The Former Neighborly Executive Empowers Entrepreneurs to Enrich Children’s Lives
Former Neighborly Brands executive Jon Shell has joined Unleashed Brands as its new chief financial officer. Unleashed Brands is an umbrella company of youth enrichment franchises including Urban Air Adventure Park, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Class 101, Premier Martial Arts and Sylvan Learning. Shell brings more than two decades of franchise finance and strategic leadership experience to the position. He succeeds outgoing CFO Scott Perry who is entering semi-retirement and will assist Shell with the transition.
Shell said his initial exposure to Unleashed Brands was as a consumer bringing his children to Urban Air, The Little Gym and Premier Martial Arts. “I also had a sense of the business through various interactions with the executive team over the years,” he said. “Helping Unleashed Brands accelerate its mission of helping kids learn, play and grow excites me.”
Michael Browning Jr., founder and CEO of Unleashed Brands, said he is excited to welcome Shell. “He brings with him a unique combination of franchise platform experience, [mergers and acquisitions] prowess, financial aptitude and strong leadership skills that will be extremely valuable as we enter our next phase of growth,” Browning said.
Fostering Franchise Growth
Shell’s background includes serving for almost a decade as CFO for Neighborly, formerly the Dwyer Group, a large home services company. In that role, he oversaw a portfolio of 30-plus franchise brands and 5,500 locations and worked to foster franchisee growth and improve customer experiences. He also has served as CFO for Smokey Bones, performance improvement advisor for Sun Capital Partners Inc. and treasurer for Raytech.
Shell recalled how the late Neighborly President and CEO Mike Bidwell provided mentorship and helped cultivate his appreciation for franchising “He walked me through each of the brands they owned and the various opportunities to grow each,” Shell said. “I was absolutely blown away by the economics for the franchisor and the opportunities for the franchise business owners to build wealth for themselves and impact their local communities.”
About Unleashed Brands
Unleashed Brands was founded in 2021 to curate a portfolio of innovative and profitable franchise brands that help kids grow and thrive. Franchise owners also can improve their communities with proven business models and expert guidance from an experienced leadership team.
