9:00 a.m.  to 10:00 a.m

1. Growth Blueprints for Single Brand Franchisees: Growing to 20 Units: Maturization of  the Multi-Unit Franchisee: Changing Roles and Goals as You Grow

(CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION)

What does it take to grow to 20 units, sustain growth, and be a profitable multi-unit franchisee? Where are the stretch points of growth? What should your multi-unit organization look like when you get there? How do you convert from a reactive to proactive growth model? Based on case studies of multi-unit franchisees who have grown to 20 franchised units, this panel of franchisees will clarify the main issues on how to grow when you add more units as a multi-unit franchisee. Multi-unit franchisees who have moved through this growth stage will share their experiences throughout the day.

Facilitator:

Rocco Fiorentino, CEO, United Financial and Eagle Tax Services

Panelists:

Gene Gumfory, Multi-Concept Franchisee, Gumfory Enterprises

David Ostrowe, Multi-Unit Franchisee, O & M Restaurant Group

Michael Pranke, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Roaring Fork, LLC

2. People Matters: Loss Prevention Strategies That Really Work

This year 30% of business failures will be caused by employee theft. Experienced retailers know that they have far more to fear from their own employees than from shoplifters. Unfortunately many new business and small retailers don't learn that lesson until it's too late. The number one deterrent to dishonest employees is the fear they will be caught. You’ll be amazed at what people will do to walk out of your store without paying. We’ll show you how it’s done, what to look for, and how to prevent shoplifters in your store. Learn the loss prevention "best practices" for your growing needs through policy, store layout and psychological deterrents designed to protect your inventory.

Find out how to tackle tough problems with innovative loss prevention solutions.

• What type of employees will steal
• Why they steal
• What they look for
• The major conditions that lead to employee theft
• The steps you need to take to deter employee theft

Facilitator:

Rollie Trayte, VP Strategic Development, Westec InterActive

Panelist:

Gary Widman, President, Lekson Visual Communications

3. Real Estate: Optimizing Your Site Location Analysis

Making informed site location and retail location decisions requires a systematic and efficient approach for assessing and evaluating customers and markets. How do franchisees measure the potential of retail site location and identify new target markets for entry and expansion?  How do they assess the impact of new site locations against their existing locations? How do they set and achieve revenue and market share goals? A panel of pros will help you understand the critical drivers of retail site location performance and success.

Facilitator:

Jim Stone, Founder / Chief Development Officer, GeoVue

Panelists:

Salman Siddiqu, Director of Dunkin Development, Dunkin' Brands

Andy Verostek, Market Planning Analyst, Sagittarius Brands

10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

1. Growth Blueprints: Growing to 50 Units –  Maturization of  the Multi-Unit Franchisee: Changing Roles and Goals as You Grow

(CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION)

What does it take to grow to 50 units, sustain growth, and be a profitable multi-unit franchisee? Where are the stretch points of growth? What should your multi-unit organization look like when you get to 50 units? Based on case studies of multi-unit franchisees that have grown to a minimum of 50 operating units, this program will explore the main issues on how to grow. Multi-unit franchisees who have moved through different stages of growth to get to 50 open units will share their experiences in this session.

Michael Pranke, CEO President, Roaring Fork, LLC

Charles Smithgall, Owner, Aaron’s SEI

Eric Werner, Owner, Texas Subs

2. People Matters: Effectively Recruiting the Hourly Work Force

(CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION)

Today, close to 60% of the U.S. workforce is made up of hourly workers. Their impact on business is huge.

Managing an hourly workforce is fraught with well-known problems. Franchisees face significant challenges in hiring, screening, training, managing, and retaining hourly employees. Discover how to handle these problems as well as immigration reform and changing labor markets.

Mel Kleiman, CEO, Humetrics

3. Real Estate: Rehabilitating Your Market

(CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION)

Keeping your market it top performing shape is essential to successful growth. You’ll learn how to identify and close underperforming stores, how to get out of bad real estate leases, and how to identify better locations.

John Metz, Multi-Concept Franchisee, RREMC Restaurants

Lyndon Johnson, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Reciprocity Restaurant Group

4. Development Strategies: Multi-Unit Franchising Fundamentals (MU101)

Start right! Get a firm foundation in the basics before you delve into the careful planning and rigid disciplines necessary to grow successfully through the early stages of multi-unit franchising. This workshop is designed for franchisors and franchisees looking at growing through a relationship where a single franchisee (whether an individual, partnership or corporation) is granted the right to open and operate multiple units within a particular geographic area.

What do these development agreements look like? How do franchisors determine size of territory, exclusivity and number of units? Equally important is the development schedule? Are there incentives for early openings? Do franchisees pay their franchise fees up-front or as they go, or a combination of both? What happens if the franchisee does not stay on schedule?. Research conducted by Franchise Update Media Group and FRANdata provide insights into current franchisor practices on the following topics.

• Size of territory
• Exclusivity
• Number of units
• Development schedule
• Incentives for early opening
• Limiting personal guarantees

Lane Fisher, Partner, Fisher Zucker

Panelists:

Todd Evans, VP Franchising, Aaron's Rents

John Francis, Area Franchisee for MN & WI, PostNet

Peter Hegele, Divisional VP Operations & Franchise Development, Buffalo Wild Wings

Lynette McKee, Vice President of Franchising,Dunkin’ Donuts

Roland Spongberg, Co-Founder, WKS Restaurant

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

1. Growth Blueprints: Growing to 100 Units and Beyond

(CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION)

When it comes to building a successful multi-unit and/or multi-brand operation, what goes on in the back office demands all your attention. Breaking out functionality into clearly defined departments staffed by the best people you can find for each function ensures your customers will have the experience they expect, and assures your employees that they too, will have their expectations met in your organization. This workshop covers all the key components:

• Financial
• Operations
• Sales
• Marketing
• Real Estate

• Construction 

Facilitator:

Rocco Fiorentino, CEO, United Financial and Eagle Tax Services

Panelists:

Stan Novack, Multi-Concept Franchisee, HMS Host

Michael Simmonds, Multi-Concept Franchisee, Simmonds Restaurant Management, Inc.

Guillermo Perales, Multi-Concept Franchisee, Sun Holdings, Inc.

2. People Matters: Recruiting, Rewarding and Retaining the Best Employees

(CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION)

Successful franchisees consistently say that although their product is important, they owe much of their success to their loyal and dedicated employees. In today's uncertain economic climate and difficult labor market, leading-edge companies must continually search for ways to ensure they are attractive and competitive employers. So what's going on at companies that create an environment of motivated, hard-working employees who stay the course? Learn from a panel of multi-unit franchisees that have created and implemented a number of unique and customized hiring practices, employee recognition plans, and incentive/compensation programs.

Mel Kleiman, CEO, Humetrics

Panelist:

Lyn Devorkin, President, STRATEG!X Inc.

3. Real Estate: The Retailer’s Challenge

A key to mastering growth is finding the best locations, the best financing, and becoming an expert on building out your next location. Participate in a detailed discussion on the latest and best practices on how to organize and structure the real estate activities of a growing franchisee system. Take away new ways to shorten store openings and much more you can immediately put into practice:

• What franchisees should know about their landlords and commercial tenant leases to save money

• How franchisors and franchisees can streamline their real estate processes to shorten new store opening times and cut down on workload

• The different ways franchise companies structure their real estate dealings to limit risk and maximize gains

• The latest and best real estate practices being used by franchise companies

Rick Husmann, Development Consultant, KMO Development Group, Inc.

Larry Myer, Retail Sales Consultant, F.C. Dadson, Inc.

David Ostrowe, Multi-Unit Franchisee, O & M Restaurant Group

4. Development Strategies: Accelerating Growth through Area Representation

This program is designed for area representatives and franchisors considering growth with this business model in the United States. This growth model carries varying labels such as “area franchising” or “area development,” but is best know as “area representation.”

Franchisors recognize the benefits of the potential for rapid expansion and reduced levels of operating expenses through area representation as area representatives take on certain obligations of the franchisor and, in turn, are compensated for doing so. This workshop covers the different types of area representation models, how they are typically executed, and the roles of standards of operation, compliance, and earnings claims in the process. What are the initial opening fees, how are royalties split, what does the development agreement look like? Who is responsible for site selection, collections, ongoing training and support? What happens when area representatives exit the system? These questions and many others will be addressed throughout this drill-down workshop. Research conducted by Franchise Update and FRANdata provides insights into current franchisor practices.

Lane Fisher, Partner, Fisher Zucker

Dean Gonsior, Multi-Unit Franchisee & Area Representative, Gonz Development, Inc.

Nikki Sells, VP Franchise Development, Tasti D-Lite

Marvin L. Storm, President and CEO, Blackstone Hathaway

Rob Tobias, Area Director, ROC Wings

Jim Valentino, COO,Tropical Smoothie Café

5. Buying and Selling Franchises: Understanding the Process of  Franchisee Mergers & Acquisitions

(CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION)

For franchisees, planning an exit strategy is something to consider long before investing in that first concept. What are your long-term goals? When is the best time to sell? Who are the best buyers for your franchised units? Would you like to sell in five years? Ten? Pass the business to a family member? Make a clean break or keep your hand in? Is trading cash flow for a lump sum the right way to go? What are the franchisee's and franchisor's transfer and renewal rights? Multi-unit franchisees, merger and acquisition, financing, and legal experts on this panel address the many complex, interrelated issues involved when multi-unit franchisees look at selling their business.

Dean Zuccarello, CEO, The Cypress Group

Hank Huth, Multi-Concept Franchisee, NorthEast Tan and New York New England Video

Joyce Mazero, Franchise & Distribution Practice Leader, Haynes Boone

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Mixing with the Masters Happy Hour (franchisees only)

Enjoy cocktails while you mix and mingle with other franchisees. There’s no better place to reaffirm relationships or start new ones.

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Opening Reception in Expo Hall

The Expo Hall is the hub of networking activity. Meet face to face with  other multi-unit franchisees, franchise company executives, and with suppliers. Discover new opportunities and solutions that will help your business grow to the next level.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

7:00 to 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast in Expo Hall

Get the day off started right. Enjoy breakfast while you discover new franchise opportunities and business solutions.

8:30 to  8:45 a.m.

General Session: Conference Chair's Welcome

Bill Hall, Conference Chair, Dairy Queen Multi-Unit Franchisee

8:45 to 9:45 a.m.

Opening Keynote: America’s Economic Future: The 6 Unstoppable Trends– Dr. Barry Asmus

Dr. Asmus identifies the "Six Unstoppable Trends" that are impacting America’s business and its economy. Some results of these powerful trends are: a strong stock market, low unemployment, low inflation, high labor productivity, record economic growth, and consumer net worth at all-time highs. Currently, 75 million Baby Boomers are in the high spending category and most productive stages of their lives. The Boom continues. Companies of the 21st century must be positioned to capitalize on these trends.

9:45 to 10:30 a.m.

Franchisee Power Panel: Sustaining Mega-Growth

Facilitator:

Bill Hall, Entrepreneur, William G. Hall & Co.

Panelists:

Guillermo Perales, Founder, Sun Holdings

Charles Smithgall, Owner, Aaron’s SEI

Eric Werner, CEO, Texas Subs

10:30 to 10:45 a.m.

Break

10:45 to 11:10 a.m.

State of Multi-Unit Franchising

Darrell Johnson, President, FRANdata, All attendees receive Multi-Unit and Multi-Concept Trends Report

11:10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Keynote – Multi-Unit Leadership: 7 Stages of Building High-Performing Partnerships and Teams, Jim Sullivan

What could you learn about multi-unit supervision, team-building, developing bench strength and improving People, Performance, Profits from companies like Walt Disney, Starbucks, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Applebee’s, Universal Studios, KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King, Golden Corral,  and Cheesecake Factory?  Jim Sullivan, should know. All of those companies are clients. Based on brand new 2007 research involving 480 high-performing Area Directors and Regional Managers across  industry segments, we’ll detail the do’s and don’ts of hiring, grooming, and growing your multi-unit leaders to the next level. Discover the best practices of the industry’s high-performing Multi-Unit Managers (MUMs).

12:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Lunch in Exhibit Hall

Enjoy lunch while gaining access to the franchisors and suppliers who provide the opportunities, products, services, and solutions that can supercharge your business.

2:00 to 2:50 p.m.

Keynote – Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life -Larry Winget

He is a philosopher of success who just happens to be hilarious. He teaches universal principles that work for anyone, in any business, at any time, and does it through simple examples, understandable, easy-to-implement ideas and funny stories. He believes that most of us have complicated life and business way too much, take it way too seriously and that we need to lighten up, take responsibility, be more flexible and keep it all in perspective. He teaches that business improves when the people in the business improve and that everything in life gets better when we get better and nothing gets better until we get better. His style is confrontational and he won't let you off the hook. He leaves you nowhere to turn but to yourself. Yet his motive is one of love and service. He sincerely wants everyone to do better, have more and know that they can.

3:00 to 4:30 p.m.

1. Multi-Concept Growth Blueprints: Adding Brands & Building a Power Portfolio

Multi-concept franchising  and how to make it work highlight this program. What does it take franchisees to grow with more than one brand, if not many? How do they sustain growth and remain profitable? How do they manage competing loyalties inside the company? Organizational profiles, talent profiles, and culture profiles must be addressed to succeed and grow. What does their dream team look like?

Listening to franchisees with multiple brands discuss business sounds a lot like stock brokers strategizing with clients about their holdings. High achieving area developers seek opportunities to keep building and growing when they have saturated their market with an existing brand. Additional advantages are obvious, you are simply spreading risk; seldom will two brands lag at the same time.

Some of the questions that will be answered in this panel program include:

• What makes a multi-concept organization work?
• What is your changing role? Are you capable?
• What kind of training do you need, and when?
• How do you budget for growth?
• What are the best practices of forward growth?
• What should my organizational model look like?
• What role does training play in the large organization?

Stan Novack, Multi-Concept Franchisee, HMS Host

Donna Wade, Owner, Hollywood Hits & Portable Moving & Storage

2. Accessing Capital to Finance Growth

The rules of franchise finance are changing and the messages are clear. Due to new standards in bank underwriting, the financial qualifications franchisees and franchisors use to access capital no longer apply. What does this mean for franchisee and franchisor growth plans? That capital will be a much more influential determinant of how fast a franchise system can grow. Banks that were willing to provide financing last year might not be this year, even if your loan portfolio is performing well. Franchisees need to be prepared to meet higher performance standards—and bring more capital into each deal—than in the past.

Facilitator:

Darrell Johnson, CEO, FRANdata Corporation

Panelists:

Ellen Hui, Multi-Concept Franchisee, Alameda Foodservice Management/EBR Investments

John Metz, Multi-Concept Franchisee, RREMC Restaurants

Steve Schwanz, President, Franchise Capital Advisors

3. Reporting with Metrics that Matter -Franchisee CFO Role

(CLICK HERE FOR PRESENTATION)

A fundamental truth of running a business  - you can’t manage what you can’t measure – is the focus of this break-out session. Most franchisees have top line reports that they rely on to manage and grow their franchise chains. What do those reports look like and what critical metrics do they include? What and how do they measure and with what frequency? What about loss prevention reports – how do franchisees with many units know their deposits are being made? Find out what reports tell franchisees the best story about the state of their business. 

Rocco Fiorentino, President, United Financial and Eagle Tax Services & Former Krispy Kreme Multi-Unit Franchisee

Hank Huth, Multi-Concept Franchisee, NorthEast Tan and New York New England Video

4. Working Together to Grow the Brand

Nothing is more important to the success of any business than the integrity of its brand. Often, even in the best managed franchise systems, there is a lack of alignment between the needs of the brand and the needs and desires of its franchisees.

What happens when franchisees do not want, or cannot afford, to make the investment necessary to live up to the brand promise? Are the requirements of the system always paramount? Does compliance require the franchisees to follow the franchisor's direction, regardless of cost and risk? What about pricing conflicts? How do franchisees deal with franchisors in bankruptcy?

This panel of experienced franchise insiders, who deal with these all-important issues on a daily basis, will share what they have learned about branding in the real world, from down in the trenches to high-level strategic thinking.

Michael Seid, CEO, Michael H. Seid & Associates

Scott Kornowski, Partner, Dady & Garner

Brian Schnell, Partner, Faegre & Benson

5. Driving Sales Through Customer Loyalty

Everyone knows that loyal customers drive sales growth. The question is, how do you acquire customer knowledge and use it to your advantage? Go behind the scenes and see how one franchise expert provides customer feedback to unit managers and franchisees — in a way that enables them to take effective, daily action to win more loyal customers. Find out how customer loyalty measurements can drive sales growth.

Facilitator:

Jack Mackey, Vice President, Service Management Group

Panelists:

Lyn Devorkin, President, STRATEG!X Inc.

Phil Friedman, President, McAlister’s Corporation

6:30 to 7:45 p.m

Drinks in the Desert

One of the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference’s most popular events, this relaxed social mixer is designed for informal networking.

8:00 to 9:30 p.m.

Southwest Soiree - Chairman's Private Dinner (Franchisees & Sponsors Only)

Enjoy an evening of fine food and wine, followed by entertainment.

Friday, April 25, 2008

9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast Leadership Program with Cathy L. Greenberg, PhD, h2c, LLC, Happy Companies Healthy People

Based on a best selling book series What Happy People Know, What Happy Companies Know, this session will demonstrate how  the power of positive emotions has the potential to enhance every senior leader’s coaching success- and their life.  The research is irrefutable; positive emotions significantly enhance overall health even more than diet and exercise. Learn how the new science of happiness can improve your coaching success as a leader immediately. Learn that coaching done right leads to greater performance, elevating happiness and profits.

1:15 p.m.

Golf Tournament (Advanced registration required)

Gainey Ranch Golf Club, an award-winning 27-hole private golf club offers unparalleled golf on three distinctive, championship 9-hole courses: The Lakes, The Dunes and The Arroyo. With panoramic views of the McDowell Mountains, the allure of the Sonoran Desert and breathtaking blue skies, Gainey Ranch is more than just a golf club; it’s a home away from home. Advanced registration is required for the tournament.