ALMetro360

Georgia Tech and studied Man- agement. Later, I obtained my MBA from Auburn University. It was during our under- graduate years that Cassie and I were introduced on a blind date. We've been married now going on 10 years. Initially, we resided in Auburn while Cassie finished her phar- macy degree. It was during this time that we fell in love with Chicken Salad Chick. I would routinely pick up dinner for us on my way home 1-2 times per week. We've always loved chicken salad and we sincerely believed we had found the very best. In 2012, after Cassie graduated from pharmacy school, she ac- cepted a position which brought us to Montgomery. The moved forced me to leave my supply chain management position within a Fortune 500 company. Despite applying to dozens of positions, my job search ran dry. This caused us to explore other options. One weekend, we were in Auburn for a football game when we visited our favorite restaurant. While we were waiting for our chicken salad, we noticed a small sign announcing franchise op- portunities. Given the lack of my cur- rent prospects, we viewed this as a very serendipitous moment. I had al- ways dreamed of running my own business and we definitely believed in the product. Af- ter a short discus- sion, we decided we had to learn more about this potential opportu- nity. After a few phone calls, we had a meeting with the founders, Kevin and Stacy Brown. We spent the day with them discussing their vision for the brand and of course sampling plenty of chicken salad! We were blown away by the their drive and com- mitment to achieve some ambitious, yet reachable goals. But, more than this, we felt like our morals and values were aligned. After much prayer, careful consideration, and consultation with our support network, we decided to take a leap of faith. 22 AL/ Metro 360 www.almetro360.com Photos by George Pudzis