Pictured above, from left to right, United Franchise Group CEO, Ray Titus; J.J. Prendamano Scholarship recipient, Kyle McFadden; Signarama President, A.J. Titus.
Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Titus Center for Franchising has awarded its first-ever three scholarships. Each of the $2,500 scholarships went to students enrolled in the university’s Rinker School of Business. All of them posted a minimum 3.0 G.P.A. and have shown a commitment to the university’s core values, which include community service. The two undergraduates receiving scholarships met the additional qualification of opting for a concentration in franchising along with their majors.
The scholarships and their recipients are:
- J.J. Prendamano Scholarship – Kyle McFadden of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He is a junior majoring in finance; recipients of this scholarship must be sophomores, juniors, or seniors and must put others first in a Christ-like way. Preference is given to students engaged in multiple areas of student life such as student government or campus organizations. This scholarship is named for JJ Prendamano, who was the general manager at United Franchise Group for over 25 years.
- Seiber Family Scholarship – Katrina Wynne of West Palm Beach, Florida. She is a senior majoring in marketing. To qualify for the scholarship, a student must be a junior or senior, and preference is given to business, marketing, or finance majors. Additional requirements: The student must have completed the principles of franchising course and show an interest in working as a franchise executive or supplier to the franchise community. The scholarship was established by Geoff Seiber, CEO and founder of FranFund®, and his wife, Sherri, FranFund’s COO. “We are thrilled to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders across all sectors in franchising,” says Geoff Seiber.
Pictured above, from left to right, FranFund COO, Sheri Seiber; Seiber Family Scholarship recipient, Katrina Wynne; FranFund CEO, Geoff Seiber.
Don Dwyer, Sr. Scholarship – Matthew “Red” Boswell of Plano, Texas. He is a graduate student working toward an MBA with a concentration in franchising. This scholarship goes to an undergrad (sophomore or later) or grad student meeting certain course-completion requirements. Preference is given to students engaged in multiple campus activities. The student also must put others first in a Christ-like way. The late Don Dwyer, Sr. was founder of The Dwyer Group, which is now known as Neighborly®.
Matthew “Red” Boswell, the Don Dwyer, Sr. Scholarship recipient poses with franchise leader Dina Dwyer Owens.
Boswell, the Dwyer scholarship recipient, is familiar to many in the business world. He has 25-plus years of executive leadership in franchising, marketing, and entrepreneurship and is president of the International Franchise Professionals Group (IFPG). He chuckles over being in the MBA program with other students “half my age,” but emphasizes the importance of in-depth education in the franchise industry – the need for knowledge about “lending and real estate and accounting and attorneys – the whole industry. The bar keeps being raised.”
These endowed scholarships, which are awarded exclusively to Titus Center students, were set up by the founders of FranFund, United Franchise Group, and Neighborly. FranFund creates funding programs and operations that specifically address the needs and challenges of franchise and small business financing. United Franchise Group consists of award-winning brands and franchise development services; it provides specialized research, knowledge, and planning to determine the best structure for franchising a concept or business. Neighborly, founded in 1981 as Dwyer Group, is a parent company of 27 home-service brands (20 of them franchise brands) and more than 4,300 franchises in nine countries.
The Titus Center for Franchising at Palm Beach Atlantic University is the only academic center of its kind in Florida. It offers academic courses, internships, job shadowing, and training at area franchises, including the global headquarters of United Franchise Group in West Palm Beach. Based in the Marshall E. Rinker Sr. School of Business, the Titus Center was established in 2016 through a gift from Ray Titus, founder and CEO of United Franchise Group.
Palm Beach Atlantic University (www.pba.edu) is an independent, private school that offers undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees in West Palm Beach, Orlando, and online. It integrates Christian principles into an education that prepares students for service, leadership, and lifelong learning.