Franchisee Spotlight: John Gerds of Philly Pretzel Factory

John Gerds is a professional film director and production specialist who has worked with companies like HBO, Warner Brothers/Paramount, Sony and Lifetime. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, he moved to Las Vegas in January of 2017 in pursuit of a steadier career--opening Philly Pretzel Factory in the shops of The Grand Bazaar.

Elaborate on your background:

I went to college at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and then transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago. While in college I interned for the creator of the Looney Tunes series, Chuck Jones, who was a great inspiration to my career in the film and video industry. After school I began as a freelance film director and productions specialist before signing contract projects with companies like HBO, Discovery, Lifetime, Warner Brothers/Paramount and Sony. One of the bigger projects I worked on was with the Transformers production in Chicago.

I am starting Philly Pretzel Factory in Las Vegas because the stability as a business owner is much better than as a contracted project worker in the film/video industry. Being the first location in Nevada and Las Vegas, I am excited to have a great territory to capitalize on, once the first location is up and running. Not-to-mention, we will be the only location in the system to offer alcohol.

How did you hear about the brand and why did you choose to get involved?

I heard about the brand through my friend who is just about family to me. He has been in Las Vegas for a little while longer than I have been and heard of Philly Pretzel Factory and had the dream of brining it out to the Strip here in Vegas. It’s been a really quick process for us with a turn-around of about 35 days since we inquired with the brand.

What ties do you have with your local community and how do you plan to serve the community with your new business?

I’m originally from the Detroit area and moved to the area about a month ago. At this time I don’t have any connections to the community in the area but will be changing that quickly because of my past. I was a foster child for the first four years of my life before being adopted by a very, very nice family. I plan on connecting with the Boys and Girls Club here, a group foster home, and the children’s hospital because I want to show the kids who have similar backgrounds to what I have that they can be successful even if they are coming from next-to-nothing. I have had a very rewarding career thus far and I want to bring joy to the kids who are down on their luck and show them that they have bright futures, no matter what.

What’s next for you and your business?

We are currently signed on for a three-location deal, but I want to take that deal and make it much larger once we get our first location established and running. With our first location, we will be the first in the company to offer beer and liquor in addition to the famed pretzels - we are already in the process of liquor and beer license applications. I eventually want to take over the entire market for Philly Pretzel Factory.

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