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Pepper has always been a development honcho— building owner relations, making deals, selling franchises. One might think he’ d reminisce on a particularly rewarding or onerous deal he got across the finish line as a crowning achievement; instead, his biggest feat, he shared, has nothing to do with business.“ It’ s the culture we’ ve created here,” he said, after jokingly saying that it was the fact Choice has kept him around for so long.“ They say you can have the greatest strategy in the world, but culture can eat strategy for breakfast. I’ m proud to have kept a great culture within not just the development organization, but also within Choice.”
Building culture is hard; it takes time. Building rapport with the franchisee community is just as challenging, Pepper said.“ Every day we are out there to try and make sure that our franchisees make money,” he said.“ If they make money, we’ re going to do well. And that’ s hard.”
It’ s also a humbling business, but one that is as rewarding as it is demanding.“ What humbles me is when a franchisee thanks me for advice,” he said. Sometimes the advice might not be what they wanted to hear at the time, such as,“ You told me not to build there, and you were right,” Pepper said, or, conversely, and better,“ You told me to build here, and you were correct.” He wells with pride when he drives by a Choice hotel knowing that the franchisee is doing well, making money.“ It’ s humbling to be part of something that’ s changed lives,” he said. One of his biggest pieces of advice for someone who harbors the intention of owning a hotel is one that is simple on its face.“ So many times people will say to me,‘ I got this land; it’ s so cheap; and I can build cheap.’ I always go back to the same thing:‘ Tell me about the market. Are jobs being created?
What is the economic environment?’ That’ s what I care about.” Pepper is coming up on his 25th year with Choice. He recognizes how fortunate he is.“ Owners know
I have their best interests at heart,” he said.“ That’ s why I’ ve been able to stay so long.
And I think Choice knows that I represent them well, too.”
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