Leadership Team
Dan Rowe, Founder and CEO
As founder and CEO of Fransmart, Dan Rowe has led the development of over a dozen different franchised restaurant chains and sold thousands of franchises for chains such as 5 Guys Burgers and Fries and Zpizza. Prior to forming Fransmart, Mr. Rowe was president of Franchise Development Company which sold over 1,000 franchises for franchise brands such as QDOBA Mexican Grill; which grew from a single unit to a successful 100-unit chain before it was sold to Jack in the Box for $45 million. Mr. Rowe is a franchisee, master franchisee, franchisor, consultant, strategist, private equity investor and has also written numerous articles and spoken at numerous restaurant and franchise industry conferences and brings a well rounded perspective to Fransmart and its portfolio brands. Mr. Rowe was also one of the original employees of Peregrine Systems, a computer software company, prior to entering the franchise industry. Mr. Rowe is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) where he serves in various capacities such as the membership committee, the Restaurant Industry Network and the Restaurant Roundtable.
Chris Bright, Co-founder and CFO
Chris Bright has been in the restaurant and franchising arena for 15 years. As founding principal of Fransmart, Chris has been involved with more than twenty franchise brands and has served in leadership roles with five franchise ventures. Mr. Bright has served as president of ZPizza, a fast casual, California based company, for the past four years. Mr. Bright has lead ZPizza's growth and transformation from an entrepreneurial enterprise to a professionally managed franchise company. During Mr. Bright's tenure, ZPizza has become a 50 unit national brand from a starting point of 4 restaurants in south Orange county, California. Chris is also acting chief financial officer of Fransmart, a franchise development company that specializes in developing early stage brands into national franchise companies. Fransmart and its predecessor companies have generated more than $25 million in franchise and development fees and have opened more than 500 restaurants. Prior to his entry into restaurant franchising, Chris spent five years in corporate finance. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1985 with a degree in Business Administration. Chris has been married to his wife, Kay, for more than ten years and resides in Newport Beach, California with Kay and their three children.
Tommy Reiser, Vice President of Finance
Mr. Reiser manages the day to day strategy and financial operations at Fransmart. Prior to Fransmart, Mr. Reiser served as an analyst with ASAP Ventures, assisting with due-diligence, industry analysis and market research. Mr. Reiser previously worked as a consultant with American Management Systems, Inc. in their finance and management administration practice. Mr. Reiser is a graduate of Presbyterian College in South Carolina with degrees in mathematics, biology and chemistry.
Al Rowe , Vice President of Sales West
Mr. Rowe has been a Vice President of Sales with Fransmart for over 4 years overseeing the Newport Beach office. Prior to joining Fransmart, Mr. Rowe spent over 30 years in marketing and sales in the electronics industry.
Kristin Martonik, Vice President of Marketing
Ms. Martonik manages franchise marketing strategy for Fransmart’s portfolio brands and oversees Fransmart’s in-house marketing team. Kristin has led franchise marketing for more than fifteen national brands, and has helped generate millions of dollars in franchise fees through various franchise recruitment and lead generation programs. Her expertise areas include marketing strategy development, e-mail and online marketing, brand development and print and web design. Before joining Fransmart, Kristin previously worked in entertainment & music marketing, and held prior positions in international marketing at the World Trade Center Institute and M2 Limited. Ms. Martonik graduated from Johns Hopkins University and holds a BA in International Studies.
Gary Graham, Real Estate Specialist
Mr. Graham has spent the majority of his career in urban planning and new restaurant development and was Vice President of Real Estate and Development for companies such as Red Robin, In-N-Out Burgers, IHOP, Jack-In-The-Box, Taco Bell, Petco, and others. Mr. Graham received his BA from Cal State Northridge, and a Real Estate Certificate from UCLA.
Kelly Mullarney, Culinary Specialist
As a consulting partner for Fransmart, Mr. Mullarney provides culinary, kitchen operations and training expertise to certain Fransmart portfolio brands. Mr. Mullarney has been involved with several high profile independent, fund dining, and multi-unit restaurant concepts throughout the United States, Asia and Europe including his position as the Director of Food and Beverage Operations for the House of Blues in Chicago, with food and beverage volumes in excess of $13 Million. Kelly is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and has been honored with several awards and accolades, including "Restaurateurs of the Year" in 1992 with University Restaurant Group and an invitation in 1996 to cook at the prestigious "James Beard House" in New York City.
Kathy Thombs, Corporate Compliance Officer / Business Development Manager
As Fransmart's Corporate Compliance Officer, Ms. Thombs is responsible for ensuring employee and franchisor compliance with federal and state laws regulating the offer and sale of franchises as well as state relationship statutes for each of Fransmart's portfolio brands. Kathy's role as Business Development Manager requires her to work closely with Fransmart's sales team members to ensure a compliant, seamless, and successful franchise sales process. Her additional areas of expertise and focus include marketing research and strategy, lead generation and technical management of Fransmart's web-based CRM site sales management tool.
