Snap-on Tools won first place and $500 to give to its favorite charity while FASTSIGNS and Firehouse Subs, as runners-up, each won $250 to give to the non-profits that are most meaningful to them in Franchise Business Review’s (FBR) “Then & Now” franchise photo contest. The contest took place during the International Franchise Association’s 2015 annual conference.
FASTSIGNS is matching its FBR “Then & Now” contest prize money and donating the funds to the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps veterans to successfully adjust to their “new normal” – returning home after being injured at war. By 2017, the agency will have helped 100,000 wounded veterans and their families.
“At FASTSIGNS, veterans are close to our heart. We have a number of amazing veteran franchise owners and veterans on our corporate team,” says Mark Jameson, Executive Vice President of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. “We appreciate their tremendous work ethic as well as their core values of integrity and service.”
Firehouse Subs is donating its FBR “Then and Now” contest prize money to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which provides funding, life-saving equipment, and educational opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations. Since 2005, the Foundation has given $12 million to benefit nearly 1,000 local departments in communities across the nation.
“As former firefighters, my brother and I saw firsthand how critical it is for first responders to have the training and tools they need to save lives, ” said Firehouse Subs Co-Founder and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Board Chairman, Robin Sorensen. “The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is the heart of Firehouse Subs.”
Franchise Business Review held the “Then & Now” contest in order to provide franchisors with a forum that showcased how much they have changed over time and to help several worthy non-profits. In addition to hosting the contest, Franchise Business Review staff volunteered during the IFA’s Franchising Gives Back event at Veteran’s Village in Las Vegas, which is a transitional and permanent housing residence and provides support for U.S. veterans.
“We’ve had the pleasure of watching over 800 franchisors undergo a metamorphosis over the past 10 years,” says Michelle Rowan, President of Franchise Business Review. “Our goal for the ‘Then & Now’ franchise photo contest was to share a glimpse of what we’ve seen while helping others.”
To view the winning “Then & Now” photos as well as the fun submissions from 34 additional franchises, please see below.
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