Thomas Horler Email & Phone Number

Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Burnaby, British Columbia

Vancouver, Canada Area

Reporting directly to the founder and C.E.O.....Sit on the Executive Management Committee to help guide the corporate short and long term strategies which yielded immediate results.Set single unit, multi-unit and Master Franchisees goals and full plans to meet or exceed franchisee recruitment targets through improved lead generation and follow up.Process franchising applications and ensure documentary proof of business and financial capability were in order for C.E.O. final approval.Implement advanced new franchising standards for new applicants and franchises wanting to expand.Visit proposed franchise locations and meet with prospective franchisees to discuss minimum and non-negotiable operating standardsPrepared the franchise contracts as developed by the franchising contracts administrator.Advice and assist successful franchise applicants in the development of their short and long term goals.

Vancouver, B.C.

Creative Platforms specializes in advising small franchise organizations on how to market, advertise and package their business to attract quality franchisees. Through a complete in-depth analysis, Creative Platforms provides direction on how to become innovative partners in profit with their franchisees.Selected results:Saladworks Canada www.saladworks.ca Saladworks is a restaurant franchise concept that sells made-to-order entrée sized salads, wraps, soups, and sandwiches, ethically sourced and locally grown. The 27-year-old established brand has over 110 locations in four countries.As a founding partner and member of the management team that secured the exclusive Canadian master franchise rights, played a key role in launching the brand in Canada with responsibilities focused primary on marketing. First two Canadian locations now open in Yaletown, Vancouver and Langley, BC.RTOWN Communications. http://rtown.ca/Rebranded Resort TV and repositioned the company as a cutting edge digital media franchisor. Developed a three-year business plan. Led the team to raise over $1.0M for working capital and expansion.

British Columbia, Canada

Owned and operated two start-up McDonald’s franchises in Whistler and Pemberton with a staff of 70 at peak of operations.Selected Accomplishments: Rated one of world’s Top 100 franchise owner/ operators and one of only five in Canada by McDonald’s Century Club. Opened and grew Whistler location to $1.6M in first-year sales, reaching $3M in annual sales.  Received several operations awards for Human Resources and Customer Service. Achieved and maintained one of region’s lowest turnover rates by employing innovative human resource management strategies. With the opening of a second restaurant in Pemberton, the total number of customers served annually exceeded 630,000 at the two locations combined.

Oak Brook, Illinois

Consulted with 24 Regional Marketing Managers to develop and fund regional test and national marketing promotions. Managed staff of two direct reports and ~$2M annual budget.Selected Accomplishments: Demonstrated strategic marketing prowess via project management of successful promotion “Play Monopoly at McDonald’s” which delivered largest recorded promotional sales lift in company history at 13.6% increase nationally and is still run annually by the Corporation. Led team that grew sales by 6.5% by establishing a strategic alliance and the first tie-in promotion with National Football League. Led promotions team that generated more than 5% sales growth nationwide by developing and implementing eight successful national sales promotions. Championed the development and funding of 15+ sales promotions sourced from regions nationwide by developing and instituting promotional systems. Played key role in establishing the breakfast burrito as standard menu item nationwide by funding research and testing in El Paso, TX. Drove exponential sales growth by introducing new product (the four-piece nugget kid’s meal) in the American oil belt region during a period of significant decline in oil industry.

Hong Kong

Oversaw Marketing Directors of joint venture partners in 12 different countries including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, People’s Republic of China, Macau, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Advised Directors on developing country-specific marketing plans, sourcing advertising and public relations agencies, and managing ~$17M combined marketing budget. Selected Accomplishments: Led marketing team to open China’s first McDonald’s and achieve record-breaking opening day sales of $27K+ by partnering with an advertising agency to develop a marketing plan, creative message, media placement, and measurements. Enabled best practice sharing across entire Asia Pacific region by establishing communication forum for Asian joint ventures. Maximized marketing efforts by consulting with in-country marketing managers to evaluate and assess promotional and advertising concepts and secure corporate funding for concepts with potential for global impact.

Tokyo, Japan

Directed national marketing efforts that included public relations, advertising and promotions, with ~$12M annual budget and team of 14 direct reports. Directed external public relations and advertising agencies to develop effective communication plan and strategy for entire nation.Selected Accomplishments: Drove record-breaking ¥1B in sales by building, developing, and motivating aggressive team to create and launch comprehensive marketing plan. Generated more than 11% year-over-year increase in sales by devising a system to introduce limited time promotions that reduced menu fatigue.