Zach Woodburn’s role has been growing with Freddy’s since 2006, rising in the ranks from supervisor to managing his own store and then transitioning to a role with the parent company as a franchise business coach. More recently, he was promoted to lead the growing department as the senior franchise business coach and is now redefining his role as director of franchise support. Zach’s expanded responsibilities include providing guidance to new franchise groups early in their onboarding process and as they manage building, training, and store opening schedules.

 

Sarah Selmon was first hired in early 2011 where she expanded the public relations function and then worked with Wichita State University real estate professor Stan Longhofer to develop a proprietary site selection model. Earlier this month, Selmon was promoted to a new position with dual roles as director of communication and site analysis. Selmon has a master’s degree in public affairs from the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs at Wichita State University. Her professional experience spans the public and private sector and includes over twelve years in the restaurant industry.

 

“Sarah and Zach bring a lot of great experience and value to our team. They are committed to the Freddy’s concept and the culture to which we credit our success,” comments COO Scott Redler. “We are having great fun in this business and we enjoy coming to work every day. In the office, we all realize that our function is to support the restaurants and our franchise operators. That is the first point we make with each new member of our team, and understanding that role fully is the key to their success.”

 

Freddy’s headquarters is scheduled to relocate following renovations in the new space at 260 N. Rock Road in Wichita, Kansas. The move is planned to occur before the end of the year. “In our office currently, we have about 20 members of our team sharing 3,500 square feet of work space. We are literally growing out of room and couldn’t be more excited to make this move,” comments President Bill Simon. “The new site shares a parking lot with our second Freddy’s restaurant. It has a lot of great functional features and most notable among them is a training area that will allow our team to really spend quality time with the managers who come through Wichita and spend four to six weeks here learning our systems before returning to operate their stores in various parts of the country. This is our best chance to share the Freddy’s culture with them and we look forward to taking full advantage of the space.”

 

In addition to the new executive members, Freddy’s has hired four additional employees. Ali Kitchen, Erick Von Merveldt, and Jeff Schwab join the team of franchise business coaches that lead new store openings and visit every store in the system at least three times per year. All of them have significant experience in the restaurant industry and bring a wealth of understanding to their new roles. In addition, Lori Scheidel is the newest member of the home office support team filling the new role of accounting assistant. Lori is a CPA and her background includes over ten years in the aircraft industry holding various accounting positions.