Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2016 | Page 67

Darrell Johnson, FRANdata
year. And the Fed, he added, is “just about
out of tools and energy to stoke growth.”
Still, he said, it’s not as bad as the numbers might indicate. The year following a
presidential election tends to be a fairly
good one in the 4-year election cycle (no
matter who the president is). Pairing that
with consumer optimism about where the
economy will be in the next 24 months,
along with financial factors—such as low
interest rates and multi-unit franchisees being the “darlings” of lenders these
days—the capital market side is playing
to the strengths of multi-unit operators.
As he’s said before, with the pie growing so slowly, the “real battle right now
is for market share.” Strong brands and
savvy franchisees stand to gain, as performance will matter more in today’s business
climate. “The economy won’t bail out a
bad business decision, but will punish it,”
he said. The good news? The opposite is
true for good decisions.
He reminded attendees that franchising
is the largest vocational training program
in the country for unskilled labor. “We’re
the biggest solution for that,” he said, and
expressed concern about external factors
such as minimum wage increases. With
all this in the mix, he told the audience

of multi-unit franchisees, “This year and
next should present you with a pretty good
environment in which to grow.”
Next up was the recognition and presentation of plaques to honor this year’s
MVP (Most Valuable Performer) Award
winners—multi-unit franchisees who have
taken advantage of the opportunities life
and the economy have presented them.
The annual award celebrates multi-unit
franchisees for their contributions to their
brands, their community, and their employees. Profiles of the honorees begin
on page 12.
Joe Theismann, inspiration
Then it was on to Day 2’s keynote speaker,
Joe Theismann, one of pro football’s alltime great quarterbacks. Following an
introduction by Greg Vojnovic of Arby’s,
which sponsored the keynote, Theismann
thrilled and energized the crowd with
tales of his 12 years in the NFL with the
Washington Redskins. The 1982 Super
Bowl champion, two-time Pro Bowler,

Joe Theismann, keynote speaker

and league MVP saw his playing days cut
short in 1985 when a severe (and dramatic)
leg injury ended his career. He went on to
become an NFL broadcaster and restaurant owner—as well as an active member
of his community. “It’s only when you start
to give back that we truly appreciate what
success is,” he said.
Theismann shared entertaining, educational stories from his own life about
overcoming adversity and creating success. “I never had a failure in my life—just
an educational experience that didn’t go
my way,” he quipped. “Change is just a
part of life.”
But, he pointed out, people can’t be
their best without help. “You have great
teachers and mentors in this room,” he said.
However, he added, you must be coachable, something he struggled with early in
his NFL career when he thought he knew
it all. “You really don’t know everything.”
Theismann spent the remainder of his
time outlining the importance of having
goals (“What price are you willing to pay
for being special?”); maintaining a good
attitude (“What do you say when you look
in the mirror in the morning?”); and being motivated to achieve (“Competition
is what drives us. I am not a fan of participation trophies.”).
Panel of pros
Theismann’s inspiring talk was followed
by a general session panel called “How
To Select a New Brand.” Tom Garrett,
CEO of GPS Hospitality (Burger King
and Popeyes franchisee and former Arby’s
CEO), led a star-studded panel consisting of Eric Werner (president of Texas
Subs, a large Subway franchisee); Dave
Goebel (Pie Five Pizza franchisee and
former Applebee’s CEO); and Matthew

MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S U E III, 2016

muf3_confwrap(62-66).indd 65

65
7/8/16 11:55 AM