FAC NOMINEES
Click the names below to view each FAC Nominees' bio!
Voting will take place during the Owner’s Meeting on Tuesday April 10 at the 2018 Jamba Leadership Conference. Each Franchise Group will receive three votes. Votes will be cast by a paper ballot and the winners will be announced during the awards ceremony on Wednesday April 11, 2018.
Sunil Bedi
This letter is to express my interest in serving on the Jamba FAC.
I have been a Jamba franchise owner for 6 years with stores in the Midwest. We own and manage 15 stores and will be developing an additional 10 stores in the next five years. I am interested in joining as a FAC representative to contribute my experiences.
Here are specific areas of contribution:
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Real Jamba Juice experience. I am a certified GM and have worked in my stores and in Jamba Juice corporate stores in NYC. We also have a TSM/Suchi and my original store is a certified training store. We built three new stores in our region.
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Business experience. I have many years of experience in the financial sector, M&A, international business and entrepreneurship. This has assisted my Jamba Juice stores with financial discipline, growth and hiring and retaining key employees.
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Passion for the Jamba brand and products. I enjoy the smoothies and juice that our brand serves. I am proud that Jamba Juice is focused on healthy lifestyle space. I am continuing to invest in the Jamba Juice brand.
I have also had the opportunity to live and work in San Francisco and New York City and have enjoyed the local Jamba Juice stores in these and many other US regions.
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Proficiency in technology investment and implementation. Modern quick service stores will require a substantial technology footprint; blurring the line between a great in-store Jamba experience and slick and easy online presence. These new types of stores are rolling out in class “A” cities now. The results are lower labor cost, stronger customer engagement and higher traffic.
I look forward to the opportunity to learning more about our franchise community and serving in a capacity to assist in the enhancement of Jamba Juice stores and brand value across our system.
Andreana Chryssos
My name is Andreana, I am a franchise owner in the Philadelphia area with 3 locations. I have been a franchise owner since 2012. We opened our first location in 2013 with 2 additional locations in 2015. We have an agreement to open a minimum of 5 stores in our territory but hope to open many more in the future.
I am interested in serving on the FAC as a representative for the northeast region. Our region has a lot of growth potential and many stores who currently do not have a “voice”. I believe it is important for all regions to have a presence on the committee.
Also, as a small franchisee I have a different perspective and outlook than the bigger franchisees which would be helpful to corporate. This would help corporate to understand the impact of decisions on smaller markets and franchisees. I have a law degree as well, which gives me a unique perspective when weighing the pros and cons of decisions.
I graduated law school in the height of the recession in 2011. I was not willing to sit by doing a random job until my dream job again became possible. As such, I reached out to Jamba to see why there was no presence in the Philadelphia area. I became a franchisee with literally no experience in franchising and/or running my own businesses. The last 5 years has taught me a lot. I believe this unique perspective is and could be very beneficial to new franchisees as well as corporate they are looking to expand into new markets.
I am excited for the opportunity to help corporate and our franchise community.
Thomas Graziano
I am writing to formally request my nomination to the Franchise Advisory Council, representing the Northeast. With over three decades of experience owning and operating thriving franchise businesses and eateries, I believe I would be a tremendous asset to the leadership team. I possess the expertise, energy, and experiences to not only provide recipes for proven success, but I am aware of the latest industry trends with a keen understanding of how to apply market growth strategies to my own businesses.
As a Jamba Juice franchisee since 2014, I see tremendous opportunity for a brand that was once easily established as an industry leader in innovation, product and service. With the rising demand for healthy/cleaner eating in the United States, more specifically the Northeast, we are also seeing a rise in competition in the juice/smoothie segment. Playa Bowls and stores like it are gobbling up real estate and market share nationwide, and Juice It Up was recently named a top three franchise by Entrepreneur magazine.
I want to be part of the Franchise Advisory Council so I can adequately address the specific seasonal needs of the Northeast stores, and work hand in hand with Corporate Office to reignite Jamba’s innovation to regain its position as the market leader.
The Northeast is ready, willing and energized to move forward in making what’s good for you even better, and I look forward to playing a critical role in that strategy.
Panos Joulios
Thank you for considering me to continue as your Jamba FAC representative:
Living F.I.B.E.R and embodying our Jamba core values has always been a ‘Natural fit’ for me, ever since I joined Jamba Juice as a District Manager in 2006, and then continued as a franchisee in 2010. Eating healthy, being active, and consuming all natural ingredients was always a way of life for me. My passion for the Jamba brand is evident by owning stores in both the Fresno, CA, and the Phoenix, AZ markets under ‘Wowza & Whirld Concepts.’ I am dedicated to expanding my territories and have opened and/or acquired 24 additional stores the past four years, bringing us to a total of 30 stores. Spending 8 years as a franchise owner, and 4 years as a Jamba corporate DM makes me a perfect ‘hybrid’ fit for the FAC committee.
I bring a wealth of restaurant and retail business experience to the table having worked in the corporate world for over 30 years with several high-profile companies (Starbucks, Johnny Rockets, Chevys, IL Fornaio, Piatti ), along with a number of start-ups.
My first two years as a FAC member has allowed me to advocate loudly and proudly for ALL of the franchisees, and for ALL of our best interests. The FAC members and I work hard to be a united voice behind issues like giving us back ‘Jamba card breakage’, holding Blendtec accountable for bad motors, saving money through operational strategies, site development cost savings, and the list goes on…
A few of my Jamba franchise career highlights:
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Awarded the Jamba ‘Community Impact Award’ in 2016 for service my team provided to our Fresno communities.
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Selected to help create our company’s B.O.O.S.T service standards in 2010 - that are now part of Jamba’s culture and training.
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Winning the esteemed ‘Encore Performance’ service award for our Region in 2012
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Winning the RTD (Ready to Drink) best practices contest for the Southwest region for sales and performance in 2015.
How my team & I deliver FIBER to our organizations:
F – Always creating a fun environment for our TM’s to work in: frequent contests, monthly recognition, and positive messaging.
I – On top of quality issues with no silent approval, and having managerial courage to do the right thing - Integrity throughout our organization.
B – I Believe in the Jamba brand, by investing in opening or acquiring more units…I have skin in the game.
E – Excellence in operations that leads to great service behaviors & morale, and a united ONE franchise team in CA & AZ.
R – We Focus on balancing service, quality, and profits that bring in above average EBITDA results.
It would be my honor to continue to serve YOU, our franchise partners another two years, especially now that I have been acclimated to how things work. Thank you for allowing me to help blaze a better future, while capitalizing and learning from our past challenges.
Scott Maltz
I own and operate 30 Jamba Juice franchise stores in California, and have more than 30 years of proven business results in a variety of industries. I have owned Jamba stores since 2009, and have been a FAC member the past two years after having previously served on the FAC before then.
I bring my Jamba passion, energy and business acumen developed during my career to the FAC committee to represent our interests as franchisees. I am a fierce advocate for improving Jamba results; results for both the Corporation and for us as franchisees. If the system does better overall, so will we. While I truly believe that, in those rare instances where a Corporate decision is potentially harmful to franchises, I am not afraid to voice a position to protect our interests as franchisees.
From my early days working in grocery stores and restaurants, to building and running my own services firm, I have a proven track record of success. Some highlights of my non-Jamba experience:
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As COO of Petopia.com, an Internet retailer of pet food and supplies, he grew a successful team, built a business infrastructure, and secured equity partners. Worked closely with PETCO, a retailer of pet stores.
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Performed a turnaround of a software and financial services firm; increasing revenues by 43% and improving operating profit from 4% to 20% within one year
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Co-founded a services and outsourcing firm whose primary clients were Fortune 500 public companies and large private entities. Became the market leader in its niche within five years; sold the business to a publicly traded corporation.
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At Bain & Company and Mercer Management Consulting, managed teams to address the most important issues facing client entities in a variety of industries; including technology, financial services, health care, consumer products, retail and non-profit.
Scott attended the University of Florida where he earned his undergraduate degree in Business and the University of Chicago where he earned an MBA. He has also served on both public company and non-profit Board’s of Directors.
I would welcome your support to serve the franchise community for another term on the FAC.
Phil Patent
Please consider me to continue on our “Franchise Advisory Council.” As an individual who has worked as a corporate executive in several Fast Casual and Restaurant corporations, I possess a unique track record of successfully working with franchise business owners and supporting the sales growth and profitability of those same business owners. I now have the privilege of being a franchise business owner and believe that I can continue to provide a resonant voice for all of our Jamba Juice retail store owners, large or small. I am hopeful that you will consider a vote for me to represent you on the FAC.
Vicki Pedersen
Vicki is an owner of One Whirld, Inc., which operates 9 Jamba Juice stores in Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. Together with her co-owner, Matt Leary, they have over 18 years’ experience in the Jamba system. One Whirld is also an owner for 4 Jimmy John’s franchises in Northern CA. Prior to becoming a franchise owner, Vicki served as Jamba’s corporate VP of Business Affairs. In that role, she gained a broad understanding of the business needs of the franchisor and franchisee, and worked to facilitate effective communication between them. In joining the FAC, her goal is to continue a constructive dialogue, while advocating for strategic choices aimed at maximizing brand relevance and profitability.
Guillermo Perez Vargas
I would be honored if you consider my application to continue in the Franchise Advisory Council for this upcoming year. This past year working with the FAC has been very rewarding and by heading the IT Subcommittee we have been able to finally get a new POS into our stores which I believe will bring simplicity to our operations, will be very well received by our team members and will help us use technology to improve our sales. By staying on the FAC it will be my pleasure to continue working on this and the other IT projects that are going on and see them flourish and working efficiently in our stores.
I’ve been a Jamba Juice Franchisee for over 8 years now and believe I can bring an added level of expertise to the FAC as well as some perspective into the challenges the brand faces as it tries to establish a stronger footprint east of the Rockies.
As a hands on Multi-unit franchisee owner and operator (I currently own and run 14 Jamba Juice units in South East Florida), and with over 15 years of experience in the QSR arena operating multiple concepts (KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Jamba Juice) I hope I can add value to the conversation as well as provide some insight for the road ahead.
My experience and success in business outside of the food industry I believe would provide a great support to the group to continue the reshaping that we expect from the brand as franchise partners and investors in our business.
Jeff Weinstein
I respectfully submit my self-nomination for FAC in 2018.
I assumed the role of VP of Operations of Vitaligent in 2015 and became an owner in 2016. My current position with Vitaligent is COO.
I believe I would provide a unique perspective to the organization, having served in both Franchisor and Franchisee leadership roles with the Jamba brand. From 2007-2014, I led operations support functions for Jamba with responsibility for both domestic and international businesses. In late 2014, I had the privilege of assuming field leadership responsibility for the Chicago and New York markets, and then (in 2015) for Northern California.
Vitaligent’s Jamba business is currently in its fourth consecutive year of comparable store sales growth. We have successfully opened six new stores and relocated one additional store in California. We have also acquired stores in Washington where we are experiencing a fourth consecutive period of comparable store sales growth.
I have been in the food and beverage industry for over 30 years, beginning with BOH positions in full-service restaurants. I have held field leadership roles with Peet’s and Starbucks, as well as operations support, category management, and specialty sales roles with Peet’s. In addition to extensive operations and sales experience, I am well versed in distribution, marketing, human resources, and development. My time with Vitaligent has also afforded me exposure to finance.
I bring genuine passion and a spirit of servant leadership to my work, and I would be grateful for the opportunity to work on behalf of the whole Jamba system.