Mergers & Acquisitions – They say selling a business is an art – we’ve turned it into a science
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In this episode, we talked to Mary Kay Liston who was named President of Five Star Painting when the Dwyer Group acquired it in 2015. Working with a team of talented franchise consultants, the company realized double-digit growth each year. Mary Kay’s career in franchising began in 2003 when she joined the Valpak Direct Marketing Systems. During her six years there, Mary Kay led the company’s largest operation and turned it from having a negative cash flow to a highly profitable entity. In just her second year as General Manager in Los Angeles she and her team of 100 associates received the coveted Chairman’s Cup, Valpak’s highest award for sales and operations excellence. She cultivated relationships with franchisees to foster best practices across the network.
President of Five Star Painting
Mary Kay was named President of Five Star Painting when the Dwyer Group acquired it in 2015. This 10-year old franchise is poised to grow, and that is what Mary Kay and her team will do. The goal is to become the biggest residential and light commercial painting company in North America.
This is the third Dwyer Group franchise brand for Mary Kay. For the past 3 years she has served as Vice President of Operations at Mr. Appliance, where the network grew from 155 franchises to over 185. Working with a team of talented franchise consultants, the company realized double-digit growth each year. She first came to the Dwyer Group with Mr. Electric, where she started their national sales program.
Mary Kay’s career in franchising began in 2003 when she joined the Valpak Direct Marketing Systems. During her six years there, Mary Kay led the company’s largest operation and turned it from having a negative cash flow to a highly profitable entity. In just her second year as General Manager in Los Angeles she and her team of 100 associates received the coveted Chairman’s Cup, Valpak’s highest award for sales and operations excellence. She cultivated relationships with franchisees to foster best practices across the network.
Based on her success she was promoted to Vice President Retail Sales Strategies at Valpak’s headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. She created sales promotions, packages and programs to drive local revenue across the network. As Valpak entered the digital realm, Mary Kay headed the team that created advertising options for clients to reach additional consumers with an online solution. She was also responsible for heading up the team of franchise consultants who coached and developed business throughout the network of 200+ franchisees. Mary Kay earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from San Diego State University and her MBA in general management from Pepperdine University.
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