourished and orphaned children (www.RuelFoundation.com).

Leadership comes naturally to Clegg and intuitively, as an inde pendent business owner, she had been doing all the things that a successful franchisee should do. “Getting out in the community, being involved in the chamber, and networking with business owners is huge,” she says. Clegg has hosted the award-winning Express Clydesdales in the Scranton St. Patrick’s Day parade for three years. This gave her the opportunity to give out yearly scholarships to young women interested in leadership by competing for the title of “Express Clydesdale Queen.” The Clydesdales' yearly visits brought smiles to tens of thousands and raised money for the local Children’s Hospital and the Ruel Foundation.

Among her many accolades, Clegg was named one of the “Top 50 Women in Business” in Pennsylvania and was also awarded Ex press Employment Professionals’ coveted “Board of Director’s Award” twice. Clegg and her team achieved Bronze Circle of Excellence every year since teaming with Express, some thing franchisees must reach before being awarded a second location.

“Partnering with Express has been the best business decision of my career. Express has changed my life in such a way that my circle of influence has increased to help inspire and encourage many more people,” she says.

For more information, visit www.expresspros.com

Amy and the Scranton Express team are continually involved in charitable events that benefit both international and local charities (top and above).