Chairman of the DFA Board Franchisee - California 512.402.0820 office| 512.633.2082 cell | rswisher@lapizza
Rick started with Domino’s as a part-time delivery driver while attending the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. At this time, there were only 100 Domino’s Pizza locations nationwide. After graduation, Rick decided to stay in the pizza delivery business and was recruited to help develop and build a competing company, Pizza Express (which Domino’s purchased in 1980). During the negotiations, Rick requested and was granted the rights to develop a large portion of the Los Angeles area, where he currently owns and operates 11 stores. Over the years, Rick has owned other stores in Los Angeles, Northern California, and Austin, Texas, along with assisting and sponsoring numerous franchisees within Domino’s Pizza.
In the 1980s, Rick was one of the franchisees who worked to create what is now known as the DFA and served on its predecessors’ boards numerous times. Rick’s service has also included serving as: Forum chair, regional representative for the old DFA, National Advertising chair, NAC member for more than 10 years, local co-op board for close to 20 years, SFA contract committee representative, national awards representative, and numerous other committees as needed from time to time.
Rick and his wife, Gail, have been married for more than 22 years. They live in Austin, Texas and have two children: Lauren, a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, enjoying Joe Romano’s pizzas (thanks, Joe) and Ryan, who is a high school junior.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? Rick is excited to be asked to again serve and feels he brings a wealth of strength and knowledge to the board. He is confident with all the recent changes in the DFA and believes that together franchisees can make a difference in effecting change. He wants to help advance the DFA to the point that it becomes representative of the majority of franchisees.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? The DFA offers a wealth of knowledge to all franchisees and I encourage every franchisee to stay involved and informed. Also stay active in your local market with your DMA and local franchisees. Get together with other franchisees and learn what they are doing and what they have done that has not worked. “We are greater as a group than as an individual.”
Daniel began as a driver in 1984 in Plano, Texas. He then worked as a manager until June of 1990 upon when he went to work for C.S.P.H. in Dallas. One year later, Daniel was promoted to the supervisor position and then franchised 8 stores in Corpus Christi in December of 1998.
Daniel married Katherine, his wife of 17 years, in August of 1991. He enjoys hunting, offshore fishing, cycling, and hockey in his spare time.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? I want to see our membership numbers grow. He is committed to finding ways to improve store profitabilty and address the issues of the franchisees.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? Meet franchisees at our meetings. Many are happy to share their operational sharing which is valuable in aiding you to run your company more profitably.
Ed Treacy started with Domino’s in 1988 as a driver with Team Washington. He became Manager in 1989 and Area Supervisor in 1991. Ed purchased his first franchise in 1995 and now owns 11 stores in Maryland. Ed is the Baltimore DMA President and CAB for the Maryland Distribution Center.
Ed and his wife, Kristin, have five children - Ned, Jude, Devin, Emma and the newest edition, Katherine, is 6 months old. Ed enjoys coaching his children’s sport teams.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? I am very excited to have the opportunity to represent the franchisees from the Northeast. Being on the DFA Board will allow me to voice the successes and issues that face the members of the Northeast Chapter.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? By far, the most beneficial resource for me has been networking with other franchisees. Over the years, I have found that the “operational sharing” portion of meetings to be an excellent source of new ideas to help my franchise perform better. I believe you should seek out franchisees that are having success and find out what they attribute their success to.
Seth Gollhardt started as a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver in Maplewood, Missouri in 1984, while attending Washington University. He purchased his first store in Chicago in 1986 and a year later after that store was sold, he bought 2 stores in northeastern Pennsylvania. Seth’s company name, PSI Pizza, is based on his commitment to great Product, Service and Image and now operates 8 stores in the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton area.
As proud as he is of his Domino’s Pizza success, his biggest joy is his family. He met his wife, Darcy, while she was applying for a job with a pizza competitor. They now have three children - Jared, Amber and Bryden.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? All of my life is invested in Domino’s Pizza. Anything I can do to help the success of the Domino’s Pizza system is very important to me. I hope that my years of experience can be helpful to the Association.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? Much of what I do has been copied from other franchisees. We have over 1,000 franchisees to learn from. Instead of breaking new ground on every issue, you can gain by the experience of the group. A great place to start are the DFA meetings. Try to come home with at least one great idea to implement and also make friends with at least one new franchisee. These network contacts are important not only for the information you gain, but also as a personal resource.
Rob has been with Domino’s since 1987. He managed corporate and franchise stores before becoming a franchisee in 1994. Rob is a long time board member of the Boston DMA and past Gold Franny winner. Rob owns 8 stores in Boston and plans to grow. His stores average over $21,000 with one store Top Ten in U.S. sales. Rob has increased sales and profits 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 while improving OER scores and service with lower labor. Rob is married with 3 children and helped several GMs become franchisees.
Who do you chose to serve on the DFA Board? I chose to serve to help mour our DFA a strong voice for 90% of the franchisees and to help align the visions of DPLLC and DFA. They work for all parties.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? Our franchisees' collective knowledge and willingness to help each other is what sets us apart from other independent operators. The DFA will continue to improve communications making that knowledge immediately accessible. The vendor partnerships are valuable and will be far greater once we are negotiating with the leverage of 4,000 stores. The DFA and DPLLC must work together to provide a sustainable competitive advantage. Franchisees are the backbone of this brand. The long term success of Domino’s Pizza requires those franchisees to be strong and successful.
Southeast Chapter Board Members
Chip Burr
Franchisee - Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina 540.416.2344 | chipb@cox.net
Chip Burr started as driver for RPM Pizza in 1983. Over the years, Chip held almost every operational position at RPM. Chip left RPM in 1996 to go down under to Australia to work with Jack Cowin and Don Meij. During his two years in Australia, he helped Domino’s Pizza grow from 32 to 136 stores. Chip franchised his first store in 2003. He now owns 11 stores in Louisiana, Alabama and Hilton Head, SC. Chip had previously served a term on the DFA Board several years ago.
Chip says that the person behind his success, besides the people he has worked with, has been the support of his wife, Mary, whom he has been married to for 32 years. Mary helps him run the business on daily basis. Chip also has 2 children, Brandon (an Architect in Baton Rouge) and Kayla (training to be a Sonogram Tech in Houston). He is also a proud Grandfather (Pops) to Parker who is 19 months old.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA board? I am excited to be chosen again to serve on the board as it allows me the opportunity to represent my fellow Southeast Franchisees and help address the issues we are faced with on a daily basis.
Which resources do you recommend that Franchisees utilize to benefit their business? Without a doubt the best resource any Franchisee can use is to attend the various meeting and workshops throughout the year and network with the Franchisees that attend. Almost every problem we have in our system has been solved by someone out there. We just have to go look for that person..
Osman started with Domino’s 22 years ago in High Point, NC and then franchised his first store 17 years ago in 1989. Osman has received multiple Gold Franny awards and is a member of the Distribution Advisory Board.
Osman resides with his wife, Shamsa, and two daughters, Sacha and Noor, in Salisbury, NC.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? Being on the DFA Board is an opportunity to represent the views, issues and concerns of the franchisees of the Southeast chapter. As a representative organization, DFA is uniquely capable of working with DPLLC, our vendors and partners to protect the interests of franchisees.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? Our most valuable resource is the collective experience and wisdom of the Domino's franchisees. Call and seek out franchisees and see how some are applying fresh ideas in their business in the areas of training and development, marketing, finance management etc.
Reece Arroyave is a 4 store franchisee in the Chicago area. He has been with Domino's Pizza for 20 years, including 2 years with Corporate and 10 years as a franchisee. He was recently re-elected DMA president, serves on DPZ's national MATRACA Advisory Board, as well as the Michigan Distribution Center's advisory board. Reece is married with a 3 year old and sits on the board of directors for the local chapters of Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA board? I chose to serve on the DFA Board as it is one of a select few advisory boards that soley focuses on franchisee fairness, equality and strong profitability within our system. Having the ability to work with and share information with the enormous amount of experiance and knowledge of franchisees in our system is invaluable. There continues to be a lack of awareness, informational sharing, participation and involvement by a large group of fellow franchisees that could truelly assist the DFA in becoming stronger and more united. I feel that my experiance as a franchisee, former FRM and current roles on numerous advisory boards will assist me in providing positive support and leadership to the DFA community.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? The most important resources we as franchisees have, is each other and the power of numbers. Strong participation and involvement creates positive outcome for the system.
Bill Graves Franchisee - Minnesota, Wisconsin and West Virginia 320.235.8277 office| 612.306.0679 cell| badgraves@aol.com
Bill Graves started as a Domino's Pizza driver in 1981 with Mike Conway, only to become a franchisee some four years later in the small town of Willmar, Minnesota. He now operate 51 stores in five states under the parent company of Dough Management, Inc. He operates their stores with the help of Dave Randall in Minnesota, Randy and Heidi Halberg in Wisconsin, and Dennis Denman in West Virginia, all operating partners in different areas.
In addition to serving on the DFA Board, Bill serves or has served on several other boards and committees. Currently, he serves on the Forum Board and the Willmar Airport Relocation Committee.
Bill and his wife, Susan, have been married for 12 years and currently have four children. In addition to everything else, Bill is also a part-time "bus driver" with all the activities of the four children.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? My reason for being on the DFA Board and for being associated with the board is for unity. We need to work to get the membership to 90-100% to send a message to DPLLC that we stand unified in the support of the organization. Although we may not always agree with every issue that comes along, we are working as a group to look after the best issues for Domino's Pizza as a whole. We do this through strong membership.
Chris Reisch started with Domino’s Pizza in 1992 as a delivery driver with Team Washington.In 1996, he was named the National Safe Driver of the Year, a manager in 1998, a supervisor in 2001 and finally a franchisee of 2 stores.Chris now has 6 stores and has won two Gold Franny Awards in 2005 and 2006. He has served as the Lexington DMA President for 3 years as well as serving on Jim Stansik’s FLC for 2 years.Chris is currently on the Kentucky Distribution Center Advisory Board.
Chris has been happily married to Deanna since 1990 and has 3 children - Christian II (10), Isabella (8), and Juliet (5).
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board?When I franchised 6 years ago, I was a very good operator, but had to learn the hard way, how to become a good businessman.I survived the economy of the last few years with the advice of many great franchisees.Now, I would like to give back and help others to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls I have hit in my 6 years as a franchisee.Being a member of the DFA board allows me to be available to others who need help.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? Each other.No matter what we are facing after 50 years of pizza delivery, there is a franchisee somewhere in the system who has already gone through what you are facing and can help give invaluable advice.There is real strength in our collective knowledge.
Alan Murph is President and CEO of South Texas Pizza, Inc (dba Domino’s Pizza). In 1983, he started with Domino’s while attending University of North Texas in Denton. While working for Jim Garner in Plano, Alan fell in love with Domino’s Pizza! In 1985, Alan went to work for DPLLC and in November 1987, he franchised in San Marcos. Currently, Alan owns and operates 31 stores in San Antonio.
Alan and his wife, Michelle, met at Domino’s Pizza during the rush and have four children: Rachel, Derek, Moriah, and Benjamin. They all keep very busy with school, sports, horses, ATV’s, art and music lessons. Alan and Michelle enjoy working outside, watching classic movies and spending time with their kids and friends.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? Serving on the DFA Board is an honor, I get to represent the franchisees in the West Chapter and I enjoy learning from others and helping others.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? The greatest resources are each other. Every franchisee has great ideas to share and can learn from one another.
James Gerety started with Domino’s Pizza Distribution in 1982 as a General Manager. He began in Southern California before moved on to Hawaii, Washington and Colorado. He left the company in 1985 and returned in 1988 as a General Manager for Roger Cohn’s commissary in Tucson AZ. In 1999, he partnered with Roger Cohn and franchised in Midland/Odessa, Texas. He now owns 32 stores in Midland/Odessa, Texas and Tucson, AZ.
Jim is married to Cassie, who serves as Operations Director and partner in the business. He has two daughters, Katie, 26 and Christine, 23, as well as 3 step children. Jim enjoys riding his 2008 Victory Vision and 2006 Honda Goldwing.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? To help erase the lines of division drawn in the sand by DPLLC. I hope that the DFA Board is going to be instrumental in the coming year in bringing fairness and equity between the franchisor and franchisee. Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? VAP, Wizardline, and Domino's Talk.
Mike Brown Franchisee - Washington 253.474.483 office | 253.468.8557 cell | MBrown8582@aol.com
Mike started with Domino’s Pizza Distribution in April 1984 as a Warehouse Team member. He was promoted to Production Team Leader, Commissary Field Representative, Warehouse Team Leader and Operations Director for the Washington Supply Chain Center. During his time with Distribution, Mike was awarded the Master Dough Maker Award, Grace Mours Award (Team Leader of the Year) and served on the Board of Directors for Domino’s Pizza Distribution. Mike franchised in September of 1994 with four stores in Tacoma, Washington. He currently has six stores in the Tacoma/Puyallup area. Make has received a Silver Franny, Million Club, and has served as the Seattle DMA President for 9 years.
Mike and his family settled in Tacoma, Washington in 1980 after following his father around the world as a military child. He has been married for 26 years with two children that have graduated college and now manage stores. Mike enjoys sports, camping, hiking, traveling and most of all drag racing his 1970 Nova.
Why do you choose to serve on the DFA Board? I enjoy networking and sharing with other Team Members of Domino’s Pizza. Many people over the years have stepped up to make this a great company. I wanted to pay it forward in thanks to the many great franchisees that have served before me.
Which resources do you recommend that franchisees utilize to benefit their business? Network within the Domino’s Pizza family. I recommend that franchisees join the DFA, attend DMA meetings, rally’s, training classes, or any other chance to network with your fellow franchisees. We (as a group) have a wealth of knowledge about the business that will benefit each other.
