The Southeast Franchise Forum is a regional organization established to foster professional relationships throughout the franchise communtity and to enhance the reputation of franchising through the exchange of information, ideas and solutions.
Our members meet monthly to address local and regional issues that are faced by franchisors and franchisees. Joint meetings are held quarterly with the International Franchise Association to provide and opportunity to focus on national issues.
Our Forum provides:
Advice for new franchisors and franchisees.
An arena for existing franchisors and franchisees to share ideas.
A meeting place for experts in various fields to share their thoughts and experiences.
An opportunity for vendors serving the industry to learn more about the needs of their potential clients.
SEFF's mission is to raise the quality and awareness of franchising in the Southeast through education and the sharing of ideas in the franchise community.
Member Benefits
The Southeast Franchise Forum offers visitors and members a meeting place in which to learn and share ideas with their peers in the business community.
Monthly meetings are led by members or specialists from local companies who share their successes in their fields.
Networking, before and after meetings, fosters relationships that help companies meet their latest challenges.
Our Board of Directors
Jim Squire
Chairman of the Board
Jim Squire, Certified Franchise Executive, is the director of franchise development for the HoneyBaked Ham Co. and Café, the original (and world's largest) specialty retailer of high quality spiral-sliced glazed hams, turkeys and other special occasion center-of-the-table products complemented by a full-service cafe. The HoneyBaked Ham Company and Cafe is a truly exciting franchise opportunity with 50 years of experience building a premium brand.
Prior to HoneyBaked Squire was president and CEO of Georgia Cheesesteak, Inc. area developer and franchisee for Philly Connection; president and CEO of Franchise Marketing, Inc., a broad based consulting practice to the franchise community; president and CEO of MO-JOE's, Inc., franchisor of authentic Buffalo chicken wings restaurants; senior vice president of franchising for the Great American Cookie Company, franchisor of mall based cookie stores; group vice president and managing director of Arby's International, responsible for all aspects of the fast-food chain's global operations; and group vice president of the franchising division of Arby's overseeing the franchise sales, real estate and construction activity in North America.
Passionate about franchising as the "great American dream," Squire is involved in the following national franchise industry boards and committees: member and past chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives; member of the International Franchise Association's Franchise Relations and Membership Committees; and former member of the IFA Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees of the IFA Educational Foundation. On the local level, he serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Southeast Franchise Forum, and is a member of the Georgia Executive Franchisor Council.
Squire also maintains a high profile in the foodservice industry as Chairman Emeritus of the Georgia Restaurant Association and member of Georgia State University's School of Hospitality Industry Advisory Board. He is past president of the restaurant division of the Georgia Hospitality and Travel Association, which presented Squire with the prestigious Chairman's Award in 2003 and designated him Food Service Industry Leader of the Year in 1990.
Squire is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Private Industry Councils, the Private Industry Council of Atlanta (past chairman), the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food (past chairman), and the Episcopal Radio and Television Foundation.
Rupert Barkoff
Secretary/Assistant Treasurer/Membership Chair
Rupert Barkoff is a partner at Kilpatrick Stockton LLP and has been practicing franchise, distribution and corporate law since 1973. His franchise practice emphasizes solutions to registration and structuring issues and developing individual and collective solutions to franchisor-franchisee relationship problems. He is recognized as one of the country’s leading franchise attorneys by The Best Lawyers in America®, published by Woodward/White. Rupert was recently named a “Most Highly Regarded Individual for Franchise” by The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers for 2006, ranking #9 globally. This peer-nominated distinction is based upon a comprehensive and independent survey of both general counsel and private practice attorneys worldwide.
He has published almost 200 articles on franchise law, is the Editor of Fundamentals of Franchising, and a columnist on franchising for the New York Law Journal and Franchise Update magazine.
Rupert has served three years as Chair, ABA Forum on Franchising, and six additional years on its Governing Committee; testified twice before U.S. House of Representatives, Small Business Committee; he is a former member, Advisory Committee, North American Securities Administrators Franchise and Business Opportunities Task Force; Director, Secretary and General Counsel, Southeast Franchise Forum; and Vice-Chair, State Bar of Georgia Franchise Section.
He is a member of the American Bar Association (Forum on Franchising, Business Law, Antitrust Law and Intellectual Property Law Sections); State Bar of Georgia; International Bar Association.He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Georgia Bar Association's Franchise Law Section.
Rupert received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and received his JD degree, magna cum laude from Michigan as well.
Dexter Manning
Treasurer
Dexter is an accounting and business advisor partner with the Atlanta office of Grant Thornton, LLP. Dexter has over twenty years of experience in financial accounting and advisory services. Some of his specific service capabilities include:
Assisting clients in strategic business planning and operations;
Providing clients with business advice on mergers, business acquisitions, due diligence and analysis;
Advising clients on Sarbanes Oxley related issues;
Assisting clients with employee benefit plan design and implementation; and
Providing assurance services including audits of diverse industry groups such as manufacturing, distribution, not-for-profits, retail, medical device and construction.
Education: Dexter graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgia Southern University in 1983 with honors. He served as president of the Gamma Beta Phi honor society and was member of Beta Alpha Psi and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies. Dexter received a Masters of Taxation from Georgia State University in 1987 graduating with honors.
Affiliations: Dexter is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a past-president of the Kiwanis Club of Northside Atlanta. Dexter currently serves as a member of the board of directors and treasurer of the Southeast Franchise Forum and is a member of the University of Georgia School of Accounting Advisory Board.
Experience: Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Dexter served as Chief Financial Officer of a regional beverage distribution company. His responsibilities included accounting and information system management, human resource management, acquisition planning and analysis.
Les Wharton
Vice Chairman of the Board
Les Wharton is Senior Counsel in the Atlanta office of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C (“EBG”). He is a nationally recognized franchise attorney who has held leadership roles in national and regional franchise and staffing organizations.
Before joining EBG, Mr. Wharton established his own legal practice where he advised clients in franchise law, mergers and acquisitions, and staffing industry matters, and served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. Previous to having his own firm, he was in-house counsel to Spherion Corporation, a leading publicly traded staffing company for 23 years, most recently serving as Vice President, Legal Affairs for the Franchise/License Division. Prior to joining Spherion, Mr. Wharton practiced corporate law, including franchise law, as an associate with the Atlanta law firm, Powell Goldstein LLP.
Mr. Wharton is a frequent speaker on franchise-related topics and has published a number of articles on franchising. He has spoken at the American Bar Association (ABA) Annual Meeting, the ABA Forum on Franchising Annual Forum, the International Franchise Association (IFA) Annual Convention, the IFA Annual Legal Symposium, Franchise Update's Annual Franchise Program, and Southeast Franchise Forum Programs. He has testified at the request of the IFA before a Congressional Subcommittee on the FTC Rule on Franchising.
Mr. Wharton was the Chair of the IFA Legal/Legislative Committee from 2005-2006 and Chair of the IFA Corporate Counsel Committee from 2000 to 2006. He also chaired the IFA Legal Symposium Task Group planning the 2004, 2005 and 2006 IFA Legal Symposiums. He has served on the steering committee of the Corporate Counsel Section and on the selection committee for the Governing Committee of the ABA Forum on Franchising.
Mr. Wharton is an arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association, handling general commercial as well as franchise disputes. He has served on the Board of Directors of an automotive service franchise company headquartered in Atlanta.
Mr. Wharton served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Staffing Association (ASA) in 1998 and 1999. He Chaired the Legal /Legislative Committee of ASA from 1995 to 2006. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Staffing Association as the Legislative Chair.
Mr. Wharton has done government relations work with both the franchising community and the staffing industry.
While in law school at the University of Georgia, Mr. Wharton was Editor in Chief of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and President of the Georgia Society of International and Comparative Law. He completed a Summer Program in Mexico City through the University of Florida School of Law at Escuela Libre de Derecho in 1977.
At West Point, Mr. Wharton had an academic concentration in National Security Affairs. During his service in the Army, Mr. Wharton was an airborne qualified reconnaissance platoon leader with the 3/7th Cavalry in Germany, then a tank company commander in the 2/69th Armor at Ft. Benning.
Bob Faller
Director
Bob has served as Vice President of Franchise Development for Ritters, Inc, an Ohio-based custard concept and Director of Franchising for Honey Baked Ham Company.
Jim Deitz
Program Committee Chair
Jim is President of Andover Franchising, Inc.
He has over 25 years experience in the franchising field and offers much of his expertise to the public through his website persona, The Franchise Doctor. Andover provides Franchise Development-turning successful companies into Franchisors- and Marketing services by selling franchises for a number of companies through its two websites, www.FranchiseDoctor.com and www.FranchisesForSaleByOwner.com.
He can be reached at JD@FranchiseDoc.com or by calling 770 587-2538 (or 800 220-8256).
Jackie Adams
Marketing Committee Chair
Jackie Adams has 22+ years of franchise executive-level experience and currently works as a Franchise Development Broker.
Jackie has a wide variety of franchise experience: as a franchisee, an international franchise executive, and working with a start up franchise business, and she draws on this experience to help match potential franchisees with the right franchise company.
Jackie served as Director of Franchise for Regus Business Centres, where she was responsible for the initial set-up and launch of the franchise division for this successful global company. This included development of the UFOC document, marketing materials, franchise owner training program, as well as integrating franchise operations into the existing corporate structure. A merger with an industry competitor provided another set of opportunities to grow the franchise group by adding 16 units at one time!
At The Athlete's Foot, Jackie was Global Director of Franchise Operations, overseeing 450+ franchised locations in 50 countries. During the 14 years she spent with this company, her duties included franchise owner training and development, construction and build-out, product procurement and ongoing support of franchisees around the world, while managing a global staff of Operations and Franchise Sales team members.
Jackie is busy in other areas of franchising as well. She currently serves as Past Chairperson of the Women's Franchise Committee of the IFA (International Franchise Association), was a member of the IFA's Diversity Institute Board of Directors, and sits on the Board of the Directors of the Southeast Franchise Forum, based in Atlanta. Jackie has been awarded the designation of Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) by the IFA. She is also very active in local and community organizations, including school, athletic, and HOA Board of Directors.
Jackie graduated from Florida State University, and lives in metro Atlanta with her husband Wayne and 2 active boys! She enjoys playing tennis and watching almost any sporting event.
You can reach Jackie by e-mail at JAdams@FranChoice.com or by calling toll free at 866-250-5448.
Mark Dayman
Director
Mark is a Principal of CapVal, LLC (CapVal), and a member of the Board of Directors of American Business Appraisers. He has more than 30 years of experience in business appraisal, litigation support and transactions. He is accredited by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (Accredited in Business Valuation), and by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (as a Certified Valuation Analyst). Mark is also a member of the Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA) and the Southeast Chapter of the IBA. In addition to his duties at CapVal and ABA, he is a Managing Director of The McLean Group Investment Bankers.
Mark previously was the Managing Shareholder of Dayman Lurie & Goldsbury, an affiliate of BDO Seidman LP, specializing in business appraisal, litigation support, M&A and related services. He also spent 6 years as the Chief Financial Officer of the hotel franchising division of Global Hyatt Corporation, including executive manager of the division's hotel equity fund during development, operations and liquidation.
His professional areas of concentration include: business appraisal specialties for estate and gift planning and execution; exit strategy and value enhancement; Fair Value Calculation; investment banking, capital formation, and M&A; and litigation support services including matrimonial, personal and commercial damages, dissenting shareholder claims, eminent domain, and employment law. Mark has additional skills in franchise business models, as well as hotel and resort development, market feasibilities and appraisal. Mark is qualified as an expert in litigation matters in Federal and state courts.
He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the States of Vermont and Georgia. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1973.
Mark has written various articles over the past 15 years involving appraisal theory and application, and has been a guest speaker to various users of business appraisals, including bar associations.
Kathryn Rookes
Director
Kathryn Rookes has, since 2002, been the Vice President, Legal for FOCUS Brands Inc., the parent company for the franchisors of Carvel® ice cream, Cinnabon® cinnamon rolls, Schlotzsky's® delis, Moe's Southwest Grill® restaurants as well as certain International countries for the Seattle's Best Coffee brand. Ms. Rookes has been a franchise attorney for 17 years, practicing as in-house counsel, outside counsel and in a government regulatory agency (Maryland Division of Securities). Ms. Rookes is a frequent speaker at the IFA Legal Symposium and at other franchise related conferences. Ms. Rookes received her B.S. degree (1985), with majors in accounting and economics, from Towson University in Towson, Maryland and her law degree (1990) from the University of Baltimore. Ms. Rookes also is a certified public accountant. Ms. Rookes is a member of the IFA, the ABA Forum on Franchising, the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Women's Foodservice Forum. Ms. Rookes is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Joe McCord
Director
Joe McCord began his career in franchising in 1981 with Domino's Pizza, Inc. He served as Regional Controller, Regional Director of Operations and Regional Vice President for the Southeastern United States. In his tenure with Domino's Pizza, he experienced the growth from 300 stores to over 5,000 stores in six years. He was a founding member of Domino's Pizza Partners Foundation and served on the Board for several years. The Charitable Foundation was formed to aid Domino's Pizza employees in need.
While an executive at Domino's, Joe was managing partner for a seven store Domino's franchise in Melbourne, Florida and the surrounding area.
Joe presently serves as Vice President of Development for Steak-Out Franchising, Inc. Joe became associated with Steak-Out Franchising, Inc. when the founder invited him to join the Board of Directors. He has been with Steak-Out for more than twelve years. Steak-Out is a quick casual delivery/take-out concept specializing in freshly prepared full meals featuring steaks, chicken, seafood and sandwiches. Steak-Out stores are located primarily in the Southeastern United States.
In his career, he held management positions with Six Flags, Inc. and served as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force as an F-4 Phantom aviator.
Joe is a graduate of the University of Georgia where he received his Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance. He attained his Masters of Business Administration from Georgia State University. Joe is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Georgia. He has been a featured speaker at the International Franchise Association Franchise Roundtable.
William Anderson
Director
Bill is Vice President and General Counsel, Franchise of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., which is one of the world’s leading hotel companies operating in over 100 countries. He has actively been involved in franchising for over 30 years, having served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Studio Plus Hotels, Inc. and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Long John Silvers, Inc. and Jerrico, Inc. In addition to his legal and business experience with franchisors, he has been a franchisee of two concepts.
Our Administrator is Lorri Frank. She's currently on maternity leave, so please send her your questions to her associate, Kivis Legrair at Kivis.legrair@gt.com
