During my tenure at Teriyaki Madness, the number of locations tripled, and our franchisee population more than doubled. As the VP of Franchise Relations, I was the primary liaison between franchisees and Teriyaki Madness corporate leadership, charged with building engagement and excitement for the brand among franchisees and corporate employees, so that we continued to grow the company and our culture in every restaurant and with each employee. Responsibilities included: • Implemented twice-weekly communications rhythm so that stakeholders receive consistent, integrated and timely messages that include executive messages, best practices and celebrations of franchisee, employee and company milestones and operational “to-do’s”. Achieved and maintain a readership rate of 73%-81% (benchmark readership is 55% for internal newsletters). • Conception and execution of Shop Owner conferences. 2023 attendance represented 78% of the franchise community, up from 75% in 2022. Post-conference, the NPS among attendees was 4.9, with 98% reporting that they would “definitely recommend” the experience to their colleagues. • Chaired the Franchise Advisory Council and facilitated two-way communication between the corporate entity and franchise community.• Streamlined and instituted the restaurant transfer process, resulting in 41 restaurants transferred over three years, most within a six-week window following deal negotiations.• Conducted monthly, four-day, in-person onboarding seminars for new franchisees to orient them to brand culture, processes, and people. Hosted over 130 attendees between March 2020 and February 2024.

I worked with business owners and principals to create and execute communications strategies, focusing primarily on companies undergoing (or seeking to undergo) organizational change. Key projects included:• Developed and piloted an employer branding program for Chick-fil-A Operators aimed at aligning restaurant habits, processes and ways of working to the employer’s values and mission, in order to perpetuate the desired restaurant culture, boost employee retention and enhance recruiting • Strategic communications planning for Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX), supporting their initiative to integrate their core values into their culture and workflows • Project Management support for Boston Market to prepare for promotional windows • Next-steps branding exploration and support for Colorado Women’s College at The University of Denver

Served on senior leadership team, developed and implemented comprehensive communication and training plans with specific strategies and action plans generating a positive Company image to both external and internal constituents. Promoted Company’s visibility in local and national markets; identifying newsworthy stories and sending to appropriate media, monitored coverage and assisted in formulating responses to ensure accuracy and consistency of message.• Created and distributed new contract term agreement for all franchises requiring individual signatures within six weeks; received 70% response rate by initial deadline.• Led internal project management of new app-based loyalty program for guests, identifying and removing any potential barriers, creating videos and online training seminars explaining benefits to guests. Received 4.5-star rating and 100% adoption across eligible restaurants within six weeks’ post-launch.• Increased customer satisfaction and improved franchisees engagement to address operational issues; leading team to identify and define key standards and criteria that impacted guest perception and experience. Created “Restaurant Excellence Visit” and adopted “we don’t leave until it’s fixed” culture.• Developed and executed communication strategies to ensure all interested parties received timely information with consistent messaging and provided appropriate context for concerns or questions during Chapter 11 reorganization, financial restructure, CEO changes and reductions in force.• Improved media perception from 36% negative or neutral to 98% positive or neutral over a four-year period by launching a concerted “positive news” effort, building key relationships with media contacts.• Prepared executive messages, collaborated with senior leadership on presentations, and provided briefing and coaching to address internal and external audiences and media.• Lead media and organizational contact for restaurant-level crisis management.

Developed and implemented internal and external engagement program, effectively positioning key messages by composing and editing communications, planning and handling media relations, stakeholder outreach, partner relations, brand management and event planning.• Successfully introduced Company’s new strategic plan, restaurant design and menu to employees, franchisees, vendors, and owners by spearheading two-day brand re-launch conference. Effectively initiated new operating procedures to 2,000 restaurants nationally over six weeks.• Developed and implemented appropriate accountability processes for franchisee call center establishing “3 ring” answer policy and helpdesk training, resulting in accurate and consistent internal and external communication and enhanced customer service.• Created and managed over 75 successful product rollout processes for marketing and operations by collaborating with all departments, documenting and clarifying strategy, direction and information which provided restaurants effective training materials to execute initiatives.• Established and maintained 80% readership among franchisees by creating an organized, clear and consistent communication process focusing on strategic initiatives to foster organizational alignment. • Designed and implemented recognition programs for franchisees and employees that supported company mission.• Collaborated with team to build in-house employee and franchise training platforms. Developed and maintained operation manuals, training and job aids to support company initiatives. • Developed on-line training materials and videos utilizing affordable and efficient formats allowing for timely product completion.