The German Franchise Association based in Berlin, Germany, has made a $4,000 gift to Palm Beach Atlantic University to create an international franchising fellowship in the Titus Center for Franchising.
The contribution will pay for a student’s expenses during 10 days of work in Germany before and after Franchise Expo19 in Frankfurt, as well as a $1,000 stipend for his or her research at the Titus Center during the fall semester.
Working under the supervision of Titus Center Director Dr. John P. Hayes, the fellow will learn about franchise expansion by German companies in the United States and by American companies in Germany. The fellow will research U.S. and German franchise markets and document the findings in a publicly available report; identify prospective franchisor candidates in the U.S. for the German market; identify American franchise companies that would be interested in exhibiting at Franchise Expo19 and in joining a trade mission after the expo; and connect German franchise companies to franchise professionals in the U.S.
“This is an opportunity for a Titus Center student to meet the founders and CEOs of more than 100 companies internationally, not just in the U.S.,” Hayes said. “The fellow will enhance his or her professional network of business owners.”
The student who is selected for the fellowship will be knowledgeable about franchising or in the franchising concentration and have an interest in developing international franchising between Germany and the United States. The work will require the fellow be collaborative and adept at communicating internationally, although the fellow is not expected to communicate in German, Hayes said.
The student will bolster his or her résumé by completing an internationally-supported fellowship during the semester.
“That puts you way ahead of a student who doesn’t have the credentials but has a 4.0,” Hayes said. “I’ll hire that student first, and so will franchise executives.”
The Titus Center in the Marshall E. Rinker Sr. School of Business is one of the few places in the world where students can prepare for a career in franchising. The program was endowed with a $1.5 million contribution by franchise entrepreneur Ray Titus, founder of United Franchise Group in West Palm Beach.
