1851 remembers: September 11

By BRIAN DIGGELMANN When I was in elementary school, my dad told me everyone his age could remember exactly where they were and what they were doing the moment they heard JFK had been assassinated. I had trouble fathoming how a single event could be so devastating that it would sear the very moment into a person’s brain for life. Unfortunately, I was to find out. The moment came as I was sitting in an English class and the political science teacher from next door poked her head into the classroom to say a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Life went on as usual until she again held open the door and said another plane had struck the other tower. The rest of the day was a blur as teachers talked quietly in doorways and dark classrooms were lit by the flickering images of tragedy. I had the fortune to be insulated by youth—most did not. In the months that followed, America’s resolve was tested as fear and uncertainty gripped the nation. When the Dow Jones opened to a 684 point loss the next week it was clear the damage was more than emotional. Down but not out, America rallied as thousands of volunteers poured into the stricken city to help clean up debris and being piecing together shattered lives. Eleven years later, the events of that September morning are no less tragic, but through the filter of time we can be proud of our nation’s response and how far we’ve come. We want to hear your stories of 9/11 and how the event has impacted your lives. To start things off we asked a few friends in franchising to share their thoughts. Scott Iversen, Director of Marketing Toppers Pizza* Inc. I was working in the marketing department of family dining franchisor in Madison, WI. I heard the news of the first plane hitting the north tower of the WTC and thought “OMG, what a terrible accident.” I then went to a department meeting and by the time I had returned to my desk our department admin person had told me that a plane had hit the Pentagon. At that moment I realized that our nation was under attack. The rest of my day was spent glued to the TV coverage of one of the darkest days in our country’s history. I’ll never forget driving home later that day and the silence of the bright blue sky, it was very surreal. Being that I was working for a family dining franchise the short-term and long-term impact was tremendous. The family dining business was and probably still is very dependent on people who are traveling. The majority of our locations were located near major interstates. For the next few months as Americans traveled less our business was severely impacted and never fully recovered. I left the family dining company in the spring of 2002 so it is difficult for me to say if there are any lasting effects. However I do know that the company I used to work for has closed more than 75% of its stores since 9/11. Jenny Buha, Director of Development and Marketing 32 Degrees On September 11, 2001, I lived in Columbus, Ohio. I worked for a mortgage company at the time. When the planes hit the WTC buildings, all business stopped. The phones did not ring for the rest of the day except for family calling to check on those of us at the office. My son was 1 ½ years old and my first thought was “Is he safe where he is?” I called my husband to make sure he was safe, as well. After lunch, our office closed. I remember sitting in my living room holding my son transfixed on the TV and hopeful there would not be any more casualties. The following days were “business-as-usual,” but not really. Everyone at my office, including me, was still in a state of shock. There were no planes flying over our heads and the world was not the same. Slowly the world and my company resumed to normal, however, I remember still flinching when the planes began to fly. My business was only thwarted for a short time, however, it was the people that were affected the most. Everything had changed. I have since moved to Birmingham, Alabama. The business we are in, selling yummy treats, has not been affected by the events of 9/11. However, like I said earlier, it is the people that have changed. Whether in Ohio or in Alabama…whether working for a mortgage company or a frozen yogurt company, it is the people who have changed. I feel safe living and working where I do, however, after 9/11, anything can happen. On this day, I remember those that lost their lives and those that gave their lives for others. Lolita Mackey, Director of Training Steak-Out Franchising, Inc. I arrived at the office shortly after the first building was hit.  We were able to watch it unfold on the big screen in [owner] Don Harkleroad's office. I was initially puzzled and, of course, when I later found out that it was an attack I was angry.  We had several of our staff traveling and since planes were grounded they had to rent cars to get home. It had a great impact on the company because we are a delivery concept and the public wanted to stay home and be close to their families. I think the effects from 9/11 have continued to impact our business, but now it has a negative impact.  It's lead to fear, war, and the recession.  Because of these things our sales have suffered drastically.  We're now considered a luxury item and not simply lunch or dinner. Steve Beagelman SMB Franchise Advisors* I was the the VP of Franchise Development at Rita's Water Ice Franchise Corporation during 9-11. I was in the office that day when it happened. It definitely impacted us for a period of time, I would say about 90 days before people started to make buying decisions again for franchises. Eric Little, Senior Vice President of Franchise Development Right at Home*, Inc. At the time I was working for AlphaGraphics in Salt Lake City. We had just held Discovery Day on Monday, September 10 and had several prospects in town who couldn't leave because the planes got shut down. Towards the middle of the day I got a call from one of our prospects, Clark, who said I know the world is falling apart but I just have to know if I got the business. I've always carried that with me as an example of someone who had a vision. I'd never minimize the impact of 9/11 and neither would Clark, but he knew we would move past it and he wanted to start building his future. The short-term impact was that everything stopped. Nobody wanted to do anything as far as new franchises until they could see what would happen. That continued until the summer of 2002, when we were back on pace for new franchise sales. Today I think about it every time I go through airport security. Airports have affected a lot of us who do franchise sales and have to travel.  The Patriot Act also came out of 9/11 so you have to be careful who you do business with.