Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2015 | Page 16

ceoprofile

to Great by Jim Collins. I usually skim
through a lot of books. I get through a
few chapters and then I’m on to the next.
Every once in a while I go deep and read
the book slowly.
What makes you say, “Yes, now that’s
why I do what I do!”? When I see the
smile on someone’s face after they take a
bite out of a Which Wich sandwich. This
particularly applies to seeing smiles as a
result of our philanthropic campaign, Project PB&J, where for every PB&J bought
in-store, one is donated to a local organization and another is banked in a global
fund. Through Project PB&J I have been
able to make a significant positive difference in the lives of those less fortunate by
providing them with food they may not
have had access to otherwise.

Personal
What time do you like to be at your
desk? The magic happens after 5 p.m.
when most people are packing up. I like
to be at my desk at 9:30 a.m. because
from 8:30 to 9:30 people are hitting
balls on the range (they’re getting set
up for the day).
Exercise in the morning? Yes, I enjoy
exercising in the morning to energize
before I arrive in the office.
Wine with lunch? No, and I rarely have
wine with dinner because it puts me at a
competitive disadvantage for the next day.
Do you socialize with your team after work/outside the office? I believe
in letting things happen organically. If
circumstances are naturally setting us
up to socialize, we will.
Last two books read: I always have
several books going at once, but one I
go back to often is Paulo Coelho’s The
Alchemist and his quote, “When you want
something, all the universe conspires in
helping you to achieve it.” I’ve always believed in the power of positive thinking,
and the ability to achieve great things if
you set your mind on a goal and keep
pushing toward it.

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to let them know I think they’re great.
Favorite company product/service:
I’m a fan of brands that have great designs and are architecturally significant,
such as design firm Pininfarina, which
does everything from cars to buildings to
the Coke Freestyle machine. I also am a
huge fan of companies that stand behind
their product, such as Patagonia, which
offers a no-questions-asked guarantee. I
respect brands that are confident enough
in their product that they don’t need to
worry about returns. I also like brands that
shine in service, such as Nordstrom. I have
modeled my business after brands that offer product guarantee and great service.

“I wish I would have
started the brand
20 years ago
so I could have
gone head-to-head
with Subway.”
What technology do you take on the
road? “i” everything: iPhone, iPad, iPod,
and iWatch. It allows me to stay connected
without carrying big hardware.
How do you relax/balance life and
work? My wife is awesome. She gives me
the freedom to run the business and we
have our own version of cross-functional
meetings, also known as pillow talk, so I
can contribute to the family and she can
contribute to the business.
Favorite vacation destination: Anywhere
that deals with major adjustments to your
body clock. If it’s a full day behind or
ahead, you have to really get in sync with
the country’s time zone by resting your
body, which is a vacation in and of itself.
Favorite occasions to send employees
notes: I’m a huge proponent of giving
credit when credit is due. If one of my employees has done something exceptional,
I’ll always pick up the phone, call them out
in a team huddle, send a text… something

Bottom Line
What are your long-term goals for the
company? We have already grown significantly and steadily across the U.S. We
are now positioned for aggressive global
growth as well.
How has the economy changed your
goals for your company? It hasn’t. We
were in a down economy when we launched
and still experienced growth, and as the
economy gets better our growth continues. I believe there are opportunities in
both economies, you just have to adjust
your business to capitalize in both.
How do you measure success? Smiles.
What has been your greatest success? Health, health, and health—aka
H3. Health personally. Health with your
family. And health in your business. This
is how I view success.
Any regrets? Yes, not st