Board of Directors
Continued from Page 11
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off-shore ocean sailor; I like to scuba dive
with sharks; I am quite shy and tend to
conceal my feelings!
JAMES BITZONIS
Title: President
Company: Four M
Franchising
Number of Units: 15
Year entered the
system: 2004
What are three things people would
be surprised to learn about you? I am
a Dallas Cowboys fan; I am also a Corner
Bakery franchisee; I have hit a home run
in Yankee Stadium and thrown a touchdown pass in Giants Stadium.
JIM CARMODY
Title: Vice President
Company: JK&T
Wings, Inc.
Number of Units: 40
Year entered the
system: 1994
In your opinion, what is the most
valuable benefit franchisees receive
as a member of FBS? The power in
numbers we bring collectively.
GERALD F. FRANKLIN JR.
Title: Director of
Solutions
Company: Franklins
Management of Cleveland, LLC
Number of Units: 3
Year entered the
system: 1993
How/why did you get into the system?
It’s a long story, but my love of sports and
the restaurant business sure helped. Our
market definitely had a need for a great,
sports-themed restaurant.
What is your favorite thing about the
brand? I love the atmosphere during the
big games.
What do you look forward to accomplishing while serving on the board?
I want to help the franchisees cut costs,
lower expenses and reduce risks associated with their business.
In your opinion, what is the biggest
challenge currently facing franchisees? Implementing new technology at
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affordable costs while ensuring return on
investment.
In your opinion, what is the most
valuable benefit franchisees receive
as a member of FBS? The vast resources
available and tremendous knowledge of
our members.
How/why did you get into the system?
How/why did you get into the system?
My business partner, Kent Ward, walked
into one in Cleveland, Ohio.
What is your favorite thing about the
brand? It continues to evolve and not get
stale.
What do you look forward to accomplishing while serving on the board?
Making sure we can serve our fellow
franchisees as we all grow and go
forward with our own business ventures.
In your opinion, what is the biggest
challenge currently facing franchisees? We all face the same challenges so
it’s nice to be able to communicate with
each other as we go through them. I also
think being able to get feedback from
those that have had similar issues helps
offer some direction.
My father was the landlord for the first
franchise and since we were looking to
open a business together, it seemed like
a great opportunity to open one of our
own restaurants.
What is your favorite thing about the
brand? It is always fresh and lively. We
specialize in having fun no matter the
age of our customer.
What do you look forward to accomplishing while serving on the board?
Being able to represent all the smaller
franchisees and making sure they have a
voice in the organization.
In your opinion, what is the biggest
challenge currently facing franchisees? Driving dollars to the bottom
line in addition to keeping the concept
inviting and ahead of the competition.
In your opinion, what is the [