2016 MVP AWARDS Innovation Award
2016 MVP AWARDS
Why do you think you were recognized with this award ? Johnny and I have always taken the approach that the franchisor is the landlord and we are the tenant . As such , you can just pay your rent and live in the surroundings as is , or you can spruce the place up . We have always opted for the latter . I think that is why we are being recognized — because we are not sitting back . We are fully engaged in our business and constantly looking for new ways to raise brand awareness and drive traffic to our restaurants . We have contributed things as simple as designing a new bag to use for transporting chips on catering jobs , to the significant impact of coming up with the core idea that evolved into Moe ’ s annual nationwide Free Queso Day promotion . We started planning ways to disrupt grand openings for competitors that select real estate close to our existing locations . One of the more successful tactics involved giving away our world famous queso on the day of a competitor ’ s big day . It is a great differentiator of ours and we wanted to highlight it . After we did it a few times and saw net revenue more than double on those days ( as well as seeing empty parking lots for our competitor ’ s openings ), the brand took note and made it a national one-day event . Six years later , when we host Free Queso Day nationwide every September , it is one of the top system-wide business days of the year .
2016 MVP AWARDS Innovation Award
What innovations have you created and used to build your company ? See Free Queso Day above . I have also recently developed a program used on “ Cinco de Moe ’ s ” that offers corporate customers an incentive to cater on Cinco de Mayo by providing small Moe Money gift certificates the corporate customer can give to their employees , in addition to the food . This program has now been launched system-wide with a massive impact , driving record-breaking catering volume in our market every year .
What core values do you think helped you win this award ? An inferiority complex when it comes to achievement . Regardless of what we may achieve or accomplish , Johnny and I never feel like we have done enough . I constantly find myself , saying , “ But what if …”
How important is community involvement to you and your company ? This answer can be summarized with one sentence . We believe it is our obligation to give back to the communities we serve . We have met with the success we have only because people patronize our restaurants , and we owe every bit of recognition to those communities and patrons .
How have you raised the bar in your own company ? I am on the brand ’ s franchise advisory council and see that platform as a responsibility to ensure that as Moe ’ s grows nationally we don ’ t lose our roots in local communities . We recently have launched national media programs , and I am very proud we have grown to that level . We cannot forget that we got to this point because of local efforts , however , and I see that as a role we as franchisees need to play .
What leadership qualities are important to you and to your team ? A leader needs to be selfless . A leader needs to be willing to do anything they ask someone else to do . When that is not the case , trust and respect break down and failure will soon follow . Last , as referenced earlier , loyalty needs to be valued above anything else — and that loyalty requires reciprocity .
Formative influences / events : I fell in love with basketball at a young age and through a lot of practice became a pretty good player . My parents refused to allow it to define me and forced me to develop my vocabulary and speaking skills through study and activities like debate team . While I was not thrilled with it at 16 , when I had to miss practice to attend debate events , they saw something in me that needed to be cultivated . I will forever be appreciative , because I now know that the ability to have confidence in yourself and your words in any environment is a priceless and rare skill in the sales and business world .
The development of that skill set landed me an interview and eventual job offer in sales , at just 24 , with a small tech company in Tampa called Syniverse Technologies . David Wasserman was the guy who hired me into a position that I was certainly not yet seasoned for , but he took a shot with me . He opened every pathway for me to learn from him , customers , and even the CEO of the company . I took advantage of every opportunity that presented itself to be quiet , look around the room for the person who could teach me something , and take it in .
I credit those moments and experiences in forming the core of my philosophies in business today . I sent a note to the former CEO of Syniverse of few years back , thanking him for granting access and not creating the “ walled garden ” of secrets that many executives do to protect their position and perceived value . His response was priceless and showed me that I ’ m still learning to this day : “ I was the same CEO for thousands of people . You chose to take advantage of the access and knowledge when others did not .” I think that can summarize how my management style and approach to business developed .
Key accomplishments : Named to the Presidents Club , the award for top sales at Syniverse , four consecutive years and five out of seven years total . My partner John Iaquinta and I have also been named marketing or local store marketing
PERSONAL
Franchisee of the Year several times from Moe ’ s , and in 2014 we were an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards finalist . Named to the Pittsburgh 100 the past 3 years as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the region by the Pittsburgh Business Times . Becoming a father !
Work week : Varies by design . My partner Johnny and I call it the “ shiny object conversation .” We try to keep our schedules as fluid as possible to ensure we are always able to accommodate the needs of the business and our team . I view my role as a support mechanism , as much as that of a leader in the organization . “ That ’ s not my job ” is a forbidden phrase .
What are you reading ? Anything that provides insight on my surroundings . What is the newest real estate project in Pittsburgh ? What is the latest menu item or marketing program my competitor is rolling out ? Does the fast casual segment have a new emerging trend that I can adapt to my own operation ?
Best advice you ever got : From one of my older brothers , Mark . You have many people in your life , but only go home to one of them every night ( your wife ). That person always needs to be the priority in decision-making . Ironically , it has also translated directly to my business life as well . Johnny and I are the only partners and investors in our company , so applying the same philosophy to business decisions has made for a fruitful and harmonious partnership .
What ’ s your passion in business ? Making a meaningful impact on people ’ s lives , be it helping a high school employee with a school project , advising a young manager ascending our ranks on the virtues of home ownership and retirement savings , or a philanthropic endeavor in the community . I want to know that my business activity helped to make the world a better place each day .
26 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE III , 2016