The SUBWAY restaurant chain is proud to announce that it has named 12 outstanding franchisees as recipients of its 2011 Franchisee of the Year awards and three highly respected members of its development community as recipients of its Development Agent of the Year awards during the company's recent convention in San Francisco.
SUBWAY Franchisee of the Year awards are presented to the overall winners of the multi-unit and single unit owner categories from North America and the chain's international emerging and developed markets. Selected from among the chain's more than 17,000 franchisees from around the world, the franchisee recipients are: Joe Franch of Rochester, New York; Steve Stewart of Buffalo, New York; Blake Newton of Gunnison, Utah; Ismail Mohammad of Lynnwood, Washington; Jennifer Smith & Julie Jansen of Cobar, Australia; Neil Garnett of Innisfail, Australia; Andre Lima Dos Santos of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Carolina Ugalde Olavarria of Huechuraba, Chile; Abdul Almutairi of Sharq, Kuwait; and Pavel Andrianov and Yury Gurgov of Moscow, Russia.
Competing among 53 regional finalists from around the globe, the Franchisees of the Year are honored for accomplishments such as adding new stores, building sales and increasing profitability, while also achieving excellent store evaluations.
All SUBWAY restaurants are individually owned and operated by independent franchisees who pride themselves on being active members of the communities where they live and work. They come from all different backgrounds, with varying education, business and life experiences, yet share a basic entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to compete in the quick-serve restaurant industry.
"The franchisee is the heart and soul of the Subway family,” says Don Fertman, chief development officer, SUBWAY. “We know that our success depends upon their excellence in operating their restaurant and motivating their team to provide the best tasting sandwiches to our customers. We take great pride in the hard work and effort made by the thousands of franchisees throughout the world and in the millions of customers that they serve."
Often from the ranks of franchisees themselves, and chiefly responsible for building and managing a geographical territory, SUBWAY development agents, or DAs, provide their local franchisees with the necessary support and expertise to run a successful business.
Selected from among many outstanding candidates in the U.S., Canada, and the chain's developed and emerging markets from around the globe, Development Agents of the Year are honored for their accomplishments in developing the SUBWAY brand within their territory, increasing sales and profitability, and the level of service and support provided to their local franchisees.
The recipients of the 2011 SUBWAY Development Agent of the Year awards are Abdul Almutairi of Sharq, Kuwait; Ivan Todorov of Varna, Bulgaria; and Tom Nolen of Nashville, TN.
"One of the many groups that play an important role in moving the Subway business forward is our development team,” Fertman says. “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. The 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.”
Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, and with regional offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami, and Singapore, the SUBWAY chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. Their partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey — one that has made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business.