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Drawing on over 30 years of solid experience directly in concept creation; marketing; franchising and various other forms of distribution systems, Craig provides the direction required for creating, managing and implementing successful growth concepts and companies. In addition, he has assisted many existing companies improve their competitive position by repositioning their concepts; learning how to better respond to changes more effectively; streamlining operations; developing new operating concepts, products and services; implementing automation and teaching franchisors how to find more top performing franchisees. Mr. Slavin’s strengths are divided into three broad categories:
Many companies, throughout the world, have retained Mr. Slavin to develop their original prototype location(s). This impressive list of companies include: the Disney Store; ETD, the retail convenience store for Shell Oil; health clubs for Bally Total Fitness; the original business model for cellular in the United States for AT&T Cellular; the new retail store for Pella Window Stores; a new service business for Hewlett-Packard; retail stores for Bata Shoe Organization, Vintage Stock, Apple Computers, Wizards of The Coast, a new restaurant prototype for El Taco Tote Real Mexican Grill and the most successful fast food operation in the Middle East named, Al Tazaj (The Fresh). His Franchise Development services, provided by Franchise Architects, a company he founded in 1980, begins once the prototype or business is validated. Hundreds of worldwide organizations have contracted for his franchising services, which are tailored for the specific needs of each client. Sears Roebuck & Co.; Great Clips for Hair; TCBY; Precision Tune and Lube; NEC Computers; Reliance Petroleum; Stratis Business Centers; Luk Oil (Russia);The Circle K Corporation; TCBY; Texas State Optical; Mrs. Fields Cookies; the State of California; Boston Pizza; Dairy Queen; Red Robin Restaurants, and El Taco Tote Real Mexican Grill, are just some of the companies who have engaged us to create, design and assist in implementation of their franchise strategies. As part of our Refinement Services many existing franchisors utilize our Franchisee Top Performer Profiling System. This is the first scientific methodology that identifies the common characteristics amongst a franchise company’s top performing franchisees. Once we have identified who they are and why they perform so well we create attraction strategies to attract more of them. Just ask executives from Great Clips for Hair; Sears Roebuck – Hometown Stores; Sears Termite and Pest Control about the quality of their new franchisees. Finally, when the franchising process is not done right and the values and expectations of either party are not met we are oftentimes called in to either resolve the conflict or to provide representation and support during litigation, arbitration and mediation. Although it is a lucrative part of our business this is not the creative and proactive part of consulting that we enjoy the most. As a professional speaker Craig has conducted educational seminars on franchising for many prestigious institutions and groups throughout the world. He has been featured in many articles on franchising in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Success Magazine, US News & World Report, Nation's Restaurant News, The Chicago Tribune, INC. Magazine, SKY Magazine (Delta Airlines), Women's Wear Daily, Chain Store Age Executive, National Petroleum News and Canadian Foodservice and Hospitality Magazine to name a few. Mr. Slavin was selected to the 1990 faculty of the American Bar Association's Forum Committee on Franchising, is a re-elected member of the advisory council of the International Franchise Association's Counsel of Franchise Suppliers and is currently a member of the Association of Management Consultants; an approved arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association Panel on Franchising, serves as an expert witness in franchise litigation and was selected to the Board of Editors for Leader’s Franchising Business & Law Alert, which is division of the New York Law Publishing Co. Mr. Slavin is: the originator of the nationally acclaimed franchisor survey, which was published annually in SUCCESS MAGAZINE; creator of FRANCHISE CENTRAL; co-creator of The FRANCHISE NAVIGATOR, which matches individuals with specific franchised businesses based on their personality and investment criteria and author of THE FRANCHISE SUCCESS SYSTEM , a self-study workbook and audio cassette series covering the essential elements on how to evaluate and select a franchise business. Mr. Slavin also authored the chapter on a Franchisor's evolutionary growth process in the American Management Association's Handbook of Franchise Management. Mr. Slavin has appeared in the past seven editions of “Who’s Who In America” and was selected to “host” the first “ON-LINE” session, on owning a franchise, presented on the Microsoft Network (MSN).
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