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SuperGreen Solutions offers what no other business can… a thriving franchise model that takes advantage of large invoice customers, rebates and tax incentives to make a major financial impact while also working to preserve the environment by providing sustainable solutions to everyday energy needs.
SuperGreen Solutions is an industry leader, offering significant growth opportunities in a sector that has very little current brand awareness or organized competition. Achieving energy independence is one of our countries highest priorities, and yet until now, there hasn’t been a simple way to provide customers with ways to save money on their energy bills while reducing the damage to our environment. That place is now SuperGreen Solutions… a local one stop energy efficient products store that provides solutions to homeowners and all businesses, including architects, builders, hospitals, schools, and governments.
A business opportunity that makes financial sense and ecological sense as well.
The One Stop Energy Efficient Products Store
Two knowledgeable industry leaders are behind the SuperGreen Solutions Franchise.
SuperGreen Solutions offers an outstanding business opportunity that truly is environmentally friendly. From the start, you will be able to promote yourself as a reliable, credible, authority with energy efficient products as well as being a part of the world’s largest business service franchise systems. Our credibility becomes your credibility. The combined expertise of Sean’s green industry knowledge and Ray’s business and franchise acumen are the foundation of our company.
Ray Titus is a widely recognized leader in the franchise industry. He founded SIGNARAMA in 1986 with a single store in Farmingdale, New York. Since then, SIGNARAMA has grown to become the world leader in the full-service sign industry. Now, as CEO of United Franchise Group, Ray has built a $500 million dollar franchising company with multiple brands, growing to 1,400 franchise locations in more than 50 countries.
Sean Cochrane lends his years of expertise as an environmental leader with extensive knowledge about sustainability and energy efficiency. In 2011, Sean opened the flagship U.S. SuperGreen Solutions store in North Palm Beach, Florida, and quickly led it to tremendous financial success. Sean has been a major player in the sustainable energy industry for more than 18 years, building his expertise in Australia where he launched and operated a highly successful energy efficiency franchise. He won the Queensland “Small Business Champion” Award and placed second at the Australian Small Business and Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Sean holds a large number of accreditations and licenses, giving him instant name recognition in the green industry.
Sean CochranePresident
SuperGreen Solutions
Ray TitusCEOUnited Franchise Group
There’s no placesupergreen sol
efficienT LighTing
soLar PaneLs & Wind Turbines
It’s the one place to go for management products. No offers such a wide diversity, lighting, wind turbines, air & systems, solar panels, hyb and energy assessments.
else like autions store!
WaTer
cLimaTe conTroL
all your energy other retail location ranging from LED water purification rid hot water heaters
energy managemenT
Among its many commercial projects, our flagship store facilitated the installation of a 135 KW solar panel system at a car dealership. The store was able to find rebates and incentives that greatly offset the cost of the project, which is among the largest of its kind in the area.
This is a large invoice business.
SuperGreen SolutionsiPhone AppEnergy savings calculations are now right at your fingertips! With the all new SuperGreen Solutions iPhone app, your customers will be able to estimate their payback, dollar savings and carbon emission (CO2) savings if they installed energy efficient products in their homes or businesses. The download is absolutely free and serves as a powerful tool to engage your customers and show them how to offset energy costs with impactful energy solutions.
SuperGreen Solutions stores thrive on reaching a wide audience while targeting large invoice business customers. You don’t need a lot of customers to be successful, just some of the right customers. Everyone uses energy and everyone wants to save money! Showing businesses how to save money on energy, while doing the right thing for our environment is a great way to make a living.
The flagship SuperGreen Solutions store had remarkable sales growth in just its first few months of operations, cashing in on big ticket jobs. Customers were able to benefit from our vendor partnerships, rebates and incentives as well as our attractive finance programs.
Our classroom instruction covers all facets of operating your SuperGreen Solutions franchise, from business management to marketing strategies. You will learn how to promote your products, how to control supply and inventory, how to take advantage of rebates, how to manage major projects and all the details needed to stay true to our SuperGreen name.
There’s no prior experience necessary to become a SuperGreen Solutions franchisee. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to open, operate and grow your new business.
Our personal attention doesn’t end when training is over. One of our local field representatives will visit your store to set up your showroom and continue building your product knowledge and local marketing expertise in your area. You’ll receive one-on-one assistance on how to promote and develop your business. We also provide printed promotional materials and online marketing launches to give your SuperGreen Solutions an immediate presence in your community.
Comprehensive Training & Continued Support
You will learn every aspect of the business in order to run a successful SuperGreen Solutions store.
LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design)
United Franchise Group’s state-of-the-art training facility located in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Being a respected authority in your local community is one of the key success points in owning a SuperGreen Solutions franchise. Included in our training program are the associated costs in becoming a LEED associate.
Each one of our franchisees will take part in local training to add this valuable level of credibility and distinction to their business.
•You become part of a company with more than a quarter century of business franchising experience.
•You become part of a company with credible expertise in the green industry.
•This is a large invoice business!
•High rebates and tax incentives help facilitate sales.
•Our impressive support staff, resources and knowledge base are here for you.
•Brand Partnerships. We have the best brands accross every category. Judge us by the company we keep.
•Strategic Alliances with Vendors & Suppliers. As we build our franchise, our key relationships will help you gain preferred pricing.
•Savings Expertise will be taught to you so you become an industry knowledge leader.
•Advertising & marketing systems are already in place to help you maximize every sales opportunity.
•Comprehensive Training Program will teach you all aspects of running your own successful SuperGreen Solutions store.
•Location assistance. Our staff will research and provide expert site selection assistance, design the inside of your store, and set it up.
•Research & Development. Because the green and energy industries are always evolving, we are dedicated to exploring the latest cutting edge technologies and services.
•Financing Opportunities are available to help you make your dream of owning a SuperGreen Solutions store possible.
Why Choose a SuperGreen Solutions franchise?
The United Franchise Group is the global leader for Entreprenuers, consisting of a number of successful business-to-business brands and franchise development services. The company includes franchise industry giants SIGNARAMA, the world’s largest sign franchise; EmbroidMe, the world’s largest embroidery franchise; Plan Ahead Events, the world’s largest full-service event management franchise; Billboard Connection, the world’s largest out-of-home advertising franchise; and Transworld Business Advisors, a business brokerage and franchise development services firm. UFG also offers a unique range of development services that assist other franchise companies from conception to international expansion.
The talented team behind United Franchise Group, led by CEO Ray Titus, has more than 25 years of franchising experience. Their expertise is proven time and time again in the success of the brands they have worked to create. All UFG franchise brands have been awarded by Entrepreneur Magazine as leaders in their industries. In fact, SIGNARAMA was the first franchise ever to be recognized by the President of the United States, with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Presidential “E” Award for Export Excellence.
Be a part of a successful family of business opportunities!
BUSINESS LEADER, PALM BEACH COUNTYRAY TITUSPosition: Chief Executive, United Franchise Group.Personal: 48; married to Andrea;
sons Alex James, 19; Austin Roy, 17; Andrew, 14.
Education: Studied business management and communications at St. John Fischer College, Rochester, N.Y., and Florida Southern College, Lakeland.
Career highlights: Meeting President George W. Bush in the Oval Office in 2007 when SIGNARAMA won the U.S. Dept. of Commerce’s Presidential “E” Award for export excellence; opening its 1,000th location and moving into the spacious West Palm Beach office.Community involvement: The Heath
Evans Foundation, which helps victims of sexual abuse, and First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach.Hobby: Playing and coaching
basketball.By Arlene Satchell STAFF WRITERRay Titus has come a long way from
the small sign shop he founded in Farmingdale, N.Y., in 1986, when he left the family printing business to strike out on his own.Today, at 48, he’s chief executive of
United Franchise Group, a West Palm Beach firm that specializes in business-to-business franchises, including its flagship SIGNARAMA brand.UFG generated revenues of more
than $450 million in 2010, and sales are forecast to grow 15 percent to 20 percent this year.For his entrepreneurial success, Titus
was named the 2010 winner of the Sun Sentinel Co.’s Excalibur Award as Business Leader, Palm Beach County. The award was presented Thursday evening at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.
“It’s the loyalty and hard work of our people that has led to the success of the business,” Titus said.UFG has 145 employees and more
than 1,000 franchise owners.Lino DeFeo, of West Palm Beach, has been a SIGNARAMA franchisee for nearly two decades.“Their systems have worked well for
us,” DeFeo said of the training and marketing tools that SIGNARAMA provided when he bought the business in 1993.Titus sold the first SIGNARAMA
franchise in 1987 and opened a store in North Palm Beach that year to test the Florida market.In 1989, he moved SIGNARAMA’s
headquarters from New York to North Palm Beach, and over the years the brand has grown to nearly 1,000 locations worldwide. In 2004, Titus bought a new headquarters at 2121 Vista Parkway to accommodate growth.Titus credits his foray into franchising
to his father, the late Roy Titus. Roy Titus founded Minuteman Press International in 1973, and today it has more than 950 locations.Roy was a key influence in Titus’
business and personal life, and often joked about how much his son owed to him.“He’d say, ‘I taught you franchising,
taught you basketball and introduced you to your wife,’” Titus said.Titus and his wife Andrea, 47, who
once worked for his father, have been married for 22 years.Business lessons learned from his
father and Gary Rockwell, a mentor, have proven invaluable over the years.“Both were unique in work ethic…
and in the ability to get things done, and move forward in both good times and bad,” Titus said.During the recession’s “rough patch”
the company was forced to lay off staff in the face of “a lot of unknowns,” Titus said.
Although business was flat in 2010, franchise sales and franchisee volumes have slowly improved in the past six months, he said.In January, a SIGNARAMA in
Greensboro, N.C., achieved a company record with $1.2 million in monthly sales.Titus adopted the UFG banner in 2007
to better reflect the company’s growing portfolio of franchises.“It was obvious we needed to come
up with an umbrella name, when employees’ [uniforms] started looking like a billboard,” he said.The other franchise brands are
EmbroidMe, an embroidering and screen printing business; Billboard Connection, a home-based outdoor advertising agency; Plan Ahead Events, a home-based event planning business; and Transworld Business Advisors, a business brokerage firm.UFG operates solely as a franchiser
and does not own or operate any of the brands’ stores, Titus said.The West Palm Beach head office has
a training facility and mock storefronts where new franchise owners are taught essentials about their new businesses, including equipment demonstrations.Last year, Titus engineered a merger
with Fort Lauderdale’s Transworld Business Advisors to expand outside Florida. Transworld connects people with franchise opportunities and helps existing owners sell.Together, UFG’s brands account for
about 1,400 franchises in 52 countries. Last year, almost 200 new franchise locations were added.A new type of franchise – Super
Green Solutions – will open a North Palm Beach store in April. Super Green Solutions started in Australia and partnered with UFG to franchise the concept elsewhere.Products and services provided by the
eco-friendly franchise range from solar water heaters to energy management advice.At work, Titus encourages employee
development, said Jim Tatem, 45, president of SIGNARAMA, who’s worked with him for 25 years.“He’s always striving for better…
always challenging us to be better,” Tatem said.Titus also gives time and resources
to several community organizations, including Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches and the Heath Evans Foundation, a charity launches in 2006 to help children affected by sexual abuse.“He’s been a support in every area
of the foundation,” said founder Heath Evans, a West Palm Beach native and veteran fullback for the New Orleans Saints football team.“He’s a constant giver,” Evans said.
The Sun Sentinel Co.gives the ExcaliburAward to business lead-ers in South Florida whohave distinguishedthemselves and contrib-uted to the improvementof the region’s communi-ties.Each year, the Sun Sen-tinel Co. requests nomi-nations for the ExcaliburAward from the commu-nity.
In January, several pre-vious Excalibur recipientsand Sun Sentinel Co.executives selected thewinners.The nominees arejudged on:
Their ability to buildand innovatively developtheir company.Their ability to in-crease company profitsor stock value for share-holders, enhance cus-tomer service or createjobs or career opportuni-ties within their com-pany.Their contributions tothe South Florida com-munity, especially theircommitment to activelyparticipate as a leader incharitable and civicgroups.
The small businessaward honors an out-standing small businessowner who is a sole pro-prietor or who owns acontrolling interest in hisor her business.
About theaward
MorewinnersJordan Zimmermanwon the ExcaliburAward for BusinessLeader of the Year,Broward County.Money, 6D
Dwight Stephensonwas named SmallBusiness Leader of theYear, Broward County.Money, 7D
Videoonline
To see videos aboutthe 2010 honorees, goto SunSentinel.com/excaliburwinners
sunsentinel.com
Money* SUNSENTINEL.COM » SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2011 » PN
TECH, 2 WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8-9 WEATHER, 10
Ray Titus has come a long way from the small sign shop
he founded in Farmingdale, N.Y., in 1986, when he left the
family printing business to strike out on his own.
Today, at 48, he’s chief executive of United Franchise
Group, a West Palm Beach firm that specializes in
business-to-business franchises, including its flagship
Signarama brand.UFG generated revenues of more than $450 million in
2010, and sales are forecast to grow 15 percent to 20 percent
this year.For his entrepreneurial success, Titus was named the
2010 winner of the Sun Sentinel Co.’s Excalibur Award as
Business Leader, Palm Beach County. The award was
presented Thursday evening at the Boca Raton Resort &
Club.“It’s the loyalty and hard work of our people that has led
to the success of the business,” Titus said.
UFG has 145 employees and more than 1,000 franchise
owners.Lino DeFeo, of West Palm Beach, has been a Signarama
franchisee for nearly two decades.
“Their systems have worked well
for us,” DeFeo said of the training and
marketing tools that Signarama pro-
vided when he bought the business in
1993.Titus sold the first Signarama fran-
chise in 1987 and opened a store in
North Palm Beach that year to test the
Florida market.In 1989, he moved Signarama’s head-
quarters from New York to North
Palm Beach, and over the years the
brand has grown to nearly 1,000
locations worldwide. In 2004, Titus
bought a new headquarters site at 2121
Vista Parkway to accommodate
growth.Titus credits his foray into franchis-
ing to his father, the late Roy Titus.
Roy Titus founded Minuteman Press
International in 1973, and today it has
more than 950 locations.Roy was a key influence in Titus’
business and personal life, and often
joked about how much his son owed to
him.“He’d say, ‘I taught you franchising,
taught you basketball and introduced
you to your wife,’” Titus said.Titus and his wife Andrea, 47, who
once worked for his father, have been
married for 22 years.Business lessons learned from his
father and Gary Rockwell, a mentor,
have proven invaluable over the years.“Both were unique in work ethic …
and in the ability to get things done,
and move forward in both good times
and bad,” Titus said.During the recession’s “rough
patch” the company was forced to lay
off staff in the face of “a lot of
unknowns,” Titus said.Although business was flat in 2010,
BUSINESS LEADER, PALM BEACH COUNTYRAY TITUS
SCOTT FISHER/CORRESPONDENT
Position: Chief Executive, UnitedFranchise Group.
Personal: 48; married to Andrea; sons
Alex James, 19; Austin Roy, 17; Andrew,
14.
Education: Studied businessmanagement and communications at
St. John Fischer College, Rochester,
N.Y., and Florida Southern College,Lakeland.
Career highlights: Meeting President
George W. Bush in the Oval Office in
2007 when Signarama won the U.S.
Dept. of Commerce’s Presidential “E”
Award for export excellence; opening
its 1,000th location and moving into
the spacious West Palm Beach office.Community involvement: The Heath
Evans Foundation, which helpsvictims of sexual abuse, and FirstBaptist Church of West Palm Beach.Hobby: Playing and coaching
basketball.
By Arlene Satchell | STAFF WRITER
Please turn to TITUS, 6D
Movie posters and an alien figure decorate Hollywood
Media Corp.’s Boca Raton headquarters, references to
entrepreneur Laurie Silvers’ businesses, past and present.
From developing a sci-fi channel for television to a
Broadway ticket business, Silvers has spent her career
exploring new fronts in media and entertainment. Over
the years, she has been active in South Florida arts,
education and economic organizations.
For those achievements, Silvers is the 2010 winner of the
Sun Sentinel Co.’s Excalibur Award as Small Business
Leader, Palm Beach County. The award was presented
Thursday night at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.
Silvers practiced law with her husband, Mitchell
Rubenstein, in the early 1980s, and they co-founded cable’s
Sci-Fi Channel, now called SyFy, in 1989. The couple raised
$100 million to launch the channel. “We’re both visionaries,” said Silvers. But, “I’m more
practical: What’s the return on investment going to be?”
Rubenstein was ready to launch the channel, but Silvers
suggested a Gallup poll to make sure the idea was viable.
They sold the company for an undis-
closed amount in 1992.A year later, they founded Holly-
wood Media, a publicly held holding
company for entertainment business-
es. Silvers is the president; Ruben-
stein is CEO.In 2000, the couple set their sights on
the Great White Way, starting Broad-
way.com, an online ticketing business
that sold New York show tickets and
hotel packages. In December 2010,
Hollywood Media sold Broadway.com
to theater producer Key Brand Enter-
tainment for $45 million. “We felt we had to take the Broad-
way business to a particular level
where it was doing very well. To take it
to the next level would have taken an
infusion of capital,” Silvers explained.Remaining holdings include a
United Kingdom-based movie ticket
business; part of an online movie
ticket business called MovieTickets.
com; and Tekno Books, which has
published books by best-selling au-
thors including Isaac Asimov, Tom
Clancy and Scott Turow. By divesting Broadway.com, the
company can focus on the online
movie ticket business, which has
bigger growth potential, Rubenstein
said. Only one other player, Fandango,
is in the market. MovieTickets.com
also is a global business, with an
expanding presence in Latin America
and Europe, he said.The Broadway.com sale “gives us
the opportunity to take the company
into new areas,” Silvers said.The new business could be in new
media or traditional media, but it will
SMALL BUSINESS LEADER, PALM BEACH COUNTYLAURIE SILVERS
CARLINE JEAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Position: President, HollywoodMedia Corp.
Personal: 59, married to MitchellRubenstein, co-founder ofHollywood Media; three grownchildren.
Education: Bachelor’s degree,University of Miami; law degree,University of Miami.
Career highlights: Co-foundedSci-Fi Channel and HollywoodMedia; owns cable TV station in Port
St. Lucie and five radio stations onthe Treasure Coast.
Community involvement:Chairwoman of Economic Council of
Palm Beach County, 2010; serves on
boards of Kravis Center for thePerforming Arts, WPBT publicbroadcasting station and JewishFederation of Palm Beach County.Hobbies: Learning to play golf.
By Marcia Heroux Pounds | STAFF WRITER
Please turn to SILVERS, 7D
Publ
icat
ion
Date
: 04
/10/
2011
Ad N
umbe
r: In
serti
on N
umbe
r: Si
ze:
Colo
r Typ
e:
Clie
nt N
ame:
Ad
verti
ser:
Sect
ion/
Page
/Zon
e:BU
SINE
SS/D
001/
PNDe
scrip
tion:
This
E-S
heet
con
firm
s th
at th
e ad
app
eare
d in
Sun
-Sen
tinel
on
the
date
and
pag
e in
dica
ted.
You
may
not
cre
ate
deriv
ativ
e w
orks
, or i
n an
y w
ay e
xplo
it or
repu
rpos
e an
y co
nten
t dis
play
ed o
r con
tain
ed o
n th
e el
ectro
nic
tear
shee
t.
The Sun Sentinel Co.gives the ExcaliburAward to business lead-ers in South Florida whohave distinguishedthemselves and contrib-uted to the improvementof the region’s communi-ties.Each year, the Sun Sen-tinel Co. requests nomi-nations for the ExcaliburAward from the commu-nity.
In January, several pre-vious Excalibur recipientsand Sun Sentinel Co.executives selected thewinners.The nominees arejudged on:
Their ability to buildand innovatively developtheir company.Their ability to in-crease company profitsor stock value for share-holders, enhance cus-tomer service or createjobs or career opportuni-ties within their com-pany.Their contributions tothe South Florida com-munity, especially theircommitment to activelyparticipate as a leader incharitable and civicgroups.
The small businessaward honors an out-standing small businessowner who is a sole pro-prietor or who owns acontrolling interest in hisor her business.
About theaward
MorewinnersJordan Zimmermanwon the ExcaliburAward for BusinessLeader of the Year,Broward County.Money, 6D
Dwight Stephensonwas named SmallBusiness Leader of theYear, Broward County.Money, 7D
Videoonline
To see videos aboutthe 2010 honorees, goto SunSentinel.com/excaliburwinners
sunsentinel.com
Money* SUNSENTINEL.COM » SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2011 » PN
TECH, 2 WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8-9 WEATHER, 10
Ray Titus has come a long way from the small sign shop
he founded in Farmingdale, N.Y., in 1986, when he left the
family printing business to strike out on his own.
Today, at 48, he’s chief executive of United Franchise
Group, a West Palm Beach firm that specializes in
business-to-business franchises, including its flagship
Signarama brand.UFG generated revenues of more than $450 million in
2010, and sales are forecast to grow 15 percent to 20 percent
this year.For his entrepreneurial success, Titus was named the
2010 winner of the Sun Sentinel Co.’s Excalibur Award as
Business Leader, Palm Beach County. The award was
presented Thursday evening at the Boca Raton Resort &
Club.“It’s the loyalty and hard work of our people that has led
to the success of the business,” Titus said.
UFG has 145 employees and more than 1,000 franchise
owners.Lino DeFeo, of West Palm Beach, has been a Signarama
franchisee for nearly two decades.
“Their systems have worked well
for us,” DeFeo said of the training and
marketing tools that Signarama pro-
vided when he bought the business in
1993.Titus sold the first Signarama fran-
chise in 1987 and opened a store in
North Palm Beach that year to test the
Florida market.In 1989, he moved Signarama’s head-
quarters from New York to North
Palm Beach, and over the years the
brand has grown to nearly 1,000
locations worldwide. In 2004, Titus
bought a new headquarters site at 2121
Vista Parkway to accommodate
growth.Titus credits his foray into franchis-
ing to his father, the late Roy Titus.
Roy Titus founded Minuteman Press
International in 1973, and today it has
more than 950 locations.Roy was a key influence in Titus’
business and personal life, and often
joked about how much his son owed to
him.“He’d say, ‘I taught you franchising,
taught you basketball and introduced
you to your wife,’” Titus said.Titus and his wife Andrea, 47, who
once worked for his father, have been
married for 22 years.Business lessons learned from his
father and Gary Rockwell, a mentor,
have proven invaluable over the years.“Both were unique in work ethic …
and in the ability to get things done,
and move forward in both good times
and bad,” Titus said.During the recession’s “rough
patch” the company was forced to lay
off staff in the face of “a lot of
unknowns,” Titus said.Although business was flat in 2010,
BUSINESS LEADER, PALM BEACH COUNTYRAY TITUS
SCOTT FISHER/CORRESPONDENT
Position: Chief Executive, UnitedFranchise Group.
Personal: 48; married to Andrea; sons
Alex James, 19; Austin Roy, 17; Andrew,
14.
Education: Studied businessmanagement and communications at
St. John Fischer College, Rochester,
N.Y., and Florida Southern College,Lakeland.
Career highlights: Meeting President
George W. Bush in the Oval Office in
2007 when Signarama won the U.S.
Dept. of Commerce’s Presidential “E”
Award for export excellence; opening
its 1,000th location and moving into
the spacious West Palm Beach office.Community involvement: The Heath
Evans Foundation, which helpsvictims of sexual abuse, and FirstBaptist Church of West Palm Beach.Hobby: Playing and coaching
basketball.
By Arlene Satchell | STAFF WRITER
Please turn to TITUS, 6D
Movie posters and an alien figure decorate Hollywood
Media Corp.’s Boca Raton headquarters, references to
entrepreneur Laurie Silvers’ businesses, past and present.
From developing a sci-fi channel for television to a
Broadway ticket business, Silvers has spent her career
exploring new fronts in media and entertainment. Over
the years, she has been active in South Florida arts,
education and economic organizations.
For those achievements, Silvers is the 2010 winner of the
Sun Sentinel Co.’s Excalibur Award as Small Business
Leader, Palm Beach County. The award was presented
Thursday night at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.
Silvers practiced law with her husband, Mitchell
Rubenstein, in the early 1980s, and they co-founded cable’s
Sci-Fi Channel, now called SyFy, in 1989. The couple raised
$100 million to launch the channel. “We’re both visionaries,” said Silvers. But, “I’m more
practical: What’s the return on investment going to be?”
Rubenstein was ready to launch the channel, but Silvers
suggested a Gallup poll to make sure the idea was viable.
They sold the company for an undis-
closed amount in 1992.A year later, they founded Holly-
wood Media, a publicly held holding
company for entertainment business-
es. Silvers is the president; Ruben-
stein is CEO.In 2000, the couple set their sights on
the Great White Way, starting Broad-
way.com, an online ticketing business
that sold New York show tickets and
hotel packages. In December 2010,
Hollywood Media sold Broadway.com
to theater producer Key Brand Enter-
tainment for $45 million. “We felt we had to take the Broad-
way business to a particular level
where it was doing very well. To take it
to the next level would have taken an
infusion of capital,” Silvers explained.Remaining holdings include a
United Kingdom-based movie ticket
business; part of an online movie
ticket business called MovieTickets.
com; and Tekno Books, which has
published books by best-selling au-
thors including Isaac Asimov, Tom
Clancy and Scott Turow. By divesting Broadway.com, the
company can focus on the online
movie ticket business, which has
bigger growth potential, Rubenstein
said. Only one other player, Fandango,
is in the market. MovieTickets.com
also is a global business, with an
expanding presence in Latin America
and Europe, he said.The Broadway.com sale “gives us
the opportunity to take the company
into new areas,” Silvers said.The new business could be in new
media or traditional media, but it will
SMALL BUSINESS LEADER, PALM BEACH COUNTYLAURIE SILVERS
CARLINE JEAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Position: President, HollywoodMedia Corp.
Personal: 59, married to MitchellRubenstein, co-founder ofHollywood Media; three grownchildren.
Education: Bachelor’s degree,University of Miami; law degree,University of Miami.
Career highlights: Co-foundedSci-Fi Channel and HollywoodMedia; owns cable TV station in Port
St. Lucie and five radio stations onthe Treasure Coast.
Community involvement:Chairwoman of Economic Council of
Palm Beach County, 2010; serves on
boards of Kravis Center for thePerforming Arts, WPBT publicbroadcasting station and JewishFederation of Palm Beach County.Hobbies: Learning to play golf.
By Marcia Heroux Pounds | STAFF WRITER
Please turn to SILVERS, 7D
Publ
icat
ion
Date
: 04
/10/
2011
Ad N
umbe
r: In
serti
on N
umbe
r: Si
ze:
Colo
r Typ
e:
Clie
nt N
ame:
Ad
verti
ser:
Sect
ion/
Page
/Zon
e:BU
SINE
SS/D
001/
PNDe
scrip
tion:
This
E-S
heet
con
firm
s th
at th
e ad
app
eare
d in
Sun
-Sen
tinel
on
the
date
and
pag
e in
dica
ted.
You
may
not
cre
ate
deriv
ativ
e w
orks
, or i
n an
y w
ay e
xplo
it or
repu
rpos
e an
y co
nten
t dis
play
ed o
r con
tain
ed o
n th
e el
ectro
nic
tear
shee
t.
The Sun Sentinel Co.gives the ExcaliburAward to business lead-ers in South Florida whohave distinguishedthemselves and contrib-uted to the improvementof the region’s communi-ties.Each year, the Sun Sen-tinel Co. requests nomi-nations for the ExcaliburAward from the commu-nity.
In January, several pre-vious Excalibur recipientsand Sun Sentinel Co.executives selected thewinners.The nominees arejudged on:
Their ability to buildand innovatively developtheir company.Their ability to in-crease company profitsor stock value for share-holders, enhance cus-tomer service or createjobs or career opportuni-ties within their com-pany.Their contributions tothe South Florida com-munity, especially theircommitment to activelyparticipate as a leader incharitable and civicgroups.
The small businessaward honors an out-standing small businessowner who is a sole pro-prietor or who owns acontrolling interest in hisor her business.
About theaward
MorewinnersJordan Zimmermanwon the ExcaliburAward for BusinessLeader of the Year,Broward County.Money, 6D
Dwight Stephensonwas named SmallBusiness Leader of theYear, Broward County.Money, 7D
Videoonline
To see videos aboutthe 2010 honorees, goto SunSentinel.com/excaliburwinners
sunsentinel.com
Money* SUNSENTINEL.COM » SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2011 » PN
TECH, 2 WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8-9 WEATHER, 10
Ray Titus has come a long way from the small sign shop
he founded in Farmingdale, N.Y., in 1986, when he left the
family printing business to strike out on his own.
Today, at 48, he’s chief executive of United Franchise
Group, a West Palm Beach firm that specializes in
business-to-business franchises, including its flagship
Signarama brand.UFG generated revenues of more than $450 million in
2010, and sales are forecast to grow 15 percent to 20 percent
this year.For his entrepreneurial success, Titus was named the
2010 winner of the Sun Sentinel Co.’s Excalibur Award as
Business Leader, Palm Beach County. The award was
presented Thursday evening at the Boca Raton Resort &
Club.“It’s the loyalty and hard work of our people that has led
to the success of the business,” Titus said.
UFG has 145 employees and more than 1,000 franchise
owners.Lino DeFeo, of West Palm Beach, has been a Signarama
franchisee for nearly two decades.
“Their systems have worked well
for us,” DeFeo said of the training and
marketing tools that Signarama pro-
vided when he bought the business in
1993.Titus sold the first Signarama fran-
chise in 1987 and opened a store in
North Palm Beach that year to test the
Florida market.In 1989, he moved Signarama’s head-
quarters from New York to North
Palm Beach, and over the years the
brand has grown to nearly 1,000
locations worldwide. In 2004, Titus
bought a new headquarters site at 2121
Vista Parkway to accommodate
growth.Titus credits his foray into franchis-
ing to his father, the late Roy Titus.
Roy Titus founded Minuteman Press
International in 1973, and today it has
more than 950 locations.Roy was a key influence in Titus’
business and personal life, and often
joked about how much his son owed to
him.“He’d say, ‘I taught you franchising,
taught you basketball and introduced
you to your wife,’” Titus said.Titus and his wife Andrea, 47, who
once worked for his father, have been
married for 22 years.Business lessons learned from his
father and Gary Rockwell, a mentor,
have proven invaluable over the years.“Both were unique in work ethic …
and in the ability to get things done,
and move forward in both good times
and bad,” Titus said.During the recession’s “rough
patch” the company was forced to lay
off staff in the face of “a lot of
unknowns,” Titus said.Although business was flat in 2010,
BUSINESS LEADER, PALM BEACH COUNTYRAY TITUS
SCOTT FISHER/CORRESPONDENT
Position: Chief Executive, UnitedFranchise Group.
Personal: 48; married to Andrea; sons
Alex James, 19; Austin Roy, 17; Andrew,
14.
Education: Studied businessmanagement and communications at
St. John Fischer College, Rochester,
N.Y., and Florida Southern College,Lakeland.
Career highlights: Meeting President
George W. Bush in the Oval Office in
2007 when Signarama won the U.S.
Dept. of Commerce’s Presidential “E”
Award for export excellence; opening
its 1,000th location and moving into
the spacious West Palm Beach office.Community involvement: The Heath
Evans Foundation, which helpsvictims of sexual abuse, and FirstBaptist Church of West Palm Beach.Hobby: Playing and coaching
basketball.
By Arlene Satchell | STAFF WRITER
Please turn to TITUS, 6D
Movie posters and an alien figure decorate Hollywood
Media Corp.’s Boca Raton headquarters, references to
entrepreneur Laurie Silvers’ businesses, past and present.
From developing a sci-fi channel for television to a
Broadway ticket business, Silvers has spent her career
exploring new fronts in media and entertainment. Over
the years, she has been active in South Florida arts,
education and economic organizations.
For those achievements, Silvers is the 2010 winner of the
Sun Sentinel Co.’s Excalibur Award as Small Business
Leader, Palm Beach County. The award was presented
Thursday night at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.
Silvers practiced law with her husband, Mitchell
Rubenstein, in the early 1980s, and they co-founded cable’s
Sci-Fi Channel, now called SyFy, in 1989. The couple raised
$100 million to launch the channel. “We’re both visionaries,” said Silvers. But, “I’m more
practical: What’s the return on investment going to be?”
Rubenstein was ready to launch the channel, but Silvers
suggested a Gallup poll to make sure the idea was viable.
They sold the company for an undis-
closed amount in 1992.A year later, they founded Holly-
wood Media, a publicly held holding
company for entertainment business-
es. Silvers is the president; Ruben-
stein is CEO.In 2000, the couple set their sights on
the Great White Way, starting Broad-
way.com, an online ticketing business
that sold New York show tickets and
hotel packages. In December 2010,
Hollywood Media sold Broadway.com
to theater producer Key Brand Enter-
tainment for $45 million. “We felt we had to take the Broad-
way business to a particular level
where it was doing very well. To take it
to the next level would have taken an
infusion of capital,” Silvers explained.Remaining holdings include a
United Kingdom-based movie ticket
business; part of an online movie
ticket business called MovieTickets.
com; and Tekno Books, which has
published books by best-selling au-
thors including Isaac Asimov, Tom
Clancy and Scott Turow. By divesting Broadway.com, the
company can focus on the online
movie ticket business, which has
bigger growth potential, Rubenstein
said. Only one other player, Fandango,
is in the market. MovieTickets.com
also is a global business, with an
expanding presence in Latin America
and Europe, he said.The Broadway.com sale “gives us
the opportunity to take the company
into new areas,” Silvers said.The new business could be in new
media or traditional media, but it will
SMALL BUSINESS LEADER, PALM BEACH COUNTYLAURIE SILVERS
CARLINE JEAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Position: President, HollywoodMedia Corp.
Personal: 59, married to MitchellRubenstein, co-founder ofHollywood Media; three grownchildren.
Education: Bachelor’s degree,University of Miami; law degree,University of Miami.
Career highlights: Co-foundedSci-Fi Channel and HollywoodMedia; owns cable TV station in Port
St. Lucie and five radio stations onthe Treasure Coast.
Community involvement:Chairwoman of Economic Council of
Palm Beach County, 2010; serves on
boards of Kravis Center for thePerforming Arts, WPBT publicbroadcasting station and JewishFederation of Palm Beach County.Hobbies: Learning to play golf.
By Marcia Heroux Pounds | STAFF WRITER
Please turn to SILVERS, 7D
Publ
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Date
: 04
/10/
2011
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We Are Green TooThe United Franchise Group brands are committed to consciously conserving the world’s resources by using the most energy efficient products possible. We are working to help the environment and lower energy costs throughout our World Headquarters in West Palm Beach Florida as part of our commitment to conservation and the Super Green Solutions brand. Our building has undergone a complete transformation to energy efficient LED lighting for its public areas and parking lot. We’ve also incorporated solar water heating systems and solar panels.
SuperGreen Solutions is more than just a business…it’s a movement to preserve the environment, offer energy solutions and improve the future of our world for generations to come, while also creating great wealth for our successful owners. People. Planet. Profit.
We know that purchasing a franchise is an important decision and we want you to feel comfortable with our business and what we do. We hope you will speak with one of our franchising experts to have all of your questions answered and find out more about us. There is no obligation. Let’s work together to see if SuperGreen Solutions is the right opportunity for you.
Moving Forward...Your Next Step
Call us today at 1-866-899-2001 or visit us at
www.unitedfranchisegroup.com/supergreen-solutions
2121 Vista Parkway West Palm Beach, FL 33411
www.unitedfranchisegroup.com/supergreen-solutions
This brochure is an environmentally responsible product that has been printed on American made, 100% recycled paper (70% of the recycled content comes from post consumer waste.) This paper is elemental chlorine free. The printing process has been achieved using only vegetable based inks.
The logos and designs herein are the property of the corporations they represent. Their appearance here is not an indication of any endorsement of SuperGreen Solutions, but merely a representation of what products SuperGreen Solutions sells.
This advertisement is not an offer to sell a franchise. Any offer to sell this franchise will be made by a Franchise Disclosure Document and only following registration by SuperGreen Solutions in any state requiring registration prior to sale.
In California: These franchises have been registered under franchise investment law of the state of California. Such registration does not constitute approval recommendation or endorsement by the Commissioner of Corporations nor a finding by the commissioner that the information provided herein is true, complete and not misleading.
In New York: This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law.
Printed using certified paper from sustainable and well-managed forests with vegetable oil-based inks
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