The Subway restaurant chain is proud to announce that it named Bob Grewal of Orange County, California, as the recipient of its 2011 Development Agent of the Year award for the chain’s Pacific region, during the company’s recent convention in San Francisco.

Chiefly responsible for building and managing a geographical territory for the restaurant chain, Subway Development Agents, known as DAs, provide local franchisees with the necessary support and expertise to help them launch and run a successful business.

As a Subway Development Agent of the Year recipient, Grewal is honored for accomplishments in developing the Subway brand within his territory, the level of service and support provided to local franchisees, and his ability to communicate and cooperate within the parameters of the Subway franchise system.

“I was raised in the Subway sandwich business,” Grewal says. “My father started with his first Subway store in 1991. Now we own over 22 Subway stores and oversee over 1000 franchised locations in three separate regions spanning from California to Canada. We purchased the Orange County territory in 2007 with 194 franchised Subway stores, and today we have over 230 Subways with more planned to conveniently serve our communities.

“I love this entrepreneurial business and people business. Perhaps that is why I performed this well to be recognized as a contributor to the overall success and growth of the Subway brand.”

Bob has a staff of more than 20 working out of his Irvine office, and declares them to be the best in the industry. His team continues to work on making improvements to meet the needs of his franchisees, the public, and also has some exciting new store designs on the horizon.

"One of the many groups that play an important role in moving the Subway business forward is our Development team,” says Don Fertman, Subway’s chief development officer. "Like Bob, they focus on all three main areas of our business: Building profits through operational excellence, building sales through effective marketing, and building restaurants through smart development. Development Agents continue to set records in franchise sales, leases signed and restaurants opened as we expand globally. They work tirelessly to implement the programs and initiatives that are helping our franchisees grow their businesses.”