Thompson Was Attracted to the Franchisor’s Culture and Value Proposition
Unleashed Brands, an umbrella franchisor of youth-centric franchises, named Scott Thompson president of Premier Martial Arts (PMA). Thompson will help grow the martial arts franchise, which offers karate, krav maga, and kickboxing programs. He brings more than two decades of franchise experience to the new position. Other franchises under the Unleashed Brands umbrella are Urban Air Adventure Park, The Little Gym, Snapology, Class 101, and XP League.
As a parent, Thompson appreciates the values that PMA instills in kids. “I love PMA because we teach kids self-confidence, self-control, self-defense, and self-discipline. I have an 8-year-old son, Miles, and my wife, Elana, and I are instilling these values in him,” Thompson said.
He believes that Unleashed Brands is positioned to be the dominant leader in the child enrichment space and looks forward to meeting all of the PMA franchisees and helping them achieve their personal goals.
The leadership team at Unleashed Brands is excited to welcome Thompson. “Scott’s vast experience in almost every aspect of franchising, including youth enrichment, is extremely powerful as we lead Premier Martial Arts into the future,” said Michael O. Browning, Jr., founder and CEO of Unleashed Brands. “We are eager for him to dive in as a franchisee advocate who will help us fulfill the promise of this incredible brand.”
Thompson’s Franchising Journey
Thompson’s franchising experience began when he worked at Wendy’s and Pizza Hut as a teenager. He bought his first Fitness Together franchise in Denver, Colo., when he was 22. During his time with the personal fitness franchisor, Thompson was a multi-unit franchisee and area developer. Prior to joining Unleashed Brands, he was the managing director of Level 5 Capital Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm with a portfolio of franchises including Big Blue Swim School, Heyday, Restore Hyper Wellness, GoDog, KidStrong, and 2ULaundry. Thompson held leadership positions with Tutor Doctor and Premium Franchise Brands, now called Empower Brands.
A piece of advice Thompson offers people exploring franchise ownership is to surround themselves with a good support system and embrace the journey. He added that they should always learn and innovateto continue success.
About Premier Martial Arts
PMA was founded in 2004 to help kids learn how to defend themselves and build character. The martial arts brand began franchising in 2018 and has over 260 locations globally, according to a press release.