Inspire Brands CEO Addresses Sandy Springs Chamber Members

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber (SSPC) kicked off a new year of programming for its members with a January luncheon that focused on vision and goals. Outgoing Board Chair Chip Collins thanked the Chamber staff for the successes of the previous year, including achieving a record high of nearly 600 members, presenting over 100 events and supporting the opening of City Springs.

Incoming Board Chair Karen Trylovich outlined her 2019 goals of continuing to grow membership, launching the new Chamber Ambassador Program, enabling collaboration among SSPC committees, continuing to support the revitalization of the north side of Sandy Springs and making sure the Chamber is offering the types of programs the members want. Both Collins and Trylovich praised city’s strong business community that supports companies ranging from global headquarters like Mercedes-Benz to small mom-and-pop shops.

The membership was then introduced to the CEO of one of Sandy Springs’ premier companies, Paul Brown, co-founder and CEO of Inspire Brands. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Inspire Brands is a global, multi-brand restaurant company, whose portfolio includes over 8,300 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, SONIC Drive-In and Rusty Taco locations worldwide.

Inspire Brands is a private company is backed by Roark Capital Group. Brown, who previously served as CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group, co-founded Inspire Brands just under a year ago, and thanks to several strategic brand acquisitions, the organization is now the fifth largest restaurant company in the United States and the seventh largest in the world, based on total sales, according to Brown. There are nearly a quarter million people working for one of the firm’s restaurant brands worldwide, and about 750 people based in Sandy Springs.

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“We are proud to call Sandy Springs home,” said Brown. “We are committed to this city, and believe our location makes it easier for us to attract top talent. In fact, in March, we will move our headquarters just a short distance from our current location to 3 Glenlake Parkway. We’re very excited about our new, state-of-the art facility which will include a number of innovations, including one of the country’s largest test kitchens.”

Brown shared that Inspire Brands has a clearly-stated purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences. The purpose extends to all stakeholders: employees, customers, restaurant franchisers and owner-operators. He sees his role, and that of his management team, as fostering a winning culture and organization.

Brown noted that restaurants are part of a $600 billion industry in the U.S. alone. Yet, the restaurant business is extremely fragmented, and challenged by technological advancements and customer expectations. He said it makes sense to consolidate restaurants under one company banner in order to better manage change and to help the various brands differentiate themselves and succeed.

“As the parent company, we must add value to all of our restaurant brands,” said Brown. “We are somewhat unique, in that Inspire Brands is both an owner-operator and a franchiser. I think that dual experience is extremely beneficial because we can leverage our experience in each area to help the other.”

He gave the Chamber members a brief overview of the company’s various restaurant brands and shared several success stories. He spoke about the power of social media to create awareness and brand loyalty as long as social media campaigns are used to build relationships, rather than attempt to generate transactions. He also spoke about the importance of community engagement, noting that Inspire Brands donated $15.6 million in 2018 to various child empowerment organizations.

As Inspire Brands moves into its new Sandy Springs headquarters in a few weeks, the company plans to add to its restaurant portfolio by seeking out and purchasing additional fast food and casual dining restaurant chains. The company is also expanding its corporate staff in Sandy Springs, especially in marketing, finance, operations, information technology and data science. www.InspireBrands.com.

About the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber

The Chamber was formed in 2008 to serve businesses in the City of Sandy Springs and the north Perimeter area. With leadership from an elected Board of Directors, and working in partnership with city government, the Chamber’s mission is to maximize the business success of its members, strengthen the competitiveness of the Sandy Springs business community and enhance economic prosperity of the area. Ongoing initiatives include workforce and economic development, business education, community service and networking opportunities for members. Tom Mahaffey is president of the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber. www.SSPChamber.org

Photo by Valencia Productions