Times Are Changing � And Change Is Good At The Papa's Pizza To-go 2006 Annual Meeting

Celebrating their 20th year of business, Papa's Pizza To-Go kicked off their 20th annual meeting on Wednesday, January 18th, 2006 at the Georgia Mountains Center in Gainesville, Georgia. Nearly 150 company store managers, franchise owners (from eight states representing approximately 75 locations) and numerous vendors participated in the meeting. Highlights of the meeting included: A new marketing promotion to give away $20,000 worth of free gas to their customers during the month of February. Franchisee of the Year Alesa Holloway was awarded $10,000. The company hosted a great motivational guest, Krish Dhanam, who has worked with Zig Ziglar. Papa's Pizza To-Go vendors showcased their new products and provided lunch for the franchisees Ken White, Founder and Vice President of Papa's Pizza To-Go, charged up the audience by explaining that times are changing and change is good! Tera Bayard, Director of Finance announced the marketing and promotions for the upcoming year. "After several suggestions from our franchise stores," Ms. Bayard explains, "we are celebrating our twentieth anniversary by having a contest that one thousand customers can win gift certificates for twenty dollars in FREE GAS!" Top producing company store managers and franchise store owners were recognized with Bronze, Silver and Golden Six awards based on top sales figures. Mr. White awarded the 2005 "Franchisee of the Year" to Alesa Holloway, owner of the Bowdon, Georgia store. The award included a beautiful plaque and a check in the amount of $10,000. "In order to win this event, " Ken states, "owners must meet some of the following qualifications: they must be involved in the day to day operations, they must provide outstanding customer service, they must pay all royalties on time, they must support the promotions of Papa's Pizza To-Go and they must have strong involvement in the community." Alesa and her store exemplify all of these traits." Other top producing stores included: GOLDEN SIX: Carrollton, GA; Cherryville, NC; Elberton, GA; Ellijay, GA; McCaysville, GA; and Shelby NC.

SILVER SIX: Bowdon, GA; Blue Ridge, GA; Cleveland, GA; Hiawassee, GA; Montezuma, GA; and Yadkinville, NC.

BRONZE SIX: Calhoun, GA; Clermont, GA; Franklin, NC; Jasper, GA; Somerville, TN; and Lincolnton, GA.

Four new awards included: Employee of the year for a franchise store - Haley Davis of Corryton, TN; Employee of the year for a company store - Michael Simpson of Cherryville, TN; Manager of the year for a franchise store - Eddie Ash of Ellijay, GA; and Manager of the year for a company store - Susan Bradley of Waynesboro, GA.

Franchise owners and managers won many items by registering for door prizes. Prizes included gift certificates, power tools, DVD players, telephones, digital cameras, color televisions, iPods and an Xbox.

Noted speaker Krish Dhanam (originally from India and now living in Texas) motivated the audience over by urging a call to change. "Hope is the foundational quality of all change!" Dhanam stressed. He asked franchisees to "Let go of perception and participate in reality." Dhanam further explained that "Success is a process, not an event." Taking an active role in the annual meeting, vendors set up booths to introduce new products and they provided lunch for franchisees. Vendors included Bari Italian Foods, Burke Corporation, Coca-Cola, Heinz, La Nova Wings, Inc., LePrino Foods, T. Marzetti Company, Pierino Foods, Pitt Plastics, Pizza Blends, and Sunbelt Foods. V.P. of Sales, Lauri Gritten of Pizza Blends accepted the Vendor of the Year Award from Papa's Pizza To-Go's Director of Purchasing, Jeff Benton. "A great attitude, consistency in product, the ability to maintain a great ongoing relationship with the corporate office and the ability to see future trends is why Lauri of Pizza Blends was chosen for this award," Benton explains.

Ken White, founder and Vice President of Papa's Pizza To-Go, Inc. noted the change is good IF you keep up with change. He continued by stressing that you always find the time to do what you WANT to do. "Papa's has a system that works," Ken explains, "franchisees have to WORK the system." Established in 1986, Papa's Pizza To-Go carves its niche in small town U.S.A. The company currently operates nearly 75 locations in eight states. Approximately 20% of the stores are company owned and the remaining are franchised. Papa's Pizza To-Go provides a diverse menu featuring pizza, breadsticks, hot and cold subs, chicken, salads, pastas and desserts. For more information, to acquire photos, or if you wish to obtain a complementary press pass to next year's exciting event, contact Tera Bayard at the corporate office (770) 614-6676.

Papa's Pizza To-Go News and Press Releases

This article has been read 3059 times.

Would you like to own a Papa's Pizza To-Go Franchise?

For more information about becoming a Papa's Pizza To-Go Franchise owner, including a franchise overview, start-up costs, fees, training and more, please visit our Papa's Pizza To-Go Franchise Information page.