JuiceBlendz International

This article appeared in The Herald on November 19th, 2007

Matchmakers: Franchise Expo South links franchises, investors

by Jim Wyss

If you've ever dreamed of feasting on a buffet of business ideas, you may want to visit the Miami Beach Convention center over the next three days. Inside, more than 140 franchises -- from fast food to hot-wax hair-removal outfits -- will be trying to catch the eye of hungry investors.

Adam Ogden is hoping he can reel in some of the 10,000 visitors expected at the event, Franchise Expo South, using free smoothies as bait. The 30-year-old is the owner of Juiceblendz, a Weston-based company that makes high-end mixes of fruit juices.

With outlets in Boca Raton, Weston and Suniland Plaza in Pinecrest -- and another 17 under development -- Ogden said he decided to attend the event -- the company's first trade show -- to scout out buyers who might help him reach his goal of opening 50 outlets by 2009.

"One of our biggest challenges is to find qualified franchisees,'' said Ogden, who said investors need between $219,000 and $350,000 to open a Juiceblendz outlet."

"The benefit of this show is that people are coming from all over the world and many of them are coming to buy," he said. "They know what they want."

The International Franchise Association, which is organizing the event, said it chose Miami Beach because it is a regional and international hub.

"We think that the southeast market of the U.S. is one with terrific growth potential," said IFA President Matthew Shay. "And increasingly we are seeing franchising embraced as a business model from countries around the world."

Shay said he was expecting many investors from Latin America at the event, which will also feature a series of free seminars in English and Spanish about choosing and running a franchise.

Franchise Expo South comes at a time when the entire industry is booming. According to FranData, which studies the sector, there are more than 2,000 active franchise concepts in the United States. Between 2003 and 2005, about 900 new ideas were launched.