In November 2005, the day after Thanksgiving to be exact, Big Picture Framing opened its doors at 570 Shelburne Road, in South Burlington, VT. "Everybody in the area has been so positive and encouraging," says James Regan, Big Picture Framings' first out of state franchise owner, "Because we opened the day after Thanksgiving, things were quite busy from day one". James Regan may be a new franchisee to Big Picture Framing, but he's no newcomer to Burlington, VT. "I've been in Burlington since 1982. I was fortunate to attend Saint Michael's College in Colchester, VT and I graduated in 1987 with a Bachelors of Arts in Literature." Over the past 15 years James has worked industrial process control systems and developed expertise in the design, project management and implementation for large-scale instrumentation and control systems. He enjoyed getting the job done right, on-time and within budgets but felt he could do so much more with his career. "I started looking for a business about a year ago. I wanted to do something creative, as well as continue working with my hands. I also wanted to give back to the Burlington community that's been so good to me over the years". James visited Big Picture Framing, a franchise in the Boston area that offered high quality custom picture framing at 30% off suggested retail prices, fast turn around time (within a week or less) and a lifetime guarantee on all its work. "I was confident right away that Burlington would respond positively to the Big Picture Framing concept." James has been working long hours getting his business off the ground, but long hours are not new to him. "I've always put a lot of time and energy into whatever I do, I guess I learned that work ethic from Father Flanagan's Boys Town in Nebraska" which James graduated from in 1982. "At Boys Towns, we learned how important it is to get the most out of what is given you." James has been able to take advantage of what he has learned from that experience, " Boys Town provided me with the confidence to know that whatever I want to achieve I can succeed with hard work and commitment." Big Picture Framing has been another good experience for James. "It's everything I thought it would be and more, with the training and support I receive from the franchisor, I am able to provide the high level of service the people of Burlington, VT deserve to receive." It's certainly been a fun ride for James, who enjoys his time running a Big Picture Framing store, "I enjoy the creativity, I have an eye for it, I get the most enjoyment out of watching people come back to pick up their piece and I can see firsthand the look of satisfaction on their faces." Creativity is not new for James, "I've written poetry and short stories from time to time over the years but now that my creative juices are flowing, I have gotten back in touch with my writing, a novel is definitely in the works". His enthusiasm for Big Picture Framing seems to be contagious with his staff and customers, "everybody who has come in to the store is impressed, I have been fortunate to have hired some great people and they are as excited to be working at Big Picture Framing as I am."
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