Fun Bus: Fitness for Kids, the fast-growing franchise that uses school buses filled with exercise equipment to get America’s kids up and moving, today named Felicia Murphy its “Franchisee of the Year” for 2008. Murphy, a 43-year-old mother of two based in Indian Trail, N.C., won the award for her passionate efforts to bring fitness education to kids across the south Charlotte and Union County areas, said Fun Bus co-founder Kari Denton.
“Felicia is a trailblazer,” Denton said. “Since launching her franchise in 2006, she has earned a tremendous reputation for being a consummate professional who loves kids and is passionate about teaching them that exercise is both healthy and fun. Her efforts came to fruition as word of mouth about her business took off among nursery school and childcare operators, and parents planning birthday parties.”
Murphy, who continues to work as a licensed real estate broker, moved to Union County from Connecticut in 2000 for a different lifestyle for her family. Along the way, she began to search for a business to run on a part-time basis, ultimately selecting Fun Bus. After successfully completing the New Jersey-based company’s safety and business-management training courses, she hit the road in a refurbished bus filled with safety-certified equipment such as barrels, tumbling mats, swings, climbing ropes and balance beams. With her husband, Brack, driving the bus, Murphy then set about bringing the concept to Charlotte’s nursery school operators, daycare owners and parents, all of whom responded to the idea of a fun, affordable and climate-controlled gym for vehicle-infatuated two- to seven-year-olds. More.