National Convention in Houston.
APRO member The Premier Companies held its 2022 Annual National Convention in late March in Houston, Texas, following almost two years of strictly virtual events. Premier franchisees, vendors, and their guests from across the country attended the weekend event, which was held at the corporate house on Tiki Island.
Premier President and CEO Trooper Earle kicked off the General Session with a State of the Company address, applauding company achievements that included infrastructure advancements, completion and utilization of the Development Center, and successful investment in producing resource materials – all for the benefit of Premier franchisees.
Other topics covered during the meeting included franchise sales, online sales, a review of the company’s recent rebranding and remodels, interactive training and development, and a vendor tradeshow.
“It was wonderful to watch everyone reunite for a weekend full of successes and celebration,” said Earle. “We always see strong comraderies among attendees emerge during our events; they call and text each other even after it’s over about what they learned. We love to see those connections and conversations continue.”
In addition to taking care of business, attendees enjoyed golf at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas, a catamaran ride around the bay, the attractions of Kemah Boardwalk, and a traditional shrimp boil at the Tiki Island corporate house.
A key component of the convention was acknowledgments and awards. A special cocktail reception at Top Golf featured the presentation of Premier’s Vendor of the Year, Rob Schilb of Dorrance Supply.
“We’ve been working with Rob for only about a year, but it was at a time when we were experiencing extreme supply issues, and he was consistently able to fill in the gaps and provide product when no one else could,” said Premier Vice President of Operations Mike Lewis. “His company made a world of difference for us.”
APRO Director of Education and Membership Jen Troke presented Industry Service Awards to Premier franchisees who have contributed to charitable industry foundations.
The crown jewel of the convention, the Awards Banquet, spotlighted franchisees for work in Premier service, community service, store anniversaries, sales volume, and extraordinary contributions. Three corporate team members – Tiernan Boland, Laura Emerson, and Mike Lewis – along with Kevin Campbell of Kevin Campbell Films – were honored with the President’s Award for having “forever changed Premier.”
The highlight of the banquet was the Franchisee of the Year Award, which went to Sandi Frye and her team in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Store Manager (and Sandi’s daughter) Ebony McCloskey, shared her extreme pride in her boss/mom, saying, “My mom really fought for this, putting in the time and seeing things through. Her ability to retain employees is amazing; she takes a personal interest in them and their families, which makes a huge difference in how our store operates.” Event videos can be found at The Premier Companies’ Vimeo.com channel.
