Annual Franchise Conference

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ACFN franchise owners and staff converged for the second time at the Dolce Hayes Mansion in San Jose, CA. Franchise owners arrived on Friday August 3rd and checked into their rooms at the Hayes Mansion, a historical landmark that is now a luxury hotel and conference facility.

Everyone came together for a welcome reception and dinner Friday evening. Held outside on the Hayes Mansion patio and lawn, staff and guests basked in the warmth of the evening, enjoying a meal and one another’s company, as well as a friendly game of volleyball. Seasoned and green franchise owners attended the conference, making a crowd interspersed with experience, enthusiasm, and the exchange of ideas.

Many came as strangers but soon the family atmosphere of ACFN took over, and laugher and conversation continued long after the food was cleared. Started as a family business, ACFN President and staff have kept the feeling of family thriving, creating a unique and intimate conference experience.

Early Saturday morning, staff and franchisees met for breakfast, and continued the exchange of ideas through the morning’s Business Meeting.

The last night of the ACFN conference was spent in the company of new acquaintances and old friends. The ACFN family met again for dinner and a show, joined by a special guest, Dexter the Magician. Dexter amazed the group with his tableside tricks, a stage show full of surprises, and his wit. Well-fed and still full of awe, the group separated, ready for the next day’s activities.

On Sunday, the last day of the conference, the group split up and participated in two different activites. President Jeff Kerr and several franchise owners participated in a friendly game of golf at the nearby Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. Staff and franchisees joined Vice President Avi Blankroth in Santa Cruz, a nearby Oceanside town, for a ride on the Chardonnay, a chartered sail boat, where the balmy weather didn’t stop the good times that concluded the 2007 ACFN Conference.

Conference 07 Business Meeting

The Saturday Business Meeting was the long-awaited chance for ACFN staff and franchise owners to join together and share ideas about running their ATM franchises. The meeting featured staff and franchisees sharing advice and new information with the group.

Leads Manager Kristen Cicero and Executive Assistant Felicia Vance were the first speakers, discussing new methods of harvesting leads and the importance of dropping leads, and how such a seemingly miniscule part of the ACFN business model actually plays a big part in the company’s growth. Senior Regional Accounts Manager Arielle Blankroth further elaborated, stressing the importance of passing along notes about dropped leads and maintaining good etiquette while a lead is worked on.
ACFN’s Controller, Mira Yakir, mentioned some areas of company growth. She also thanked franchisees for their contribution with paperwork reduction.

Piero Pirjanian and Lee Castro, the new Directors of Operations, introduced themselves. Lee Castro emphasized keeping a positive attitude about the business and completing paperwork and servicing machines in a timely manner.

Next was the presentation of awards. Franchisees received trophies for achieving bronze, silver, and gold levels. The Diamond Award was presented to Jim Michel, who currently has over forty ATMs installed.

After a short break, the meeting reconvened and several franchisees came up to offer their personal advice. Ken Haynes, ACFN of Santa Rosa, advised what not to do when running an ATM franchise; John and Lea Anne Garsaud, ACFN of Dallas/Fort Worth, shared their dual approach to running a business; and Jim Michel, ACFN’s first Diamond franchisee, shared his open-minded approach to accepting locations and growing his business.

Presenting cutting edge information about corporate deals and their impact on ACFN’s future growth, National Accounts Manager Robert Harris opened a new window of opportunity within a seemingly stagnant ATM market. He will be sending out a copy of his informative PowerPoint on corporate deals to all ACFN franchisees shortly.

Vice President Avi Blankroth discussed some of ACFN’s biggest national competitors and how the company is steadily gaining more ground in the ATM market. President Jeff Kerr shared information about ACFN’s growth in the past year, on a franchise and corporate level.

The Business Meeting motivated franchise owners and staff to increase lines of communication, helping ACFN to keep growing from a family-run business to a formidable provider of national ATM services.