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As one of re:group’s core areas of expertise, we like to keep tabs on the franchising industry. And it’s no wonder—franchising continues to grow and, in many cases, replaces the independent small business owner. According to the International Franchise Association (#IFA), the number of franchise establishments is projected to rise by 1.9 percent this year alone.

So what sectors will fuel that growth? An obvious one is “In-Home Senior Care.” As Baby Boomers start to age and require both non-medical and medical support, entrepreneurs have taken note of the enormous opportunity that lies in serving our population’s largest generation. Industry research firm IBIS World projects a 6.3 percent growth in this sector and rapid expansion over the next five years.

Credit to Flickr’s Windsor Senior Living

Even when looking at franchise opportunities for veterans, Franchise Gator lists that two of the top 5 most popular franchises are in the senior care industry: Home Helpers and Caring Transitions.

Another industry to watch is “Dry Cleaning.” Now that dry cleaning can be done without dangerous chemicals and can be environmentally safe, it has become an attractive opportunity for prospective franchisees. P&G saw the opportunity to capitalize on this and has launched a franchise system that leverages its Tide brand as a dry cleaner. But don’t go running off to sign up just yet; I have been told that they already have plenty of potential franchisees.

Another trend I have observed is the growth of private investment groups that become multi-concept franchisees. Portfolios are built to maximize returns much like an individual investment portfolio. Economies are realized by consolidating administration, real estate transactions and management. These franchisees are seasoned business professionals with a strong track record of financial performance. I learned at the IFA convention this year that many of these groups are financially larger than the franchise concepts that they represent.

So, if you’re in the market for a franchise, keep your eyes on these growing sectors. We’ll be right beside you!

Ann Arbor, MI, March 26, 2012 – re:group President, Janet Muhleman, announced today that re:group has been named the marketing communications agency for Citizens Bank. re:group will be responsible for developing Citizens’ advertising campaigns and providing support for branding and retail promotions.

“We are thrilled by the opportunity to work with the Citizens Bank team. We are impressed with Citizens’ commitment to providing their clients with personalized service and building long-term client relationships. We look forward to leveraging our twenty years experience serving multi-unit retail and financial institutions to help them achieve their business objectives,” commented Muhleman.

“The breadth of knowledge re:group brings, coupled with their financial services experience, provides us with a terrific strategic partner to continue building our business and enhancing our brand within the local communities we serve,” said Sherry Forbes, Chief Marketing Officer for Citizens Bank.

About Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank, a diversified financial services company serving communities in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana with 219 offices and 249 ATMs, was founded in Flint, Michigan in 1871 at the height of Flint’s lumber industry. Today, Citizens offers full service banking services including mortgage, consumer and business banking. For more information about Citizens Bank, visit citizensbanking.com.

About re:group
Founded in 2002 by Janet Muhleman, re:group is an independent, award-winning marketing agency located in Ann Arbor, Mich. re:group helps transform brands and grow business by taking a strategic approach to every client challenge and providing an integrated marketing solution. Services offered include: marketing strategy, branding, advertising, communications design, website development, search engine optimization and traditional, digital and social media services. re:group is a member of the American Bankers Association, Society for Healthcare Market Development and the International Franchise Association.
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For more information contact:
Carey Jernigan, vice president, re:group
734.327.6630
carey.jernigan@regroup.us

Please join us for a panel discussion on:

Benchmarking – Why It’s Important For You And Your System

Featured Panelists:

Paul Pfeiffer, Vice President of Operations – Hungry Howie’s
Taylor Bond, President – Children’s Orchard
Eric Ersher, Co-founder and President – Zoup!

50 CFE Credits Earned

To Register Click Here
Tuesday, April 10, 2012

6PM Networking and Dinner, 7PM Presentation and Discussion

Location: Hungry Howie’s Headquarters
30300 Stephenson Hwy., Suite 200, Madison Heights, MI

Our meeting location and dinner are generously provided by Hungry Howie’s.

Reprint from The List’s DailyVista

AGENCY SPOTLIGHT: re:group
CEO discusses agency’s evolution, expertise, 2012 growth goals
Feb 24, 2012

For full-service branding and communications agency re:group, what didn’t kill it made it stronger.

As the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based firm’s name implies, re:group did just that in 2001. After years of buyouts, mergers and sales, the agency bought itself out, regrouped and now uses the strength and experience it acquired during these transitions to help clients across the healthcare, franchise, insurance, retail, early childhood education, pet care and hospitality industries.

DailyVista caught up with Chief Executive Officer Janet Muhleman, who discussed re:group’s evolution and how the agency still draws insight from the almost 20 years it spent shaping Domino’s Pizza’s brand experience as it grew from 85 to 5,500 units.

Janet also touched on re:group’s recent account wins, including DTE Energy, and the firm’s plans to add digital, media, account and creative team members in the coming months. Jeremy Sell already joined re:group’s creative team as associate creative director Feb. 20.

DailyVista: re:group’s name is fitting considering what it went through as Group 243 before going out on its own in 2001. While it sounds like the agency went through some difficult times, how has overcoming these challenges helped re:group during the last decade and in the long run?

Janet Muhleman: There is an old saying that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” While some of our transitions were challenging at the time, they strengthened our team and our ability to thrive on change and to survive challenging economic times. (more…)

Ann Arbor, MI, February 24, 2012 — In response to agency growth re:group has added to its team.

Lisa DiFalco

Asia Griffin will serve as account executive. Griffin has experience working on KFC and Amerisure in earlier positions on both the agency and client side. She received her Bachelor of Arts from University of Michigan and her Master of Science, Integrated Marketing Communications from Eastern Michigan University.

Emily Doyle has been added to the media team as media planner/buyer. She has worked on the Wallside Windows, Medical Weight Loss Clinic and Star Medical accounts while at Media…Period. and Doner Advertising. Emily graduated from Specs Howard and currently attends Wayne State University.

re:group is a privately held, national, award-winning branding and full-service agency located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that provides integrated brand management, including branding, marketing, design, interactive marketing, advertising, SEO, social media, communications and media services. 

Ann Arbor, MI, February 24, 2012 — Following an extensive search that began last September, DTE Energy has selected re:group, inc. as its agency of record. Dave Whitman, director of advertising and brand communications, led the DTE Energy search team. “We were impressed by the strategy that re:group developed and the creative concepts that they shared,” said Whitman. “It was clear to us that they have a solid understanding of our communication needs.”

Janet Muhleman, president of the agency said, “It’s an exciting time to be working with DTE Energy. We are thrilled to have been selected and confident that we can help them achieve their objectives.”

DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include Detroit Edison, an electric utility serving 2.1 million customers in Southeastern Michigan, MichCon, a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan and other non-utility, energy businesses focused on gas storage and pipelines, unconventional gas production, power and industrial projects, and energy trading. Information about DTE Energy is available at dteenergy.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.

re:group is a privately held, national, award-winning marketing agency located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that provides integrated brand management, including branding, marketing, design, interactive marketing, advertising, SEO, social media, communications and media services. Learn more at www.regroup.us.

Our social media director, Taylor Hulyk is featured on Mashable.You can follow her on Twitter @taylorhulyk.

While social media can perplex a single business unit, imagine the challenges and multidimensional complications that can arise when a franchisor decides to incorporate social media into his or her integrated communications plan. Social media does not dictate an entire marketing program, but it must be approached with the same level of attention and definition as the rest of its marketing counterparts. Read the whole story on Mashable.

Tell us what you think!

Ann Arbor, MI, February 20, 2012 — Executive Creative Director of re:group, Rhonda Huie, has added Jeremy Sell to the creative team as Associate Creative Director.

Jeremy is a graduate of the Center for Creative Studies with a BFA. Since graduation he has worked at several agencies on brands including America’s Best, Detroit Zoo, Eckards Drug Stores, Odwalla, University Hospitals, May Company, Dutch Boy and Serta while at GSW Worldwide, Doner and Campbell-Ewald. When he is not at work you can most likely find Jeremy in the kitchen, as he is also a professional chef.

re:group is a privately held, national, award-winning marketing firm located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that provides integrated brand management, including branding, marketing, design, interactive marketing, advertising, SEO, social media, communications and media services.

For more information contact: Carey Jernigan or call 734-327-6630.

January 17, 2012

re:group is pleased to sponsor this event, please join us for networking, refreshments, a presentation and lively discussion.

“How to Manage System Change”

Our guest speaker is Kay Ainsley, managing director of MSA Worldwide has helped to manage a lot of system changes. Kay has over 20 years of experience in franchising as Director of Franchise Development for major franchise systems or as an advisor to companies within the retail, restaurant, services, manufacturing, and business to business industries. (more…)

Looking back over the year I am amazed at the what we and our clients have accomplished. We brought new brands to the marketplace: a new fruit and vegetable beverage called FaVe, and SignMeUp+, a running retailer customer relationship management system designed to help independent running stores compete. We helped roll out SignMeUp+ at The Running Event in Austin this month, and already 50 retailers are on board. In the franchise community, we welcomed Goldfish Swim Schools as they added their third location. It’s really great to work with entrepreneurs, to become a partner in their efforts and helping to make their vision become a reality.

For our other clients we have been able to help them compete in some challenging times. We helped HealthPlus of Michigan maximize their media spend through a value-added Tigers sponsorship and increased awareness of them in Southeast Michigan. Presbyterian Villages of Michigan worked with us to reposition the brand and develop all new collateral for their villages. Those are just a few of the clients we have worked with this year.

We have been very fortunate this year to work with some talented marketers. To all of them and you, we wish a delightful holiday season and more opportunities to work together in 2012.