_______________________________________________________________________________________ S & L Companies
Owner-operator opportunities
From a single store to multiple franchises in five states : how S & L Companies creates people-first partnerships
One of the best ways to start a new business is by capitalizing on a franchise opportunity . Not only do franchise opportunities come with established brand awareness , but the franchiser is also on hand to offer extensive business support .
Jeff Liegel and Chad Stevenson formed S & L Companies in 1994 , when they opened the doors of their first Culver ’ s restaurant in Portage , Wisconsin . Since then , the company has grown to 94 Culver ’ s franchises in five states .
“ We continue to grow ,” begins Jeff Liegel , CEO . “ We have three openings here in February and we tend to always have about 20 projects that we ’ re working on for future growth . It may take us a few years to bring those to fruition , as development can take some time these days , but so far , it ’ s been great . The new CEO and President of Culver ’ s , Rick Silva , has been an outstanding support , as has Jim Esposito , the COO .”
Culver ’ s owner-operators have one thing in common , and that ’ s a commitment to the founding principles of hospitality , quality , freshness and service to the community . Owneroperators are critical to Culver ’ s success because they ’ re engaged in their business every day , working side-by-side with their team , leading by example .
Over the years , these shared values have led to thriving relationships between Culver ’ s and its successful owner-operators , such as S & L . Likewise , Jeff and Chad are always available to their partners to troubleshoot , coach , strategize and work through any problems . The duo , as Culver ’ s ownersoperators themselves , have multiple resources with experience in the industry .
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