Moe’s Southwest Grill, a 2007 Top Ten Growth Chain according to Restaurant Hospitality and Technomic, is prepared for vigorous franchise growth following its recent acquisition by FOCUS Brands,® Inc with the same flavor and energy found in its more than 370 fast-casual restaurants.

Propelled by the resources and expertise of its new franchisor and operator, FOCUS Brands, Inc., which operates more than 2,100 ice cream stores, bakeries, restaurants, and cafes worldwide, Moe’s Southwest Grill is well poised to reach its impressive goal of signing 100 new franchise agreements and opening 75 restaurants by the end of 2008. (more…)

The Painting Pros, America’s Painting Company, is a leading national provider of residential and commercial painting services and will be coming soon to the Tulsa, OK area. In preparation for the opening, Sean and Keithia Stegmann recently signed an agreement to begin site selection and training for another new The Painting Pros operation.

The Painting Pros is headquartered in Charlotte, NC and operates company owned locations and franchises throughout the United States. Since 2003, The Painting Pros has developed and continues to develop operating systems, methods and techniques required to provide quality, licensed, painting services. (more…)

HomeVestors of America®, Inc., the company famous for its 'We Buy Ugly Houses' billboards, was ranked #238 in Entrepreneur magazine's 29th annual Franchise 500 ranking of top franchise opportunities. The HomeVestors franchise has been ranked annually since 2001.

The January edition of Entrepreneur lists the top 500 franchises that offer the best opportunities for success based on criteria such as financial strength, stability, growth rate and size of system.

‘I credit our franchisees for our prosperity,’ said John Hayes, HomeVestors’ president and CEO. ‘As a franchisor, our progress has been achieved through the support given to our more than 260 franchisees with thorough training, financial support, marketing programs and a network of mentors comprised of fellow franchisees. We are committed to their success.’

This year could be crunch time for the $125 billion franchising industry.

Low unemployment and the skills shortage have made recruiting franchisees difficult, and there is no sign of this easing. At the same time, interest rates are rising and the US sub-prime crisis is increasing the cost of capital and threatening to dent consumer spending, all of which could spell more sluggish sales for franchise chains.

But franchising is a resilient business model and offers many small businesses stability, systems, buying power and brand strength that could give them an edge over independent retailers and service businesses in a slowing economy. And there are still some services and sectors with good growth potential. (more…)

The Flores family came from humble beginnings. Argel Flores recounts memories of limited financial resources. The entire family immigrated to Dallas from Mexico City in 1980. They made ends meet by cleaning houses and offices, selling shoes and driving Dart busses in Dallas. Through hard work and perseverance Mr. and Mrs. Flores saved enough money to purchase a small car dealership. They grew this dealership over the period of 15 years, until it was sold in 2006 for a little under a million dollars.

They taught their three children the importance of hard work and the American dream. All of the children helped out with the family business and this created an entrepreneurial spirit in son, Argel. Argel wanted to own a business that he could build and he found his dream in a franchise business — Knockouts - Haircuts for Men. (more…)

A new location for Snap Fitness, a 24-hour-a-day fitness club, opened Monday at 13040 U.S. 31 in Grand Haven Township.

'I had a liver transplant in 2005, and ever since I have been really motivated to stay healthy and fit,' said Chuck Watson, owner of the new Grand Haven Township workout facility and a personal trainer. 'I changed my career path and opened a Snap Fitness in Grand Haven because I wanted to do something I loved, and I wanted to help out the community.' (more…)

In his younger days, when Zach McLeroy was a drummer in a band, he used to dream of the big encore performance.

The stage lights would go down, and the tingle of energy and excitement would build in the crowd as it started chanting for the band to return. But that dream didn’t quite work out the way he had hoped.

McLeroy ended up selling his drums and used the money to start Zaxby’s Franchising Inc. with his friend, Tony Townley.

Now, McLeroy, who tended chicken houses as a teenager, leads the chicken restaurant chain as president and CEO and wants to create for his customers that same sense of excitement that comes from performing an encore at a concert. (more…)

Club Owner Margaret McLean put on a fundraiser in her Butterfly Life franchise on January 14th to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Many club members and people in the community came out to raise money for the Hospital.

'Although supporting St Jude Children's Research Hospital is a very worthy cause, we were truly very pleased and honored with the level of participation from our members, whose contributions took us above and beyond our initial fundraising goals,” said McLean. (more…)

Carrollton-based EYESthere, a digital-video security maker, has launched its first franchise location in Grand Prairie, and the company expects more than 200 to follow in the next two years.

A 47-year-old, former Green Beret opened the location after a career living and working overseas, according to a company statement.

“I loved the work I was doing overseas in the security business and I wanted to continue it by working for myself instead of for someone else,” said franchise owner Mike Plante, a graduate of the University of North Texas. “Since this was my first entrepreneurial venture, I decided finding a franchise that utilized my skill set would be the best of both worlds.”

The Grand Prairie store, located at 2100 N. Highway 360, features customized digital video security for the home or office accessible on the Internet.

Entrepreneur, in its January 2008 Franchise 500 issue, has once again ranked Pillar To Post as the #1 opportunity in the home inspection category

Why this Business? (more…)

Rent-n-Roll Custom Wheels and Tires presented its top franchise award January 29 to Rental Concepts, LLC, at a special awards banquet marking the apex of a three-day franchisee conference in Orlando, Florida.
Rental Concepts owners David Harrison, Geron Vail and Don Parker own and operate five stores in Arkansas, including the first opened under the re-branded RNR name. (more…)

Growing Room Inc., the Columbus company launched nearly 20 years ago by a pediatric nurse, is ready to grow again — and in a big way.

The string of child-care development centers on Monday opened its first franchise in Auburn, Ala., a 15,000-square-foot facility that will serve 225 children in the Auburn-Opelika area.

But more are on the way, with Sheree Mitchell, president and chief executive officer, planning to take her Growing Room Child Development Centers nationwide. (more…)

Brenda and Leon Conley, Jr. are open for business. The couple’s new PostalAnnex+, located in the 140 Village Shopping Center in Westminster, celebrated their Grand Opening on January 21, 2008.

“Our first day was exciting,” Leon said. “We were able to meet people in our community and work out the details of our new business.” (more…)

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (Nasdaq: RRGB), the casual dining company that serves up fun, feel-good experiences by offering its guests an imaginative selection of high-quality gourmet burgers and innovative menu items in a family-friendly environment, today announced that it has agreed to acquire the assets of 11 existing Red Robin franchised restaurants for a total of $20.9 million. The Company will acquire an additional restaurant that is currently under construction in Eau Claire, Wisconsin upon its opening, which is expected to occur in May, 2008. (more…)

Panera Bread (Nasdaq: PNRA) today announced a new agreement with Oklahoma City Bakery, Inc. to develop bakery-cafes in the Little Rock area. Under the conditions of the new agreement, the Franchisee will open four bakery-cafes.

Oklahoma City Bakery, Inc. is owned by Jim and Gaynell Magers, who currently operate 27 Panera Bread(R) locations in Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas under the names Oklahoma City Bakery and Traditional Bakery. They opened their first bakery-cafe in 1993, which was Panera Bread’s first ever franchise-owned location. (more…)

ProSource Wholesale Floorcoverings, the largest professionals-only wholesale flooring showroom in North America, has been recognized as the No. 1 floorcoverings franchise in the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 listing. The company is also cited as being the No. 277 franchise overall.

“ProSource Wholesale Floorcoverings model is the proven leader and innovator in the industry,” said Mark Jameson, vice president of franchise development with ProSource Wholesale Floorcoverings. “Our investment to the growth of the brand and our franchisees has been an influential factor in receiving this honor and will continue to play a great role in the future as ProSource continues to implement its growth strategy.” (more…)

A new specialist photography franchise has been launched across Australia and focuses on taking property prices to great heights.

Top Snap Marketing through its unique real estate photography system of interior (using specialised lighting), exterior, aerial (using aircraft and helicopter), elevated (using mobile 20 metre mast), and blimp photography aims to show off property to its best advantage with a view to maximising sale prices. (more…)

Rug Décor, the nation’s leading rug retail franchise, announces it’s inaugural ranking in the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 listing. With an overall ranking of No. 369, the company is the highest ranking specialty floorcovering retailer within the esteemed list.

“Rug Décor fills a gap in the home furnishings market and by offering a huge selection of quality area rugs at great prices,” said Mark Jameson, vice president of franchise development with Rug Décor. “Our dedication to perfecting our turnkey business model and raising the bar in specialty retailing will continue to play a great role as Rug Décor continues its growth.” (more…)

Regis Corporation (NYSE:RGS), the global leader in the $170 billion hair care industry, today announced the completion of the merger of its continental European franchise salon operations with the Franck Provost Salon Group. As a result of this transaction, Regis owns a 30 percent minority interest in the newly formed Provalliance Group, the largest hair salon company in Europe. On October 15, 2007, the Company announced the signing of a definitive agreement to merge its continental European franchise salon operations with the Franck Provost Salon Group. (more…)

The Little Gym franchisee has ended a two year search for a suitable premises by securing planning permission for a new children's gym in Bishop's Stortford.

Virginia Barlow was granted planning permission from the councillors at East Herts District Council to change the use of a site at 231 London Road. The new facility will offer The Little Gym’s curriculum based gymnastics programme, which evolves with each stage of a child’s cognitive and motor skills development. The programme is available for children of all abilities from four months to 12 years. (more…)