The future of journalism is very bright with young interns such as these that are part of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network’s Media Lab program.
As in many states, Connecticut has a wonderful public broadcasting system that provides important and interesting programming on both radio, television and, of course, over the Internet. The Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN) consists of WNPR and CPTV.
I was honored to be recently be interviewed by young interns of Media Lab, a program of CPBN. Media Lab’s goal is to create 21st century journalists and train instructors to pass this gift forward.
These young people blew me away! They were so thorough, professional and inquisitive in their work that this was one of the most enjoyable interviews I have had the pleasure to do.
I’ve been writing recently about some of our newer Edible Arrangements franchisees. It’s always exciting to watch the family of franchisees grow and meet the new entrepreneurs who are pursuing their own version of the American Dream.
Equally dear to my heart, however, are those long-term franchisees who have been the foundation upon which Edible Arrangements has grown into a global icon.
I first met Rich and Pat 10 years ago. Pat had a computer science degree while Rich had a computer engineering degree. Both worked for Xerox in product development, but had been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. In May of 2005 they opened their first Edible Arrangements store in Rochester, NY. They have since opened five more locations as well as a dipped fruit shipping center.
Five years ago they moved to Minneapolis where Rich became the Managing Director of Hollander Inc., a software company servicing the Automotive Recycling industry. They manage their stores remotely with the help of a great management team back in Rochester and a set of processes and tools that have developed over the years.
Rich and Pat have four children, ranging in age from 11 to 27. Michelle, the oldest, joined the management team in 2012. Claire owns a marketing consulting company in Tampa, FL, while David is a freshman at Iowa State University and Caitlin is a sixth grader. Oh yes, they also have a 10-year-old black lab named Keira.
In their spare time, they enjoy boating, yard work and healthy eating. Rich is also a runner and just completed his first marathon.
I mention Pat and Rich because they just renewed their initial franchise agreement for another 10 years. We are blessed to have passionate franchisees like Rich and Pat as part of the Edible Arrangements family. I hope to feature more in the coming weeks.
Franchisee congratulations this week goes to Michelle and Eddie, another husband wife team opening their first Edible Arrangements in Wilson, North Carolina.
Michelle and Eddie, who have been happily married for 10 years, have the full support of their four children when it comes to their new venture.
“The kids absolutely love Edible Arrangements,” they said of Peyton (7), Cameron (6), Mackenzie (3) and Bailey (2). “They get really excited every time they are sent an arrangement or see a commercial!”
As with many of our franchisees, family is important to Michelle and Eddie. They say they spend every moment they can together, enjoying the outdoors by taking walks, swimming and playing soccer among their many hobbies.
In fact, the family-feel of Edible Arrangements was one of the things that convinced them it was a concept they could truly believe in.
Michelle joins Edible after a career in sales and now enjoys her new role training new sales representatives hired into the company. Eddie has been in fire service for over 25 years and says the highlight has been getting to know their community and providing fire prevention education.
Wilson is about 40 miles east of Raleigh and proudly promotes itself as North Carolina’s Gigabit City for having some of the fastest broadband speeds in the U.S. Perhaps it won’t be long before it will also be known as home to one of the most successful Edible Arrangements franchises, as well.
Just ask Malcolm and Lisa, two of our newest franchisees.
They met while attending Texas A&M University and immediately realized they had a lot in common, having grown up in hometowns just 15 minutes apart. In fact, their parents actually went to high school together.
After graduation, Malcolm took a position in finance at a dietary supplement company in College Station (home of Texas A&M) while Lisa was at home raising two little boys, 4-year-old Max and 2-year-old Caleb.
While they were enjoying College Station, the outdoors, traveling and spending time together as a family, their goal was always to move the family back to the Temple, Texas, area where they were raised.
That opportunity presented itself in the shape of an Edible Arrangements® bouquet. After receiving several Edible Arrangements as gifts, they did a little research and realized that not only did Temple not have an Edible Arrangements, but it was also a perfect market!
A growing city with more than 65,000 residents, Temple is home of Scott & White Hospital, the only Level 1 trauma hospital between Austin and Dallas and home to more than 6,000 employees. The city also has a children’s hospital, a VA hospital, a private university, two large school districts and a dynamic business community.
For Malcolm and Lisa, it’s the best of all worlds — a chance to chase the American Dream of business ownership and do it while raising their family in the same area where they grew up.
Congratulations to Malcolm and Lisa. We wish you and your family the best!
We have long-term franchisees that have owned a store (or stores!) for a decade and then signed on for 10 more years.
We have franchisees who always dreamed of being entrepreneurs and small business owners, and we made their dream come true.
Some are military veterans. Some are husband and wife teams. Some own one or two Edible Arrangements’ stores, while others own more than 10!
There are franchisees that came out of retirement after successful business careers seeking a new challenge. There are young upstarts, who always knew they wanted to be a small business owner. And there are those who got tired of the “corporate treadmill” and wanted to be fully rewarded for their work.
Linda falls into several of the categories mentioned above.
An amazing young woman with boundless energy and a very friendly, energetic and outgoing demeanor, Linda was barely in her mid-20s when she became the owner of her own small business—an Edible Arrangements store. She had enjoyed a successful career in marketing, but was disenchanted with the fact that while her work was praised and helped her employer thrive, she was still not given an opportunity for advancement. She started to become unhappy in her job.
Linda knew about Edible Arrangements from her work in marketing and had been watching us grow from the time we started franchising in 2001. Linda says that watching Edible Arrangements grow from from a small start-up into a global chain in just a few years was exciting.
Linda remembers thinking to herself: “What if I could be rewarded for the work I put into something and not have to rely on a boss or someone else to reward me?”
It was then that she decided to make the big jump, leave her job and open her own Edible Arrangements store.
That was 10 years ago! Now a long-term franchisee, a multiple store owner and still young, Linda says she doesn’t regret a thing.
“At first, I thought that I would do this for a few years and then get out,” she told me. “But I found something that I truly enjoyed and I was able to grow along with my business. I love the challenging times, and I still get to use my marketing background!”
The best thing, Linda says, is that “with my Edible Arrangements stores, I definitely get out what I put in!”
(0)
