Jim Howe brings over 30 years experience in franchising, both as a franchisee and a franchisor, to his role as President of FASTSIGNS®. Jim leads the growth of the FASTSIGNS brand and is dedicated to increasing franchisee profitability and satisfaction through effective leadership, innovation, new revenue streams, and operational efficiencies, as well as driving growth in the number of franchise locations. To accomplish this, he is focused on franchisee/franchisor collaboration, sharing best practices, and optimizing processes, as well as deepening customer relationships to bring the brand promise to life.
Prior to this role, Jim was Brand President for NerdsToGo®, for over 3 years, where he helped transition the brand from B2C to B2B, creating new relationships with vendors, systems, and processes around being a managed service provider.
Before that, Jim was with the FASTSIGNS International team for 11 years, where he last served as Vice President of Franchise Support and also held several other leadership roles. In the Vice President role, he led the Franchise Support, Sales Development, Training and New Center Opening Support departments, as well as executing planning for all company events. He has also held his CFE (Certified Franchise Executive) designation for over 8 years.
Jim’s prior franchisor experience includes The Coffee Beanery and national candle retailer, WnS, Inc. Jim was also a Hallmark franchisee, and he and his wife are currently franchisees of Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming. His wife Shelley and their son Trevor operate the Woof Gang franchise.
Howe is truly passionate about and understands franchising, which includes the importance of effective systems, possessing a deep focus on franchisee profitability, and working to build strong relationships with franchisees through open, two-way communication. He believes in delivering well-thought-out programs to help the network grow its profitable sales. In addition, Jim has previously been a speaker as well as roundtable facilitator for the International Franchise Association’s Annual Convention. Jim has also previously served on the IFA Convention Committee.
“Jim’s leadership acumen was evident in his previous roles at FASTSIGNS, but it’s his passion for the franchising industry, franchisee support and brand excellence that I am most excited to experience again,” shares Carmen Ruiz, franchisee with FASTSIGNS® of Daytona Beach, Florida. “It’s evident why the amount of enthusiasm over Jim’s return to the brand is overwhelmingly positive. Jim is a well-rounded leader who truly cares and gets work done, and he’s the right choice to take FASTSIGNS into the future.”
“Jim is a down-to-earth leader with excellent vision, who thoroughly understands the franchise world,” says Chris Farr, franchisee with FASTSIGNS® of Conroe, Texas. “He genuinely cares about our success, and he fosters a culture of performance. Jim has inspired and motivated us on our FASTSIGNS journey!”
