When I created Edible Arrangements in 1999, and again when the first franchise location opened in 2001, I was convinced the idea would be successful. I could never have imagined, however, that less than two decades later we would have more than 1,200 locations worldwide.
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Today, I am happy to announce that I am launching my own YouTube.com channel!
Here I will share news about Edible Arrangements (and our amazing franchisees!), the work of the Tariq Farid Foundation and other fun and interesting topics.
The first video I am posting is very special to me. It is an interview that I did at a small business incubator and co-working space in Wallingford, Connecticut, called Hubcap Wallingford.
I hope you enjoy it!
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Recently I was given the great opportunity to write an article for Entrepreneur.com titled “How to Deal With Your No. 1 Nemesis”. In this article I explain the importance of monitoring and challenging your competitors as an entrepreneur. Businesses and CEOs take different strategies in dealing with their competitors from one extreme to another. I myself advocate taking the middle ground as the best strategy for dealing with market rivals. I go on further to pinpoint four steps that I have found key in dealing with your No. 1 nemesis. Read the full Entrepreneur.com article here.
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As we prepare for the Memorial Day holiday, I am once again reminded how very fortunate we are to live in a land of freedom and opportunity.
I strongly believe we are blessed to be living in America, where our only limitations are the constraints we put on ourselves. But we must never forget that the life we enjoy is made possible because so many brave men and women have been willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice.
For many of us, the Memorial Day weekend will be filled with picnics and parties and other celebrations as we welcome the “unofficial start of summer.” In the midst of this, I hope we all will take a moment to pause with our families and remember those who have fallen in defense of freedom and made our way of life possible.
As others have said before me, they gave up all their tomorrows, so that we might have ours. For this, they deserve our remembrance and our eternal thanks.
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Today it is my pleasure to introduce Robert Price as the new President of Edible Arrangements®. This is an incredibly exciting time for the company. As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we also are embarking on an era that promises dramatic growth opportunities. A lot of our focus over the past year has been on putting the pieces in place that will allow us to take full advantage of these new opportunities. The addition of Rob, with his experience and expertise, significantly enhances the talented leadership team we have in place.
Rob comes to Edible Arrangements with more than two decades of marketing and brand building experience at some of America’s most highly regarded retailers. He most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for CVS/pharmacy, where he led all marketing, advertising, sales promotion, e-commerce, customer insights, store design and customer loyalty programs for the 7,400-store pharmacy chain.
During Rob’s tenure at CVS/pharmacy, the company:
Rob’s experience also includes leadership positions with convenience retailer Wawa Food Markets and the H-E-B Grocery chain. He also worked for the parent company of Hardees and Roy Rogers restaurants. Rob began his career at The Monitor Company, a management consulting firm.
Rob graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Applied Economics and earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School with high academic distinction. He is also a member of the 2012 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute, an honor given to just 21 people in the country each year.
On a personal note, Rob and his wife, Sue, have three sons — Sam (16), Max (14) and Jack (12) – and recently celebrated their 20th anniversary.
Rob shares my passion for the importance of creating a culture of service, innovation and collaboration. Like me, he has retail in his blood. His grandparents and great grandparents were shopkeepers, and his personal retail experience includes time on the front line. I have no doubt that Rob’s experience and skills are a perfect match for our leadership needs as we embark on this exciting new era of growth.
Welcome to the Edible Arrangements family, Rob.
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