FranchiseU!

Ruth Agbaji is the CEO, founder, and Nerd-In-Chief of Code Wiz, and she knows first-hand the power of learning to code. Born in Nigeria, Ruth hacked her way into computer science by teaching herself to code. Agbaji received her Masters in Computer Science from Tufts University and worked as a software engineer for tech giants like Microsoft and Kronos. Her entrepreneurial spirit and desire to impact the kids’ lives by sparking their interest in STEM led Agbaji to quit her day job and launch Code Wiz. Her systems, processes, and curriculum make the Code Wiz model the premier learn-to-code child education franchise.

Jerry Akers is a lifetime entrepreneur, owning a wide variety of businesses in his 40 years of business experience. For the past 16 years, he and his wife have grown their Great Clips group from one salon to 36, and now with the entry of the children, plan on adding several more. Additionally, Jerry is the Regional Developer for The Joint Chiropractic for Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, and a Franchisee for Eastern Iowa with 10 Clinics under development Akers currently serves on the Great Clips MARC franchisee leadership board, the International Franchise Association’s Board of Directors and Franchisee Forum, the National Federation of Independent Business State Leadership Council, and the Iowa State Cosmetology Board.

In today's episode, Kathy sits down with Penn Station's COO, Craig Dunaway, to discuss his experiences in the franchise industry. Dunaway was president of Penn Station East Coast Subs since August 1999 and a member of the Board of Directors since September 2001, and became chief operating officer in 2022. In addition to being president of Penn Station, he had previously owned interests in Coastal Cheesesteaks, LLC and Louisville Cheesesteaks, LLC, both of which are Penn Station franchises. He served as Secretary/Treasurer of both. From January 1993 until August 1999, Mr. Dunaway was a partner at the regional accounting firm of McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC in Louisville, Kentucky. He served in various staff and managerial accounting positions at the firm from December 1982 through December 1992. Mr. Dunaway formerly had ownership interests in a Papa John’s® franchise that owned eleven stores, and he served as the secretary/treasurer of that Papa John’s® franchise. Mr. Dunaway received a B.S. in accounting from Indiana University in May 1983.

This week, Kathy sits down with the CEO and founder of Unleashed Brands, Michael Browning. Unleashed Brands is a platform company that houses the world’s best franchise brands to help kids Learn, Play, and Grow. Browning launched Unleashed in 2021 after noticing a void in the market for parents looking for a trusted resource for kids’ activities. The growing portfolio currently includes Urban Air Adventure Park, Snapology, The Little Gym, Premier Martial Arts, Class 101, and XP League.

On today's FranchiseU! Kathy Gosser talks to Franchise Business Review’s President and COO, Michelle Rowan, CFE. Franchise Business Review is the leading market research firm in the franchise sector specializing in franchisee satisfaction and employee engagement. In addition to her role at FBR, Michelle is also chair of the International Franchise Association Women’s Franchise Committee and a Certified Franchise Executive. Recently, Michelle joined the YUM! Center for Global Franchise Excellence Board of Advisors.

On today's episode, Kathy talks franchise and motivation with GYMGUYZ founder Josh York. GYMGUYZ is an in-home personal-training franchise providing convenient, customized, and creative workouts. Headquartered in Plainview, NY, it employs a fleet of trucks to bring state-of-the-art fitness equipment and expert coaches to their customers’ doors. Learn how Josh took this idea from a dining room table and single van to a booming franchise now serving over 1,100 cities in 22 states.

In today's episode, Kathy sits down with Stratus Building Solutions President Doug Flaig to discuss the world of franchising in the commercial cleaning industry. Flaig started his career with 7-Eleven, where he spent seven years. He eventually moved on to leadership roles with Dunkin’ Brands, Burger King, and Wetzel’s Pretzels.

Today Kathy speaks with John Cywinski of Dine Brands and discusses his journey from advertising firm to the food industry. John Cywinski was appointed to the position of President of Applebee’s Grill & Bar in March 2017. As President, Mr. Cywinski is responsible for the overall strategic direction for all functional areas of Applebee’s. Mr. Cywinski most recently served as Executive Vice President of Strategic Innovation and Marketing at Brinker International, parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy. Prior to Brinker, John was at Yum! Brands from 2010 to 2014, where he was the President of KFC’s $4.4 billion, 4,400 restaurant U.S. business. Prior to joining YUM! John spent four years as a franchisee himself, owning and operating 10 successful Dunkin’ Donuts and Sonic restaurants in Chicago which he has since sold. Mr. Cywinski previously served as Applebee’s Chief Marketing Officer from 2001 through 2006, focusing on all facets of the Applebee’s brand including, marketing, culinary and menu strategies, and spearheaded innovative initiatives like Applebee’s Carside To Go, a five-year alliance with Weight Watchers, and the “Eatin’ Good In The Neighborhood” ad campaign. Previously, Mr. Cywinski served as Vice-President of U.S. Brand Strategy for McDonald’s Corporation, President of Buena Vista Pictures Marketing for The Walt Disney Company, and Vice-President U.S. Marketing for Burger King Corporation. Mr. Cywinski started his career with Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago. Mr. Cywinski is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

Today on Franchise U! Kathy sits down with Patricia Perry. She is a veteran in the franchising, food service, retail, and hospitality industries. She serves as Vice President of Development for Edible Brands and is responsible for increasing the global market share for the franchise brands. She oversees global franchise development, real estate, new store design, construction, licensing, and consumer packaged goods and business gifting. Since early 2019, the brand has experienced tremendous growth signing more than 300 franchise agreements under her leadership. In addition, a licensing category was launched with the introduction of Edible Music™ and Edible Cheesecake Bites. Prior to Edible, Patricia founded regional foodservice concepts and held leadership roles for several well-known franchise brands. She’s also been elected and appointed to serve on the board of a number of organizations. Patricia attended Spelman College, where she received a BS in Mathematics and a BA in Spanish. In addition, she completed her MBA, and is a Certified Franchise Executive.

This week on FranchiseU!, Rob Weddle joins Kathy to discuss his entrepreneurial journey. Rob Weedle is the CEO of Authority Brands. He began his career in franchising in 2002 as a franchisee of The Cleaning Authority. In 2005, Rob joined the franchisor as an Operations Representative and rose through the organization as VP of Operations, COO, and eventually became the CEO in 2014. He remains today a multi-unit franchisee of The Cleaning Authority. Rob leads the executive team at Authority Brands in the company’s evolution as the leading multi-brand services franchisor. He also provides the operational guidance for the management of Authority Brands’ seven portfolio brands. Since 2014, Rob has led the company through nine brand acquisitions, has overseen substantial gains in unit counts, system sales, and earnings growth, and has taken the company through a successful exit from ownership by PNC Riverarch Capital and subsequent investment by Apax Partners.