Ziebart International Corporation has recently announced that Larisa Walega, vice president of marketing, has been featured in Entrepreneur’s 50 Franchise CMOs Who Are Changing the Game.
In addition, the automotive appearance and protection services company announced their spot on Entrepreneur’s 2022 Top 150 Franchises for Veterans, listed as number 18 out of 150 brands.
To celebrate the top marketing officers of the year, Entrepreneur selected a list of the most influential men and women in the franchising industry who are representative of the all-important CMO role. The list reflects the strongest marketing executives within franchise corporations who have helped their brands develop significantly.
Having worked at Ziebart for over 13 years, Walega has always been involved in the marketing side of the business. Starting as an advertising and local store promotions manager, she worked her way up to become the VP of marketing. One of her main philosophies when approaching marketing for Ziebart is having a customer-centered mindset.
“It’s important to truly understand our customers, and be their voice at the leadership table,” said Walega. “Understanding every group’s needs across all avenues of the business is essential to be able to drive results that have a genuine impact.”
The company says it recognizes what it takes to be more than a brand. They take pride in being a welcoming opportunity for anyone looking to diversify their business portfolio. The company says it has earned these recognitions through their community-oriented philosophies, passion for people, and determination to exceed expectations.
“Nothing is more important to us than the impact that we have not just on customers, but our franchisees and their locations,” said Thomas A. Wolfe, president and CEO of Ziebart International Corporation. “Comfort and stability are essential when it comes to building a prosperous business model, and every functioning piece within needs to feel supported and recognized. At Ziebart we understand that we are not just in the automotive business, we’re also in the people business.”
This year, nearly 500 companies applied to be considered for Entrepreneur’s annual ranking of the top franchises for veterans. To determine this year’s top 150 from that pool, the editors evaluated their systems based on several factors, including the incentives they offer veterans (such as waiving the franchise fee), how many of their units are owned by veterans currently, whether they offer any franchise giveaways or contests for veterans, and more. The editors also considered each company’s 2022 Franchise 500 score, based on an analysis of 150-plus data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.
