North County Times:
Mimi Zeller, the new CEO of restaurant franchise Submarina, isn’t afraid to go the extra mile.
In 1990, when Zeller landed her first job as a franchise operations director at Domino’s Pizza, her commute took her 110 miles up the California coastline —- one way. She spent so much time talking on her cell phone that the resulting neck injury took 15 months of physical therapy to heal.
But the job taught her a skill that would define her career.
“I have to give Domino’s a lot of credit,” Zeller said. “That’s really where I felt I learned franchising.”
On Aug. 24 the board of privately-held Submarina, Inc. named Zeller their new chief executive following a change of ownership at the company.
Lynn Lowder, the company’s new chief operating officer, gave his boss high marks.
“Franchising is a different model; I’d say you have control, but you don’t have total control,” Lowder said. “You really have to work with positive leadership of the highest order if it’s going to work.”
Lowder said Zeller’s secret to success was a willingness to always reach out to franchisees, and keep an open-door policy no matter how big the company grows.
“It’s so old-fashioned it’s cutting-edge,” he said.