Wireless Zone® To Open First Stores in Tennessee This Summer with Multi-Unit Franchise Partners
Wireless Zone®, the largest Verizon franchisor in the U.S. with over 360 locations, is coming to Tennessee this summer. A forthcoming store opening in Bartlett is slated for June, with another in Memphis on track to open this August. The Bartlett and Memphis stores are the second and third locations, respectively, of Wireless Zone® franchisee Scott Orellana and managing owner Abbi Rychlock. Orellana and Rychlock’s first Wireless Zone® store is located in Hernando, Mississippi.
After working for eight years with Verizon affiliate The Cellular Connection (TCC), Rychlock was ready for a new opportunity but wanted to stay with a company she loved. She met Scott Orellana when he came into her Olive Branch, Mississippi TCC store, and they started talking about business opportunities. Orellana proposed they go into franchising together, and Rychlock, wanting to stay in the Verizon family, was excited to learn that Wireless Zone® was an official Verizon franchise and affiliate of TCC. Rychlock also loved that Wireless Zone® focused on improving the communities in which its franchisees served through an affiliated Foundation for Giving, charity initiatives and A Culture of Good.
“I loved that Wireless Zone® did a lot of community events. That’s a big driver for me—being able to give back to the community. You might think a phone is just a wireless device, but at the end of the day, it’s something that keeps people in touch with their families,” Rychlock said.
Rychlock and Orellana opened their first Wireless Zone® location in Hernando, Mississippi on September 10, 2018—the brand’s first location in the state. Buoyed by their success in Hernando, the duo is now expanding their footprint into Tennessee: First with a Bartlett unit located at 6600 Stage Road, Suite 137 in Bartlett this June, and then a store at the popular intersection of Poplar Avenue and South Perkins Road in Memphis this August. Leading up to the openings, both the Bartlett and Memphis stores will be running a promotion wherein guests can purchase a Samsung Tablet E for 99 cents.
For Rychlock, expanding to Tennessee just made sense.
“Bartlett, which is a small suburb of Tennessee, was the natural next step in our growth,” said Rychlock. “We can build so much buzz in smaller communities and get our customers talking about the fact that we always have the leading technology and exceptional customer service. And then we carry that momentum forward to Memphis.”
Wireless Zone's Executive Director of Development Keith Dziki said that Wireless Zone®’s expansion into new markets aligns with Verizon’s commitment to improve connectivity nationwide by offering the latest in wireless technology.
“The future of wireless involves a tech-savvy user who looks for a higher data rate and enhanced device capacity and connectivity,” said Dziki. “Verizon and Wireless Zone® are always looking for advancements in wireless technology, such as the development of fifth generation or 5G devices, and then seeking to bring them into new markets.”
“There’s a steady customer base who demands the latest technology,” agreed Margaret Cooley, Corporate Marketing & Communications Manager for Wireless Zone®. “Wireless Zone® is unique in the industry for its small business ownership and attention to customer service while providing award-winning Verizon services.”
Positioned within a lucrative wireless industry experiencing a tidal wave of technology-fueled growth, Wireless Zone® can expect that its expansion into Tennessee is only the beginning for ongoing franchise development.