As Ruby Fills its Ranks with Receptionists, A CEO Turns Drucker’s Managers Into Cultivators

By on May 22, 2013 in In The Middle

It’s an assignment worthy of the late management thinker Peter Drucker: Create a training program capable of turning receptionists into executive decision-makers. There’s no doubt that Jill Nelson, CEO of Ruby Receptionists, is the type of management-minded business leader that Drucker would have admired. Still, her techniques at times may have caused the management guru [...]

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Growth Monitor: Adam Ogden, CEO of JuiceBlendz

By on May 21, 2013 in Growth Monitor

According to Adam Ogden, CEO of JuiceBlendz as well as its sister brand YoBlendz (think self-serve yogurt), the future of franchising comes in many flavors. So far, JuiceBlendz and its sister brand have introduced four variations to the traditional franchising model: a cobranding concept that incorporates both brands into a single store, an arena-style concept [...]

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When Clients Asked to Put a Toe in the Water, Alcott Took the Plunge

By on May 20, 2013 in In The Middle

Late last year, Alcott HR Group, a Farmingdale, N.Y., middle-market firm that provides human resources outsourcing services, decided that it was time to help its clients address their HR challenges overseas, so it formed an alliance with a European partner and opened an Alcott office in the Netherlands. In essence, Alcott’s European expansion strategy is [...]

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Smoothie Investors Savor Franchising’s Many Flavors

By on May 16, 2013 in In The Middle

It’s probably not the most popular reason people give when asked why they became an owner of a smoothie franchise. However, being able to offer his children access to an American university education is what one Chinese national had top-of-mind when he recently snapped up a JuiceBlendz franchise. Other investors, from Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico, [...]

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For One Middle-Market Firm, Propane is the Gateway to the Future

By on May 10, 2013 in In The Middle

For many Americans, a mere mention of the propane business can bring to mind the image of Hank Hill, the likable family man of the animated TV series King of the Hill, who never grew tired of reminding his son Bobby of the virtues of being a propane salesman. Not only is propane a clean fuel, Hill once [...]

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At Venice Bakery, Gluten-Free Became the Ticket to Generational Growth

By on May 8, 2013 in In The Middle

The kitchen is closed at Venice Bakery these days. Or at least it is to outsiders. Nine years after Jimmy DeSisto set out to make a gluten-free pizza crust, all eyes are on his kitchen, as the bakery’s gluten-free offerings fill menus across the country and shipping containers on their way to the UK and [...]

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