Fromtheeditor’sdesk
BY KERRY PIPES
CHAIRMAN
Gary Gardner
A Legend Passes
F
red DeLuca, Subway co-founder and franchise industry giant, passed away
this fall, after a two-year battle with leukemia. His story is well-known but
demands another look because of all he did to build, establish, and promote
franchising, not only in the U.S., but worldwide.
In 1965, just 17 and looking for a way to earn money for college to study medicine, DeLuca opened a sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Conn., with $1,000 he bor-
CEO
Therese Thilgen
EXECUTIVE VP OPERATIONS
Sue Logan
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Diane Phibbs
VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
Barbara Yelmene
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
EXECUTIVES
Jeff Katis
Judy Reichman
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Kerry Pipes
MANAGING EDITOR
Eddy Goldberg
rowed from Dr. Peter Buck, a family friend who became his co-founder and partner
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Peter Tucker
in Doctor’s Associates, better known to millions worldwide as Subway. As DeLuca
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
Benjamin Foley
wrote years later, “I knew nothing about making sandwiches, nor the food industry.”
But that didn’t matter: he had the smarts, determination, and
will to succeed. And that’s just what he did, founding what
would become the world’s largest fast food chain with 44,364
locations in 111 countries (as of November).
In October, this year’s Leadership & Development Conference opened with a moment of silence to remember Fred
DeLuca and reflect on his life and what it meant, and still
means, for franchising. Many in the room had known Fred
and shared their personal stories throughout the three-day
Fred DeLuca
event. You could almost sense his presence in the sessions
and workshops as sales and development executives explored
ways to identify and improve their recruiting, positioning, and sales and marketing
strategies—with the phenomenal growth of Subway serving as inspiration for their
own hoped-for success.
I think Fred would have enjoyed the conference this year. He would have seen
WEB DEVELOPER
Don Rush
WEB PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Esther Foley
TECHNOLOGY P I=U
Q%=8)MM%MQ9P))ձ