NATIONAL FRANCHISE SALES - Key Persons
Alan Gallup began his franchise restaurant career in 1971, bought the first of several franchises in 1975, and ultimately became Vice President of Operations and a principal in the Franchisor, Crocker's Restaurants, Inc.
In 1979 Alan joined Galardi Group Inc., the parent company of Wienerschnitzel, Original Hamburger Stand, Chelsea's Choice, and Dos Tacos, where he held various positions with responsibilities for all company and franchise operations, R&D, Purchasing, Problem Resolution, and Franchise Sales.
Alan joined National Franchise Sales in 1994, and became full partner in 2003. In addition to managing the franchise resales of several major food service brands, Alan leads the NFS Asset Recovery Team where he utilizes his vast experience in asset recovery sales, through bankruptcy, foreclosure and receiverships.
Alan is a member of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, California Receivers Forum, American Bankruptcy Institute, a past Director on the South County Bank Community Advisory Board, and a Past President of the Saddleback College Foundation Board of Governors.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator
- Project Coordinator for Valuation and Asset Recovery Services
As a Project Coordinator for Valuation and Asset Recovery Services at National Franchise Sales, Alana McGinnis brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the company, with a focus on bankruptcy, receivership, foreclosure, partnership disputes, appraisals, and client relations. She has been with National Franchise Sales in Newport Beach, California since 2012 and has a diverse background that includes loan processing, underwriting, and sales management experience in the mortgage industry and merchant services sector.
Alana's commitment to professional development has led her to become an active member of several leading industry organizations, including the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Turnaround Management Association, and the California Receivers Forum. In her role as Project Coordinator, she is responsible for a wide range of activities that support the delivery of high-quality services to clients. This includes conducting bankruptcy, receivership, foreclosure, partnership dispute, and appraisal processes, as well as maintaining close communication with clients. She is also experienced in conducting lender interviews and generating reports to track processes.
Alana has a reputation for her ability to tackle special projects and her positive attitude towards challenges, making her a valuable member of the National Franchise Sales team.
Facilitating the identification of, and qualification for the acquisition of franchise resales by discussing options for purchase and sources for financing are just a part of Ana's contribution to transactions. Ana excels at guiding buyers through the process of visiting the units and advising throughout the franchisor interview and escrow process.
Ana joined National Franchise Sales in April 2015 as part of the administrative team and continues the responsibility for overall coordination of a broad range of services/resources that allow the organization to operate efficiently.
Andrea Lovell joined National Franchise Sales (NFS) in 2017 where she holds the dual position of Contract Administrator and Associate Advisor. In these roles, Andrea provides contract organization and management for NFS, in addition to assisting clients with the sale or purchase of franchise businesses. Refranchising and Asset Recovery support also fall under her purview.
Preceding her position at NFS, Andrea held the roles in marketing and loan processing in the mortgage industry, strengthening her understanding of institutional financing and managing transaction processes. Additionally, Andrea is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where she served as a Motor Transport Operator.
Andrea holds a CA Real Estate License and Notary Public Commission from the State of California. As part of her continuing education Andrea is currently pursuing a degree and certification in Paralegal Studies.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Managing Director
- Member and Officer of Several Franchise Boards
Barry Burke has a strong passion for the restaurant industry, and brings over 25 years of experience in business ownership, franchise restaurant development, finance, and operational experience.
Barry's clients benefit from his strong operational history, his understanding of the lending industry, and business acquisition finance requirements.
Barry has owned numerous franchised and independent restaurants, and has brokered 150 franchise transactions.
Barry joined National Franchise Sales in 2008 as Managing Director of the Southwest Regional Office located in Dallas, TX while working with clients throughout the US.
Barry is known as an Advisor who is knowledgeable and professional, and still approachable. He works with clients and companies on a personal level, providing commitment, integrity, and creativity for success.
Barry has served as a member and officer of several Franchise Boards and currently holds professional certifications including a California Real Estate license.
As Operations Manager, Caitlyn Willett applies her expertise with a meticulous approach and attention to detail. Responsible for overseeing daily operations for the entire NFS team, Caitlyn ensures seamless workflow and provides crucial support to the company, including its ongoing growth.
With a background in escrow and real estate for a Fortune 500 company, Caitlyn's current role goes beyond conventional management. In this multifaceted position, she not only ensures administrative efficiency but also serves as an integral link in the chain of constant and successful transactions. She actively supports the Partners, acts as a resource for Advisors, and plays a pivotal role in supporting and directing the entire NFS staff.
Caitlyn's commitment to professionalism and organizational excellence is evident in her precision and efficiency. As a central figure fostering communication and collaboration within the team, she significantly contributes to and is a driving factor of NFS's overall success.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Managing Director
- Partner
Associate Partner Denise Bell, started at National Franchise Sales in 2003 as an Administrative Assistant. Over the years she obtained numerous promotions, from Transaction Processor, to Transaction Coordinator, to Transaction Manager, she was instrumental in adapting the administrative processes to the current Transaction Processing model used by NFS today.
In 2015, Denise transitioned to an Advisor, to work directly with Buyers and Sellers, and was appointed as a Managing Director. She is a Brand Specialist for Denny's, and also works closely with Franchises within the Focus Brands.
Prior to her tenure at NFS, Denise had a successful career in the sale and administration of employee benefits and commercial insurance. She also managed offices in commercial construction, and aerospace testing.
She has a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and has received Certifications in Contracts and Legal Writing.
She assists clients, by advising on each element of an acquisition including franchisor approval, lease negotiation, financing and escrow, and enjoys bringing acquisitions to a successful completion.
Ellen Hui - Managing Director
Ellen began her career in a variety of financial management roles at Levi Strauss & Company and Bank of America. For the past 22 years Ellen founded and grew a restaurant and management services company with more than a dozen locations throughout the East Bay, along with a real estate development company.
She has served on a number of industry boards and as guest speaker at franchise industry conferences.
Ellen earned a MBA from Golden Gate University and Bachelor's Degree from San Francisco State University. She is a current member of ACG and CABB and is a California licensed Real Estate Broker.
Helen Trent began her tenure with National Franchise Sales in 2004. She brought to NFS 30+ years of franchise development experience and operational experience and a proven track record of working with restaurateurs of all sizes in both the sale of existing businesses as well as the development of new restaurants.
Helen began her restaurant career when she joined Burger King Corporation in Miami, Florida in 1972. Helen was in the Architecture, Real Estate, and Construction Departments before she relocated to the Boston Region to begin her franchise sales career in 1977.
A couple of years later, she relocated to San Diego as one of three executives responsible for creating a new and highly successful franchise program for Jack In The Box by selling existing corporate stores. During her tenure she was promoted through the ranks to Vice President of Franchise Sales & Development with a staff of 12 people, and later International was added to her responsibilities. Today, over 90% of the franchise community was recruited by Helen and remains in the system today.
Helen has held Management and Executive level positions on both the West Coast and the East Coast. She worked for Allied Domecq, the prior parent company of Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin Robbins and Togo's, for five years; and held Director Level positions with Regional chains such as Del Taco, El Pollo Loco; and non-restaurant franchise companies such as Mr. Sign, Huntington Learning Centers, etc.
Jerome "Jerry" Thissen is a highly respected and accomplished professional with over 40 years of experience in the franchise industry. With a strong background in accounting, he began his career at Northwest Airlines and held various positions over the years, including Executive Vice President of Sales.
John Lukac is a Partner at National Franchise Sales and has been successfully matching entrepreneurs with business opportunities at NFS for over 20 years, first as an Advisor, becoming a Jr. Partner in 2009 and as a Full Partner in 2013.
He has been responsible for hundreds of re-sales including such concepts as Arby's, Burger King, Denny's, Jack In The Box, Johnny Rockets, Taco Bell, Togo's, Sonic Drive-In, Fosters Freeze, and AAMCO.
John takes buyers and sellers each step of the way through the business acquisition and sale processes, using his experience in valuations, interview coaching, business and capitalization plans, lease negotiations, financing, and exit strategies.
John is a member of both the Asset Recovery and Refranchising teams at NFS. Additionally he oversees the IT and IS at NFS Headquarters in Newport Beach.
John holds a BA in Natural Sciences from Johns Hopkins University
John Sidders has over 40 years of experience in the restaurant industry including QSR, Family Dining and Fine Dine.
John's journey has included owning and successfully operating a QSR co-branded restaurant for over 12 years as well as being a Master Franchisor for a QSR brand on the Eastern Shore managing 12 independent franchised locations. John has also worked over 20 years at multiunit operations on both the Company and Franchise operated sides of the business. His understanding of the complexity associated with managing successful operations makes John a natural for representing your best interests. His strong analytical skills and deep financial analysis understanding makes him a valuable asset to the NFS team.
John and his wife Dana reside in Templeton California. They have twins Zach (NY), and Lexi (Nashville), as well as daughter Amanda (Irvine).
Job Titles:
- Development Specialist
- Brand Development Specialist
Advisor Megan Black is a go-getter who has risen through the professional ranks at NFS, excelling in the specialized field of franchise resales.
Megan has been instrumental in the successful completion of numerous franchise resale transactions. Over the past 7+ years at NFS, Megan has broadened her experience in franchisee, franchisor and buyer relations, escrow processes and finance sourcing. This in-depth knowledge and the relationships she has fostered makes her a valued counselor to many NFS clients.
Megan Black is a specialist on the NFS brand teams for Jimmy John's, Papa John's and Freddy's Steakburgers & Frozen Custard. Additionally, she serves as a buyer's advisor assisting clients in the purchase of a variety of franchise restaurant brands.
Michael has over 25 years' experience growing companies, arranging deals, and closing over 700 business transactions. He has firsthand success in franchise resales, franchise development, business valuation, mergers & acquisitions, private equity and in multiple distressed sales and distressed growth situations.
Prior to National Franchise Sales, Michael held senior level executive positions in sales and finance for several different franchise brands, including Denny's, Captain D's, and Checkers & Rally's - leading teams responsible for sales, real estate, and construction. Michael's teams consistently beat annual growth expectations and won multiple franchising awards over the past decade. Michael sits on the Franchise Leadership and Development Advisory Board and is a regular conference presenter at industry events speaking on the topics of strategy, franchise sales, distressed sales, brand growth and business expansion.
Michael holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from California State University, Long Beach, is a licensed real estate agent in the state of FL, a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, and resides in Tampa, FL.
Mike Deegan has been in the franchise foodservice industry for more than 40 years working with major concept brands such as McDonald's, Burger King and Popeyes. Throughout his career he has held a variety of positions in Franchising, Business Development, Real Estate Development and Marketing/Advertising.
Mike joined National Franchise Sales in 2007 to use his considerable expertise in franchising and business development to broker the transfer of franchise restaurant businesses. While he works with numerous different franchise concepts his real specialty is with quick service restaurants. Today Mike is the Brand Manager for several key brands and consistently works with many franchisees from coast to coast. Many of his assignments during this period have been to secure qualified buyers for debtors operating under Chapter 11 protection.
Prior to joining NFS Mike was the Vice President of Franchising for Burger King Corporation. In this capacity he was responsible for franchisee recruitment, compliance and relations in North America. While in this role he represented the franchisor in two of the largest franchisee bankruptcy proceedings in the company's history. His responsibility was to direct the efforts of the brokers, debtors, attorneys and advisors, as well as the internal BKC task force, in the successful organized resale of more than 500 restaurants around the country. The businesses were sold off in geographically contiguous lots in a series of contemporaneous transactions.
Michael Ingram joined National Franchise Sales (NFS) in 1997 and swiftly rose to the position of Vice President. In 2003, he became a full Partner at the company. Throughout his tenure at NFS, Michael has provided guidance to numerous buyers and sellers in the resale of franchised businesses, earning the utmost respect from Franchisors, lenders, accountants, CPAs, and attorneys nationwide.
Furthermore, Michael possesses extensive expertise in asset recovery sales involving bankruptcy and foreclosure. He has been instrumental in assisting creditors and Franchisors in freeing themselves from underperforming loans or franchise agreements. His asset recovery work lays a strong foundation for new franchisees to establish and develop successful businesses.
Before joining NFS, Michael flourished as a franchise operator, area developer, and multi-unit franchisee for various franchised concepts such as Sizzler Restaurants, Pick Up Stix, and 1-800-RADIATOR. During this period, he honed his skills in lease negotiation, franchise operations and territory development, as well as acquisitions and divestitures.
With a B.S. degree in Business Management from San Diego State University, Michael's education, background, and experience have solidified his standing as a well-known and respected professional in the franchise industry. He actively participates in industry events and conferences, regularly attending major national franchise and lender conferences. Additionally, Michael is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the California Receivers Forum.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Real Estate Agent
- Franchise Restaurant Owner
Nicole Hui comes from a family of multi-unit franchise restaurant owner-operators. Combined with Nicole's experience in Business Development for tech and real estate start-up's in San Francisco, that generational franchise know-how makes her well suited for her roles of Associate Advisor and Transaction Coordinator at NFS in which she provides guidance to both buyers and sellers.
Nicole understands well the path to both acquiring and selling a franchise restaurant whether it be single unit or multi-unit. Nicole puts her clients first by providing excellent communication and follow through during all steps of the process from contract to changeover.
Nicole Hui, a licensed real estate agent, earned her Bachelor of Arts at University of California, Davis, and is continuing study at Stanford University.
Nikko Ramani holds over 12 years of experience in the mortgage industry, having exposure to wholesale, retail, and reverse mortgages. Within his career, he has had to learn various products and services that's allowed him to become a solution minded professional. His experience exemplifies his strength in customer service and utmost discretion and care regarding confidentiality.
At National Franchise Sales, he is committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. His role involves processing the transactions of each opportunity with our advisors, not only understanding the unique needs of clients but also navigating the complex landscape of the various parties involved. His goal is to ensure a seamless and successful transaction for all involved.
As Marketing Manager Paula Parrish develops and oversees the execution of marketing plan action items. Paula facilitates the communication between the NFS Advisors and the franchise community, providing a better understanding of the company's expertise and capabilities.
Paula Parrish graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design. Utilizing the skills developed in college Paula has contributed to marketing concepts in the Food & Beverage and Real Estate industries.
At National Franchise Sales Paula works with NFS agents assisting clients in achieving their goals of franchise ownership.
Advisor Rebecca Black's extensive experience in both the corporate and franchise world has given her a unique perspective enabling her to help franchisees succeed.
Rebecca's comprehensive foodservice career of more than 30 years began at Pizza Hut while she was still in high school. She quickly moved through a variety of roles from team member to ultimately leading the training team in the Western Division, supporting more than 425 corporate and franchised locations.
Venturing into the franchising as an Operating Partner, Rebecca helped develop 26 Papa John's in California and Alaska. As a franchisee, she was honored with the Pacesetter Award for Small Business from the Roundtable for Women in Foodservice.
Continuing in the franchise world, she joined Panera Bread as an Operating Partner developing a territory in Orange County. Later, moving back into the operations and the franchise support side, she held executive positions in two highly franchised brands, Shakey's and Chronic Tacos.
During her 8-year tenure at Shakey's she moved from Director of Training to Senior Vice President with responsibility for all aspects of operations and franchise support.
Rebecca holds a BS in Business Management and is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association.
Rick Kowalski is an experienced restaurant industry professional with over 25 years in QSR, Full Service and Fast Casual restaurants. He has held executive positions in franchised brands including Wienerschnitzel, KFC, El Pollo Loco, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Sizzler and Dunkin Brands. He joined National Franchise Sales as an Advisor working in the Newport Beach, headquarters office.
As Sizzler's Vice President of Marketing, Rick was instrumental in re-positioning the brand with new imagery, products and brand identity and at Dunkin Brands Rick worked with international franchised and licensed partners to drive record levels of trading profit with re-energized marketing, new product rollouts and operational improvements. He has a keen understanding of operations and what it takes for franchisees to be successful.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- NFS As an Analyst
Ryan Deegan joined NFS as an analyst in March 2019. Ryan earned a Bachelor's degree in Corporate Finance with a concentration in Banking at Western Carolina University. Preceding his time at NFS he was the Operations Manager at Chiron publications. He works closely with his father, National Franchise Sales Managing Director Michael Deegan, who has 40 years of experience in QSR. Currently, Ryan assists transactions by keeping cashflow models updated as well as evaluating restaurant performance for potential clients.
Sally joined NFS as a Transaction Processor and assist in facilitating the franchise sale and acquisition process.
Prior to her position at NFS, Sally began her professional career in the mortgage industry and held previous positions as a loan processor and marketing associate, these roles enhanced her skills and experience in the finance industry and transaction processing. She has been acknowledged for always having a positive attitude, being detail oriented, and is always ready to take up any challenges that come her way.
Sally holds a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business, Computer Information Systems and plans to further her knowledge in the industry and is committed to provide an exceptional processing experience.
Seth Shaner's experience in business and finance is both broad and deep. He has worked in dozens of industries and has served in many roles from analyst to president. Seth built a reputation as a strategic thinker and a tenacious problem-solver. He loves new challenges but, more than anything, Seth loves to see those he works with accomplish things that they never thought were possible.
As president, Seth led a full-service, 24/7 restaurant group, with over 120 units across seventeen (17) states, employing over 4,000 hard-working associates. He was responsible for generating more than $200,000,000 in annual revenue, which he accomplished while finding creative ways to succeed in the restaurant business during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery.
He started his career at a top-five strategy consulting firm solving problems for C-Suite clients at Fortune 500 companies. He worked in both venture capital and private equity where he learned to think like an investor. He also helped transform the operational efficiency of a highly successful wealth management practice, which then tripled in revenue over the 3 years following his engagement. Later, he spent five years at GE Capital, working with franchisees of more than 30 brands across the US to provide tens of millions in loans to assist them in growing their business, both organically and through acquisition.
He has been an entrepreneur twice in his career, with two very different outcomes; like many other entrepreneurs, his first attempt failed. In his second venture, he built on what he learned and enjoyed great success.
He graduated with a B.S. in Finance from the University of Utah where he also co-founded the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge and the University Venture Fund. He has three amazing children and resides in sunny Irvine, CA.