John Armatas
John Armatas thrives in an entreprenueral enviroment. He has owned and operated numerous small businesses (franchise and independents) and has a passion for helping others identify a business opportunity that provides an optimal relationship.
After spending 20 years in the not-for-profit world he purchased his first FASTSIGNS franchise and grew it to become one of the largest in the system. Recognizing that prospective franchisors need to find a voice in the crowded franchise space -- he has developed strategies that help small brands reach reasonable sales goals in addtion to helping larger brands strategize about the next steps in the evolution of their respective brands.
James Emerson
James Emerson is an acclaimed sales and marketing veteran with more than 15 years of experience in the franchise industry. Prior to joining The Franchise Sales Solution, Mr. Emerson managed the sales and marketing departments of several major franchised brands including Central Park Burgers, Sobik’s Subs, Famous Uncle Al’s Hot Dogs, Juicy Lucy’s Burgers and New York Burrito at Ultimate Franchise Systems, a 400-unit franchise management and development company based in Heathrow, Florida.
Mr. Emerson runs a popular restaurant industry website, EatingOrlando.com, that features restaurant reviews, news and information on the local Orlando dining scene. He also owns and manages a successful Central Florida-based marketing company focusing on web site development, social media marketing, web marketing, email marketing, public relations and graphic design.
A graduate of the University of Florida, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Mr. Emerson holds certificates in management, entrepreneurship, marketing, international business, digital media and business operations from Seminole State College and is currently working toward an MBA at the University of Florida.
Mr. Emerson is, unsurprisingly, a huge Florida Gator fan but he also enjoys Orlando Magic Basketball, hiking, travel and spending time with family and friends.
Paul Samson
Paul Samson founded The Franchise Edge in 2005 because of a need that he saw in the market for an affordable, client focused franchise consulting service. His experience in franchising began as President and Founder of Lenny & Vinny’s Management, Inc., a corporately owned and managed pizza chain that he operated for 14 years and grew to 14 units before deciding to franchise. Mr. Samson was also the Founder of Head West Enterprises, LLC, which grew the Westshore Pizza chain from 16 stores to 52 stores in 3 years, with an additional 90 units committed and combined sales of over $27,000,000 prior to the sale and transition of the marks.
Mr. Samson’s expertise includes vendor sourcing and pricing, sales and marketing and business modeling for franchisors.
Scott Anderson
Scott Anderson has been a Partner in The Franchise Edge since May 2006 and works closely with prospects and clients in evaluating the viability of franchising and then developing the needed components for establishing and launching their franchise. Mr. Anderson has over twenty years of entrepreneurial experience, during which he founded Automated Artist, a multi-unit, robotic, t-shirt company that operated in the Walt Disney World and Busch Gardens theme parks as well as in regional malls for over 17 years.
Mr. Anderson works with clients to develop their franchise marketing and franchise sales programs.
Kelly Cockerham
Kelly Cockerham is a poet, writer, promoter and lover of good things. She enjoys writing through the shout-out of social media and exploring the side roads of Twitter and Facebbok. Click a link--it's where all of the good stuff is found! She is a graduate of the Bennington Writing Seminars and spends her days writing blogs and dangerously clever tweets.
Our clients benefit from her style and her ability to capture the "voice" of the brand.