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2016 Issue 2 | THE SCORE

“ With the Sister Sledge disco chestnut ‘ We Are Fam-i-ly !’ as their anthem , the never-say-die ’ 79 Pirates battled through a grueling season , and a tough World Series , to reign as World Champions once again .”

The Pirates ’ on-field leader and Hall of Famer Willie Stargell used the song as a rallying cry and , in doing so , made a loud statement : We need to be more than a team , we need to be a family .

To me , there is no stronger bond than that of family . We all aspire to have relationships that mirror that of family , and when we do , we are quick to identify the similarities and adopt one another as “ brother from another mother ” or “ sister from another mister .”

But wait a second ! Haven ’ t we all heard about the horror stories coming out of the holidays about family ? What about all the movies that are based on the stress and insanity about spending time with family ? Does anyone else have a Cousin Eddie ? So why in our right minds would we aspire to be like a family ?

Oh , and don ’ t get me started on all the warnings you will receive when you bring up the subject of working

with family . My favorite piece of advice was , “ Get the operating agreement done while you all still like each other .” Working with family ? Not a good idea , yet …

In this issue you will learn about those who , like Willie Stargell , defied all the critics and naysayers and leveraged the love , experience and respect for one another into building a strong BWW business with their actual family . It ’ s not always easy , but as one of them once told me , “ He ’ s crazy at times , but he ’ s my crazy .”

We lost one those trailblazers on July 25 with the passing of Gerald “ Gerry ” Franklin Sr . In the early 1990s , Gerry saw the possibilities within Buffalo Wild Wings ® , becoming the brand ’ s fourth franchisee and opening the first standalone B-Dubs ® location . Working alongside his son , Jerry , and granddaughter , Colleen , Gerry built his business around the love of family and the beliefs he held dear . From his service on the battlefields of World War II to his service within the community , Gerry leaves a lasting legacy for all of us to follow .

We look forward to the FBS Summit

in October , an opportunity to bring together our franchisee family that was so dear to Gerry . We hope you will join us at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas , Oct . 12-14 . This year ’ s FBS Summit features a stellar lineup of speakers , including Buffalo Wild Wings ® Board of Directors Chairman James Damian and Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers . With registration only $ 200 , it is the perfect opportunity to bring along your managers and capitalize on the informative – and fun – agenda . Registration is a snap , just visit the event website at www . cvent . com / d / gfqcvd / 4W . The BWW group is one big family , and the Summit allows us to share in the joys and challenges of being entrepreneurs while supporting each other and tapping into the wealth of knowledge within our brand . I hope to see you there !

Wray Hutchinson