Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2011 | Page 63

Sean Tuohy, Taco Bell franchisee
and adoptive father of
“The Blind Side’s” Michael Oher.

John DiJulius, keynote speaker,
consultant, and author.

The Exhibit Hall provided plenty of one-on-one opportunities.

said a particular challenge for franchising is, “How do you Baltimore Ravens. This was an uplifting and motivational
reconcile the need for speed with the need for structure?” talk from the word go.
Tuohy, a multi-unit Taco Bell franchisee, anchored his
Winners in tomorrow’s world, he said, must be willing
to “make bold moves, despite economic uncertainty” and talk around two words: “turn around.” He told spellbound
“focus on new challenges and opportunities.” His takeaway attendees that was what his wife said to him when they
message was to see future trends as opportunities, and that first saw 16-year-old Michael Oher. “Michael was walking
in shorts and a t-shirt in the snow and I was
to survive and be successful amidst all of them,
going to pass him by. She looked at me and
brands must adapt and innovate to keep up.
Over
said, ‘Turn around.’” He did, and many lives
The final keynoter of the day was Sean
changed forever. “We hadn’t planned it,”
Tuohy, the real-life father from the Hollysaid Tuohy, “but we stopped for one person,
wood movie The Blind Side. The movie tells
franchise
we loved him, and we were willing to try to
the story of how Tuohy’s family adopted Michael Oher off the rough-and-tumble streets EMPLOYEES WERE make a difference in just one life.”
Tuohy encouraged franchisees to do the
of Memphis and how, with Oher’s talent and
REPRESENTED AT
same, imploring them to look more closely
the family’s love and support, the teen went
the conference at their employees and other people in their
on to become a top NFL lineman for the

90,000

Multi-Unit Franchisee Issu e III, 2011



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