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Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Ex-Marine has a good idea: Give away the franchise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The idea clicked while he was watching CNN. It was a story about war in the Middle East.
Joe Lindenmayer knows what it’s like to be in the U.S. military. He was a corporal in the Marines from 1989 to 1996. He saw duty in Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War.
“My oldest brother and I were both over there,” said Lindenmayer, president and co-owner of TSS Photography, a youth sports photography firm based in Duluth.
So Lindenmayer has lived the soldier’s life. They leave jobs, careers, and loved ones behind. Then, when they step back into the civilian world, they need jobs. What they trained for and did in the military may not transfer into the marketplace. Skills may not match opportunities. Some may need a hand re-establishing themselves.
Lindenmayer came up with a way to give at least one retired or honorably discharged soldier a leg up. He wanted his firm, a 225-outlet chain, to sponsor a franchise giveaway. Only this contest would be confined to military veterans.
He pitched the idea to other TSS execs.
They embraced it. The rest, as they say, is history.
Early this month, Andrew Stockglausner, a Southern Californian and ex-Marine, claimed the prize: A franchise package valued at $30,000. It includes equipment, training and promotional support.
And it’s gratis.
To understand the roots of Lindenmayer’s philanthropy, you have to know a little about the family and something about his company pillars.
He grew up on a farm in upstate New York, one of seven kids. Military ties run deep.
Dad served in the Army during the Korean War. Joe and an older brother are ex-Marines. Two other brothers were in the Army and another sibling is in the Navy.
TSS Photography, also known as The Sports Section, embraces community. The company mission statement stresses the importance of making communities better. And it recently donated nearly $70,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Military veterans who entered the franchise giveaway contest had to talk about community in their essays. They had to explain their dedication, involvement and outline charitable causes.
“There’s about 20 million veterans in the U.S. right now,” Lindenmayer told me. “That’s a huge population. A lot of them come out of the military with the leadership, courage and discipline to mold into a career. They aren’t looking for something free. They just want a start.
“And these men and women have earned it.”
TSS doesn’t plan to host a franchise giveaway every year. Lindenmayer doesn’t want the contest to become trite or for it to be marginalized into a publicity stunt.
“I would love to do it in another five to 10 years,” he said.
But this ex-Marine would love for a dozen or so of the corporations located in Gwinnett to assist a vet. One example: Give a newly hired veteran vacation based on his years of military service.
You don’t have to give away a franchise to recognize their sacrifices for us.
