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Finding and Developing Talent in the Franchise Industry with Bill Williams of Axxiom Franchise Advisors, LLC

Finding and developing talent in the franchise industry is very different from the traditional corporate world. Franchisors have to find the right talent to build the business and maintain the brand. Bill Williams is a Franchise Advisor who works with Franchisors to help them find the right talent for their organization. Listen as Bill talks about the qualities needed in a successful franchisee along with franchise owner Monte Bruner with The Dentist’s Choice. Bill knows what it’s like to want to control your destiny by owning a business.

He began his career as an officer in the United States Army where he served for several years and is a Vietnam veteran.   For more than 25 years, he was an executive with technology companies, responsible for training, support, operations and IT.

After experiencing “his final corporate reorganization,” he became an adjunct career consultant with Right Management Associates, the firm who provided his outsourcing services and realized he is, at heart, an entrepreneur.

It was there that he discovered his passion to help others discover their full potential. “As a consultant, I helped them get past the anger and shock of being fired and see this as one of the greatest opportunities of their lives,” he says. “Often, they chose to ‘hire themselves’ and start their own businesses.”

Bill also had aspirations to be his own boss. He wanted to run a business that capitalized on his military and corporate experiences to help others realize their dreams. Research showed that the structure and track record of franchise businesses increased an owner’s success rate.

Genuine. Seasoned and wise. Of the highest integrity. Respected and trusted. Caring. An excellent listener with your best interests at heart. That’s how Bill’s colleagues and clients describe him. He speaks and writes on career issues and hopes to write a book one day soon, “Golf as a Metaphor for Life”.

An avid runner and golfer, Bill has been married to his wife, Lucy, since 1969. They live in Marietta, Georgia, and have three adult children, all married and in their own careers, and two, soon to be three grandchildren.

Bill can be reached via email at bwilliams@4axxiom.com.

The New Professional Home for Performance Improvement Specialists with Dr. Judy Hale and Deb Page

Atlantan Deb Page and veteran international performance consultant Dr. Judith Hale have launched a new L3C organization, The Institute for Performance Improvement to advance improvement in education and the workplace through social entrepreneurial efforts. The L3C, or Low-profit Limited Liability Corporation is a new type of organizational entity created by legislation in a growing number of states of , which allows for an organization organized like an LLC to enjoy many of the benefits of non-profits, such as grant development, while being able to generate a profit doing its core mission in benefit to the common good.

Deb Page, CPT

Deb is a strategy and performance consultant in systemic improvement of performance. Throughout her career, Deb has established a reputation as an innovator and problem-solver that inspires and attains outstanding results.

She began her career as a high school teacher after graduating from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Language Education. Her corporate career was spent in retail, service and financial services, in Human Resources, Quality and Performance Improvement, Training, Executive Development and Coaching, and Business Development. The majority of her career she worked in subsidiaries of Citigroup, and launched and led a corporate university. In 2001 she left her position as Sr. Vice President for Instruction and Business Development for Citibank, N.A. to form Willing Learner, Inc. where she has consulted to improve performance across a broad range of sectors. Training Magazine has honored Deb as one of the “new guard in training and development”.

Deb was awarded the evidence-based Certified Performance Technologist job certification in 2011 by the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) based on her work in education improvement.

She and Dr. Judith Hale of Hale Associates (www.HaleAssociates.com) developed the fully evidence-based Certified School Improvement Specialist, awarded through a collaborative arrangement with the International Society for Performance Improvement (www.ISPI.org) Together they founded The Institute for Performance Improvement, (www.IFPImprovement.org) a social entrepreneurial organization which develops Communities of Practice of high performing practitioners to facilitate meaningful work and sustainable improvement in education and the workplace. The Institute trains individuals to effectively facilitate improvement using Human Performance Technology methods (HPT). Deb serves as President of The Institute.

In 2002, she led the start of the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (www.GLISI.org) a public/private initiative to improve education leadership. Under her leadership the Institute developed a solid track record for helping school systems improve student achievement and organizational effectiveness.

In November 2012, Deb and Dr. Hale published The School Improvement Specialist Field Guide via Corwin Press. The Field Guide is based on the ten Certified School Improvement Specialist standards and contains a wide variety of tools and processes for facilitating sustainable, systemic improvement.

Through Willing Learner, Inc. and The Institute for Performance Improvement, she provides strategic planning support and performance consulting services. Contact Deb at deb.page@willinglearner.org or at 678-428-2363.

 

Judith Hale, Ph.D., CPT

Dr. Hale is one of the more prolific writers and well-known consultants in the field of performance improvement.  She is the author of The Performance Consultant’s Fieldbook 2nd ED, Performance-Based Certification, 2nd ED, Performance-Based Evaluation, and Performance-Based Management, and Outsourcing Training and Development.  Her latest book is the  School Improvement Specialist Field Guide: Facilitating Success (Corwin) co-authored with Deb Page.  Judy has been a consultant to management in the public and private sectors for more than 25 years.  She specializes in performance improvement, certification programs, evaluation protocols, and the implementation of major interventions.  She has served as Director of Certification and President of International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI).

Judy recently spoke on New Paradigms for Professional Credentials: How Globalization and Technology are Impacting Credentialing for the Certification Network Group on in DC.  The increasing complexity of work and the emergence of new professions have produced a global skills gap.  As a result enterprises in the public and private sectors are demanding the creation of new pathways that rapidly build and measure proficiency.  This has spurred an increase in the development of credentials (certificates, certifications, and accreditations) being offered by new players who are rewriting the rules on how to define and measure competence.

Judith was awarded a B.A. from Ohio State University, a M.A. from Miami University, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University.  She can be reached at haleassoci@aol.com or 630-427-1304.

 

 

Lloyd Jarrell and Myra L. Reeves with The Home Depot discuss Workforce Diversity Programs

Lloyd Jarrell
Lloyd Jarrell is currently Director of Talent Management, Diversity at The Home Depot. He has been in the home improvement industry for the last 21 years and with the Home Depot since 2008. During this time, Lloyd has had many assignments in several regions including the Mid-West, Mid-Atlantic/Deep South and Gulf Coast. He was a store manager for 6 years and a district manager for 10 years. The home improvement business has been a passion of Lloyd’s for a long time. Lloyd is married with three beautiful children and is a graduate of West Virginia State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU).

 

Myra L. Reeves
Myra  is the Manager of Diversity and Inclusion at The Home Depot and is responsible for managing a variety of programs and projects that drive associate engagement for more than 300,000 associates.  Specifically, Myra is responsible for overseeing assigned aspects of short and long range Diversity and Inclusion strategies targeting recruitment, retention and development of diverse talent. In addition to managing the day to day operations of seven Associate Resources groups, she interfaces with key community leaders and external diversity partners to enhance the Company’s presence and engagement in the community.

Myra joined The Home Depot in April 1999 as a Learning Specialist and Facilitator for the Learning Department. As a Learning Specialist, she was responsible creating and implementing store operations training programs for associates.

Prior to joining The Home Depot, Myra spent 10 years with Verizon Wireless (formerly GTE Wireless) serving in wide range of roles focused on customer service as well as Training and Development. She has also served in the capacity of Public Information Manager for the City of Atlanta under the administration of former Mayor Shirley Franklin.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Myra is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism.

In addition to her active membership and involvement with the youth and women of Antioch Baptist Church North, she is also very active in numerous organizations including the Westlake High School PTSA and board of directors of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta.

Myra is married to Jeffrey C. Reeves and they have one daughter, Jasmin Joi and a son, Jebril Bryant.