As the CEO of Franchise Founders, Matt leads the franchise incubator that builds and invests in start-up brands and emerging franchisors. With a talented team with over 70+ years of combined franchise experience, Matt oversees Franchise Founders’ proven franchise process including branding, marketing, real estate development, training, and location opening. Matt is currently bringing four innovative franchise brands to market: Bobby Chez Gourmet To Go, Patriot Broadband, Frankie Salons, and Sparklean. Previously, Matt was the founder and CEO of Wing Zone. Matt and his partner successfully opened six Wing Zone restaurants in major college markets from 1995-2000. As the visionary of Wing Zone and building a global brand, Matt launched the Wing Zone Franchise System in 2000. As CEO of Wing Zone, Matt led a talented team to successfully open over 150 restaurants throughout the US and six countries. In late 2020, Matt sold a majority interest in Wing Zone. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at Wing Zone.

Previously, Rick Timmons was a marketing executive in the cellular phone business for 15 years with Motorola, British Telecom and Voda. Then, Rick relocated to the Salt Lake City area and he and his brothers decided to become Sonic Drive-in franchisees. Rick oversaw the Sonic franchise organization and expanded the business along with his brothers to 21 locations. They were recognized as the Sonic National Turnaround Operator of the Year in 2012. Rick and his brothers sold their Sonic business in late 2021 after navigating the pandemic and managing through significant sales growth and challenging staffing. In mid 2020, Rick and his business partners developed the concept for Flake Pie Company and opened their first location in South Jordan, Utah in November of 2020 followed by a second location in St. George, Utah in early 2022. This was truly a group effort with partners, spouses and children involved in branding, recipe development, menu design, social media, etc.