Henry Mandell, 57, joins Hand & Stone with over 30 years of experience in executive-level positions in the apparel, technology licensing, entertainment and consumer products industries. Among his vast experience in entrepreneurial environments, Henry affected a turnaround as CEO at a Silicon Valley technology company, and served as President of Ed Hardy from 2006-2008, growing the brand from a 15 million dollar business to 275 million over the time that he managed the company. In 2008, Henry became a partner of a financial consulting company, stabilizing companies that were experiencing a crisis during the economic downturn. Currently, he is the general manager and CFO of U-PIC Insurance Services.
Henry grew up in New
York and received a business degree from Syracuse University in 1978. He also
received an MBA from San Jose University in 2003, earned mid-career at night.
Henry met his wife,
Sheryl, a Los Angeles native, when he moved to California to work at Twentieth
Century Fox in 1981. Before leaving the work force to take care of their two
children, Sheryl worked as a mortgage loan processor. When she returned to
work, she found her true passion in the catering business, which she has since worked
in for the past 15 years as a consultant. This experience has equipped her with
the customer service skills needed to run a Hand & Stone spa.
Henry will continue
working full time at the insurance agency, and will be charged with managing
the financial side of the business while Sheryl will be the hands-on owner of
the spa. This is the first Hand & Stone located in Los Angeles.
How did you learn
about Hand and Stone?
I decided early this year that I wanted to properly investigate
franchises so I hired a franchise broker. Based on our strengths, interests and
financial expectations, he pitched various opportunities to us, including Hand
& Stone. My wife was interested in
the concept and felt that her skills would be transferrable on the customer
service side. I saw it as a growing company in a market experiencing strong growth.
It’s a business that can’t be outsourced or made obsolete by technology.
Why is it poised
for success in LA?
People in LA are concerned about health, wellness,
looking and feeling good. There’s a strong demographic in Porter Ranch area in
terms of its income and population, while the psychographic profile matches
perfectly with the target market for Hand & Stone. It’s a mature area where
there are longtime home owners, it’s an upper middle class area, and there is
disposable income. We’ve already received strong feedback from people in the
neighborhood and have sold memberships pre-opening.
What are your development
plans? End goal?
We will be developing three franchises, with the first in
Porter Ranch, in the north San Fernando Valley and then two more over the next
three years. We have the East Ventura County and West San Fernando Valley
territories.
How many jobs will
you be adding to the area?
I will be adding at least 10 jobs initially, and
eventually getting up to at least 50. I plan to be a job creator.
0 comments:
Post a Comment