Established in 2000 by Lee Howley , Howley Bread Group Ltd . ( Howley ) began as a franchisee of Panera Bread . Since then , the franchise has steadily grown from its first Panera Bread bakery in Cranston , Rhode Island , to 28 locations across Rhode Island , Connecticut , and southeast Massachusetts . As Director of Information Technology , Lee Howley III provides back-office IT support for three food-based concepts / franchises . Lee covers the company ’ s history and divulges the secret that let them punch above their weight .
“ Howley & Company , not to be confused with our Panera Bread Franchise , Howley Bread Group , was founded by my father , Lee Howley in the 1980s . Thus , the business extends far past my tenure here , but since I ’ ve joined , it ’ s been a sort of boutique , back-office management firm . We primarily collaborate with smaller franchises , including one of our own , whose size typically range from ten to 30 units . However , we are open to working with franchises who have a higher number of units . Small businesses often lack the financial resources to support a sophisticated backoffice , which is where our services come in . We provide them with the advantages of having a CFO , a controller , and other essential functions found in larger enterprises . By alleviating the burden of bookkeeping and payroll , we enable those business owners to concentrate on their core operations without unnecessary stress .
Proactive management
“ Before focusing on restaurants , Howley & Company provided services in commercial
124