Expanding Franchising's Reach Expanding Franchising's Reach

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a day. Co-branding allowed me to save
operating costs through reduced
overhead, and to provide more options
for my customers.”
Edwards saw an even greater opportunity
to build his multibrand franchise
operation by joining the quick service
restaurant industry. “Yum! Brands, Inc.
(formerly Tricon Global Restaurants)
offers five leading concepts—A&W All-
American Food Restaurants, KFC, Long
John Silver’s, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell—
which appeals to my appetite for
building a diverse business base,” says
Edwards. He currently owns 35 restaurants
in the Detroit and Chicago regions,
including KFC, Taco Bell, and a Pizza
Hut Express. He has since sold his gas
station-convenience store business but
plans to acquire another strong concept
within the next 12 months. Always open
to new, lucrative opportunities, Edwards
says, “I’ve reached a point in my
business career where the deals now
come to me.”
“As it says in the Bible, to whom
much is given, much is required,” quotes
Edwards. “I’ve been fortunate to have
wonderful role models in my parents; a
solid support system provided by my
wife and children; and a trusted team of
employees—all of which have
contributed to my successful track record
as an entrepreneur.”
Edwards believes it’s important to
repay some of that good fortune by
working to improve the quality of life for
those around him; by sharing what he’s
learned with aspiring entrepreneurs; and
by being actively involved in supporting
the health and economic well-being of
his local community. “I hope through
my example,” Edwards states, “that
African-American teenagers and minority
young adults will see entrepreneurship
and franchising as viable options for the
future.”
The Importance of a Role Model
Had it not been for a strong dislike of
chemistry, Gene Camarena might have
become a physician, instead of a leading
Hispanic businessman and franchisee.
Camarena owns two Marriott hotels—
one in Las Cruces, New Mexico and one
in Lawrence, Kansas—and owns and
operates 20 Pizza Hut restaurants. He’s
20 MINORITIES IN FRANCHISING 2002
currently planning a third Marriott hotel
scheduled to open within the next year,
and a fourth to open in late 2003-early
2004.
Born and raised in Kansas,
Camarena’s most important role model
and inspiration was his father. During
the strife-ridden ‘50s, Camarena’s dad—a
second generation Mexican-American—
obtained both undergraduate and
master’s degrees, served on the city
council and school board, and was a
highly respected leader in his community.
His greatest gift to his children was
a solid education. His son, Gene,
completed undergraduate school and
obtained a master’s degree in Business
Administration from Harvard University,
before joining Pizza Hut Corp., in the
finance and accounting department.
“It’s important to find mentors who
will encourage you,” says Camarena.
During his four and a half years as a
Pizza Hut employee, Camarena met one
of his first business role models, then-
Pizza Hut CFO Larry Lundy. Camarena
and Lundy both went from being
employees to becoming Pizza Hut
franchisees during the same time period,
and encouraged and supported each
other through the process.
“It’s important to find mentors who
will encourage you,” says Camarena,
“and who will help you gain enough
confidence to make the leap into entrepreneurship.
When I became a
franchisee, I had a wife, a three-year-old,
and another child on the way.
Borrowing that much money was a big
risk for me at that time, but I knew I
wanted the opportunity to determine my
own success.” Camarena says it’s the
best decision he’s ever made.
Camarena launched his career as a
franchisee by acquiring existing Pizza
Hut restaurants in the Texas panhandle.
He then leveraged his multiunit operational
experience with Pizza Hut to
become a Marriott franchisee. “Marriott
and Pizza Hut both attracted me because
they are the leaders in their respective
industry segments,” states Camarena.
He and his partner, Ruth Brito
Mackey, will continue to look for opportunities
to partner with leading brands.
“Now that we’ve got the process down—
you have to be properly capitalized,
have a detailed business and financial
plan—and have some experience under
our belts, it’s much easier to attract good
deals as well as bank financing. We also
have an experienced employee pool to
pull from for project start-ups.”
One of the toughest challenges for
restaurant and hotel franchisees is
retaining good employees. Camarena
stresses that it’s important to keep your
best employees challenged and to give
them increasing responsibility.
He proudly tells the story of grooming
an employee who started out doing odd
jobs as a maintenance manager for one
of his Pizza Hut restaurants, and who
now just recently completed construction
on a brand new million dollar
restaurant—from the ground up.
Camarena also stresses the importance of
building strong business relationships
and networks to long-term success. In
addition to a talented and loyal
workforce, Camarena maintains a
network of professional advisors—
accounting, legal, and tax—who are key
to his enterprise.
Like Edwards, Camarena emphasizes
the privilege of being able to give back
to his community as one of the benefits
of being a multibrand franchisee. His
wife, Yolanda, is active on a number of
local boards; helps raise funds for
community projects; and serves as a
mentor to at-risk Hispanic youth and
others who are in danger of dropping
out of high school.
“All in all, we’ve had a great experience,”
confesses Camarena. “I wouldn’t
change a thing.” ■
Terrian Barnes is director of community
diversity for Yum! Brands, Inc. She can
be reached at 502-874-8359 or at the email
address terrain.barnes@triconyum.com