Franchise and Business Opportunities Articles

Franchisor Gears up for New Year, New Business Opportunities

(Carrollton, Texas) - FASTSIGNS International, Inc., the worldwide franchisor of FASTSIGNS® sign and graphics centers, has appointed Mark Jameson as senior vice president of franchise development and promoted Brian Wieters to the role of assistant vice president of franchise development. With these appointments FASTSIGNS begins 2010 with an aggressive franchise development campaign.

"Mark is a key addition to the high caliber franchise development team we have in place," said Catherine Monson, CEO. "With a background that covers all aspects of franchise development-from real estate to operations-Mark will be instrumental in taking the FASTSIGNS franchise to new levels of success."

A seasoned franchise and retail executive, Jameson is charged with leading the FASTSIGNS franchise development team in all aspects, from "lead to lights-on." Prior to joining the sign and graphics franchisor, Mark served as the VP of franchise development for franchise-owned brands at CCA Global Partners, including ProSource Wholesale Floorcoverings.

One of the initiatives that Jameson and the FASTSIGNS franchise development team are currently focusing on is its conversion program. Officially announced in 2009, this program focuses on recruiting existing independent sign shops who want to expand and grow their business by becoming a FASTSIGNS sign and graphic center. Under the FASTSIGNS umbrella, the converted shops have full access to the brand name, training, marketing, management, technical support and operations resources.

"Once they are a part of the FASTSIGNS system, they are provided with all of the benefits that come with an industry-leading brand-from a scalable operations system that helps save time and money, to on-going product research to stay ahead of their competition, even an eventual exit strategy-we work with them to build and increase the value of their business," explained Jameson.

Working alongside Jameson in his new role as assistant vice president of franchise development, Brian Wieters will focus on managing franchise sales efforts, prospect marketing and lead generation. Since joining FASTSIGNS in 2001, Wieters has been responsible for key developments throughout the US and Canada.

"The sign and graphics industry is well-positioned to withstand changes, even within the challenging economic landscape that we are currently in," said Jameson. "With these challenges come unique opportunities that individuals who wish to fulfill their entrepreneurial dream can take advantage of with FASTSIGNS. With a smaller footprint, lower investment and new financing sources, now is a great time for new business beginnings and growth."

2009 marked the fourth consecutive year that FASTSIGNS International, Inc. has earned Franchise Business Review's "Best-in-Category Award" for the business services industry, as well as placed in the top five franchises on The Franchise 50™ list of the top 50 franchise companies with 200 or more units. In 2009, FASTSIGNS was also awarded the #12 spot on the National Minority Franchising Initiative's (NMFI) annual list of the Top 25 Franchises for Hispanics.

About FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

FASTSIGNS® sign and graphics centers use innovation and technology to make effective, impactful signs and graphics, and to make the sign buying process fast and simple. Centers provide consulting, file transfer, design, production, delivery and installation for a full range of custom sign and graphic solutions. FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the worldwide franchisor for the more than 540 FASTSIGNS centers located in the US, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Mexico and Australia (where centers operate under the name SIGNWAVE®).