Edible Arrangements® honors top performing franchisees at eighth annual convention

WALLINGFORD, Conn., Sept. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ron and Lori Taylor of Youngstown, Ohio, were named North America Franchisees of the Year, while Emre Aydin of Istanbul, Turkey, was named International Franchisee of the Year, and Ron and Cecilia Bolar of Dallas, Texas, received the President's Award as Edible Arrangements^® CEO Tariq Farid recently recognized top performing franchisees during the company's eighth annual international convention at the ARIA Resort in Las Vegas.

The company's top awards went to:

• North America Franchisee of the Year -- Ron and Lori Taylor of Youngstown, Ohio. The Taylors own five Edible Arrangements^® fruit bouquet franchise stores in Youngstown, Fairlawn and Stow, Ohio; Morgantown, W. Va.; and Hermitage, Pa.
• International Franchisee of the Year -- Emre Aydin is the Master Franchise Partner in Istanbul, Turkey.
• President's Award -- Ron and Cecilia Bolar of Dallas, Texas, received the award personally created by Farid to recognize recipients who are true evangelists for the brand on a daily basis. The Bolars have franchise stores in Tyler, Cedar Hill, Mansfield and Fort Worth, Texas.
• WOW Award -- Ben and Amanda Hiner of Louisville, Ky., received the prestigious award recognizing a franchise partner that continually WOW's guests and the corporate office. The Hiners own five Louisville franchise stores and another in Clarksville, Ind.
• Manager of the Year -- Shakera Brown of Youngstown, Ohio. Brown manages franchise stores in Youngstown and Hermitage, Pa.

"The growth and success of Edible Arrangements^® would not be possible without our dedicated and passionate franchise partners," Farid said. "It seems that every year our partners find ways to outdo their previous accomplishments with impressive guest service and delivery of the highest quality products. It is an honor to recognize those that have excelled over the past year, but it is really a testament to the strength of our network. Many of these decisions were very difficult, as numerous franchise partners were considered in each category."

Edible Arrangements also presented its signature Pineapple Star award recognizing single-store and multi-unit operators from regions across the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong.

Pineapple Star winners included:

• Mid-Atlantic -- Emily Mallery of Cranberry Township and Philadelphia, Pa.
• Northeast -- Patricia and Rich Lauria of Rochester, Greece and Webster, N.Y.
• Midwest -- John and Lori Gordon of Granger and South Bend, Ind.
• Southeast -- Jennifer Palma of Fort Myers, North Fort Myers and Bonita Springs, Fla.
• Central -- Kelly and Matthew Best of Lees Summit and Independence, Mo.
• West -- Christina Flores and Angel Navarro of Los Angeles and Chino, Calif.
• International -- Sanja Dujic and Drazen Tomovic of Hong Kong.
• Canada -- Shelley and Richard Lloyd of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Edible Arrangements also recognized top operators with awards in categories ranging from marketing to guest service to sales performance. Those recipients included:

• Outstanding My Store Marketing -- Heather and Paul Kessler of Provo, Utah
• Best Multi-Unit Owner -- Matt Adkins and Mike Lonsway of Lakewood, Lyndhurst, Brunswick, Avon and Middleburg Heights, Ohio.
• Edible Idea Award -- David Dulong of Londonderry and Nashua, N.H.
• Rookie of the Year -- Chaz and Julie Wolfe of Lenexa and Overland Park, Kan.
• Highest Sales: Under 24 Months -- Limor and Sylvia Uziel of Howard Beach, N.Y.
• Highest Sales: 24-36 Months -- Rushi, Rita and Vijay Sukharamwala and Shreya Patel of Philadelphia, Pa.
• Highest Sales: 36+ Months -- Robert Mignosi and Moses Zambrano of Philadelphia, Pa.
• Highest Sales: Mother's Day -- Ibrahim and Hashim Choudhry of Moreno Valley, Calif.
• Highest Sales: Valentine's Day -- Robert Mignosi and Moses Zambrano of Philadelphia, Pa.
• Guest Service -- Rommel D'souza of Barrie, Ontario.
• Vendor of the Year -- The Buhl Press Inc., Berkeley, Ill.

About Edible Arrangements^®
With over 1,100 franchise locations open or under development worldwide, Edible Arrangements International, LLC is the leading purveyor of delicious, high quality, artistically designed, fresh fruit arrangements that are delightful and healthy gifts and centerpieces for everyday occasions and events. Brothers Tariq and Kamran Farid developed and launched the company in 1999 in East Haven, Conn., after many years in the floral industry. The company has been recognized as an industry leader since its inception, including ranking first in its category in Entrepreneur magazine's annual "Franchise 500" for the past six years and also placing in Entrepreneur's Top 40 of "Fastest Growing Franchises" and "America's Top Global Franchises." Edible Arrangements^® was named one of the Top 5 Businesses in Connecticut by Inc. magazine's first Hire Power Awards in 2012 and has also ranked on the "Inc. 5000" list of the fastest growing privately-held companies for eight consecutive years. The company was recently recognized as one of the "Top 100 Internet Retailers" by Internet Retailer magazine and was also named as one of 1851's "Top 100 Social Franchises." Guests may order arrangements by telephone at 1-877-DO-FRUIT, at one of the company's retail stores, or online at EdibleArrangements.com. EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS^® and other trademarks noted are registered trademarks of Edible Arrangements, LLC.

SOURCE Edible Arrangements