Atlanta, GA – Chris Conner has been a franchise consultant working with business owners and brands to support growth through franchising since 2001. His experience in the franchise development industry began with a Chicago-based franchise consulting firm where Mr. Conner had the opportunity to work with a variety of successful franchise systems including Jimmy John’s, European Wax Center, 911 Restoration, Smash Burger, Marco’s Pizza, Mad Science Group and other franchise systems where he was able to learn the franchise development process. In 2009, Mr. Conner founded Franchise Marketing Systems (FMS) in Atlanta, Georgia. FMS was developed in order to provide a full-service franchise development solution to new and existing franchisors. FMS provides strategic planning, FDD and Franchise Agreement development, Operations and Training Program development and Marketing Development to bring new brands to market as a franchise, then supports the franchise sales and marketing of the franchise. Today, Mr. Conner oversees the FMS team and works directly with clients to execute the franchise development process with brands globally. Since 2009, FMS has developed over 400 franchise brands and has a team of over 28 franchise consultants. FMS has developed successful franchise brands including Anytime Fitness, Baxter Healthcare, Blimpie, Hungry Howie’s Pizza, Restoration 1, Smash My Trash, Two Men and a Truck along with others. The FMS Team has been able to align with brands and franchise systems with a unified, consistent approach focused on growth, systems and transitioning from company-owned businesses to a scalable franchise system. Mr. Conner holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Management Information Systems from Miami of Ohio University and an MBA in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. He is married to Alaina Conner and has two children, Ashton and Jameson who make every day exciting and full of adventure.
Atlanta, GA – As part of the “in the trenches”mentality at Franchise Marketing Systems, Mr, George is involved with every day aspect of our business. From Strategic Planning to cold calling leads for our clients, no job is too big, and no job is too small. Look for Alan to deliver Franchise Sales Training and our Sales and Marketing Plans. Part of the founding team at Franchise Marketing Systems. Mr. George works hard every day to keep his word to President and Founder, Chris Conner to create the ultimate “Franchise Marketing System”. In 7 short years Mr. George has been instrumental in leading our growth from a team of 3, to a staff of over 26. That growth has included Inc a 1000 membership with (3 years- 541% growth) and a TOP 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies in Atlanta designation. Mr. George prides himself on having a PhD from the School of Hard Knocks. Always striving to become a subject matter expert in whatever he does. He has used a combination of formal education, corporate training, extensive reading to become expert in ROI Selling, Value Proposition, Sales Process Engineering, CRM, Quality Control/Process Building. Mr. George’s strength is the ability to take complex ideas and convey them in easy to understand everyday language. Most recently he held an executive position with GeoVue, a company that provides predictive analytics for franchise sales forecasting, site selection and market planning to retailers and restaurants. Prior to GeoVue, Mr. George was Director of Sales and Business Development at Tactician Corp, a franchise mapping company. At Tactician Corp, Mr. George worked extensively with retailers and restaurants providing site selection and geo-targeting tools. Mr. George has worked closely with several franchise systems including Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Jimmy John’s and Visiting Angels to name a few in developing comprehensive franchise territory plans and strategic planning initiatives. In his roles at Tactician and GeoVue, he worked closely with Franchise Development teams to create tools and approaches that helped his customers sell more franchises and create long-term growth for the franchisor and franchisees. Mr. George brings great experience in demographic analysis, understanding market potential, customer profiling, and sales territory design. Previous to his work in the franchise field, Mr. George also has a background which includes sales at the Boston Herald, where he was part of the 5th largest classified advertising sales teams in the United States. The next challenge for Mr George will be to work closely with our teams to expand our specialization and focus in Franchise Development, Digital Marketing/Website Development, Value Added Reselling and Franchise Outsourced Sales. Through a series of offered websites, spin-offs, and acquisitions Franchise Marketing Systems will f the deliver most robust franchise oriented vertical integration in the market.
Laura Rozentals is Franchise Marketing System’s (FMS) Chief Operating Officer reporting to Chris Conner. She oversees FMS’s operations, as well as customer experience and marketing. She also leads a creative group of over 20 people, including: highly skilled designers, developers, marketers and content writers in the marketing department. Prior to FMS, Laura worked for Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, Bloomberg and Intercontinental Hotel Group, in a number of marketing, consulting, operations and sales leadership roles. She holds a B.S. in Marketing and Business Administration and an MBA. Personally and professionally, she thrives on making a difference by mentoring and empowering people to find their happiness. When not working, you will find her volunteering at church, hiking outdoors with her dog, cooking or helping feed those in need.
Atlanta, GA – Tim Conner is a Franchise Consultant and Specialist with Franchise Marketing Systems. His role primarily handles qualifying candidates and determining if the franchise model is right for their line of business. Tim also works in developing operational structures for new franchise development plans and offering sales support. He attends various tradeshows throughout the year, conducting seminars and showcasing the benefits of a franchise system when implemented as a growth strategy. Tim’s background stems in finance, where he worked at one of the highest revenue-producing branches of Chase Bank for 6 years in Hinsdale, IL, before assuming his current role at our home office.
Chicago, IL – Mr. Callaway was formerly the director of the Strategic Planning department of the world’s oldest franchise development firm, Francorp. In his role, as head of the department, he drafted and managed strategic business plans for franchising companies. He also conducted franchise feasibility studies, industry surveys, prototype development plans, and strategic analyses. As member of the Executive Board of Francorp International, Mr. Callaway was responsible for all strategic planning initiatives engaged by the Strategic Planning Departments of the 30-country network of Francorp offices. Currently, Mr. Callaway has extensive influence in the decisions garnered by the Strategic Planning Department at Franchise Marketing Systems, as well as other departments where efficiencies are supplementary. After retaining a degree in Economics from Illinois College, Mr. Callaway received his MBA from Northern Illinois University with a focus in Entrepreneurship. Mr. Callaway has worked with major executives and companies such as former McDonald’s CEO, Ed Rensi, Founder of Gildan Activewear, Greg Chamandy, and Hershey Foods Director of New Product Development, Curt Robinson, among other business owners and CEOs. Mr. Callaway has traveled throughout North America to help facilitate the franchise goals of his diverse client-base, with specialty in retail. Previously, Mr. Callaway was Store Manager at a prominent retail chain accountable for nearly 100 employees. Mr. Callaway is an expert in strategic planning, franchisor organizational design, royalty and franchise fee pricing strategy, managerial decision-making, and technical marketing issues. He is a skilled researcher with extensive experience in web-based applications as well as database management.
Experienced consultative sales professional with a diverse background in numerous industries. I have been fortunate to achieve my goals, both personally and professionally. From developing and commercializing new technologies, starting and operating a business to helping CPA’s and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and increase revenues to achieve their goals. I thrive in leadership positions where I can help others, and I have always prioritized the needs of my clients or customers. I have built great relationships and partnerships throughout my career. I enjoy solving problems, continuous improvement, driving revenue and helping businesses grow beyond what they thought possible.
Columbus, OH – Zac Bletz began his career as a business to business document management sales consultant before transitioning his strengths of building relationships to the financial services industry. He began as a Licensed Banker for JPMorgan & Chase Bank in one of the largest banking centers in an affluential community. The last 5 years, Zac worked in a leadership role with JPMorgan & Chase where he was responsible for the successful transition of a poorly performing branch into a top performing Private Wealth Management branch. Before joining Franchise Marketing Systems as a Senior Franchise Consultant, Zac has worked on several entrepreneurial opportunities. He now works with businesses to analyze potential for franchising. A business analyst with vast experience in small businesses, Zac can quickly sum up the financial position and viability. Zac provides business advice and consultation to support better growth initiatives for growing brands. His strong sales experience to understand models and channels provides FMS clients the knowledge to confidently expand their business through franchising, licensing, channel expansion or a business opportunity. Zac graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with a B.S. in General Business and a B.A. in Political Science.
Atlanta, GA – Mrs. Nolan brings 15 + years in finance to the Franchise Marketing Systems team. She has worked in the franchise development field since 2015 with a focus on financial management. Rebekkah holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.
