PHOENIX, March 9, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Franchise Capital Corporation (OTCBB:FCCN) today announced that portfolio investment company, Kokopelli Mexican Grill Franchise Company, LLC, operator and franchiser of Kokopelli Mexican Grill, a fast-casual Sonoran restaurant, has appointed Gwen Herdt as its new Director of Training.
Ms. Herdt's responsibilities include not only the training of Kokopelli employees, but also coordinating unit openings and leading operations development for individual chains. She has taken command of the opening process for the first franchised Kokopelli Mexican Grill, which is scheduled to open in less than a month.
Franchise Capital Corporation Chief Executive Officer Brad Miller commented, "Ms. Herdt began working for the company in late January and has already proved to be a tremendous asset to Franchise Capital Corporation and specifically to Kokopelli Mexican Grill. Ms. Herdt is performing beyond expectations and will be available to consult with Franchise Capital's other restaurant concepts as needed. Her presence with the company is expected to not only improve the operating efficiency of employees inside the restaurants, but she will continue to play a key role in facilitating smooth openings for future franchised units in the Franchise Capital Corporation investment portfolio."
Ms. Herdt worked for A&W Restaurants from 1997-2004 and eventually became their National Senior Operations Training Manager. Ms. Herdt was responsible for opening A&W and co-branded locations and also tracked store construction, conducted management training, crew training, and helped facilitate the openings. During her time with A&W Restaurants she opened over 120 A&W Restaurant locations and over 40 co-branded locations.
Before A&W, Ms. Herdt worked for Village Inn Restaurants located in Denver, Colorado where she was a manager at one of its corporate training locations. She has also held management positions within an institutional food service company as a Quality Assurance Manager. While holding the position of Quality Assurance Manager, she assisted with the start-up and the daily operations of a USDA inspected facility producing sandwiches and burritos for the convenience store industry.
Ms. Herdt is a graduate of the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Hospitality Management.
"Ms. Herdt's extensive experience in the restaurant industry will undoubtedly benefit Franchise Capital Corporation and result in more successful restaurant operations," commented Mr. Miller.
About Franchise Capital Corporation
Franchise Capital Corporation is a Business Development Company pursuant to Section 54 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The company currently has five operating, synergistic investments holdings: Kokopelli's Mexican Grill Franchise Company, LLC; Cousin Vinnie's Franchise Company, LLC; Kirby Foo's Asian Grill Franchise Company, LLC; Comstock Jake's Franchise Company, LLC; and Fathom Business Systems, Inc., all of which are engaged in business related to restaurant franchise development.
Safe Harbor Statement: The statements in this release that relate to future plans, expectations, events, performance, and the like are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results or events could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including those set forth in the company's report on Form 10-KSB for fiscal year 2004 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.