In this episode recorded in June of 2018, we interview Jeff Burroughs. Jeff Burroughs is a Team Leader (Franchisee) of 19 Sport Clips locations in the Mid Atlantic Region and was recently awarded "Heart of a Champion". In this episode, he discusses owning locations with his wife, Robyn, successful marketing efforts and his involvement in Sport Clips related charitable causes.
| Episode Air Date |
Guest Name |
Guest Title |
Topic(s) |
| August 22, 2018 |
Jeff Burroughs |
Team Leader |
Learning to successfully market and find opportunities to impact the local communities |
Each episode of the Podcast is also available on iTunes and the Google Play store.
Transcription:
Chad Jordan: Hey everybody, this is Chad Jordan, director of marketing for digital services at Sport Clips, and this is our next episode of our Sport Clips Hall of Fame podcast. I'm, again, joined today, who do I have with me?
Jeff Burroughs: This is Jeff Burroughs, team leader in Maryland, and southern Delaware.
Chad Jordan: All right. We've already done one podcast with Jeff. We've celebrated the success of that. We had our Mountain Dew, we're recharged and revamped. We knew we'd have so much content that we couldn't bang it all out in one episode, so we decided that we would record two, so we're going to continue with the conversation with Jeff that we had earlier, and, as I mentioned towards the end of the last podcast, we're going to focus a little differently than what we were, on the first episode. We're going to focus, this time, on the dynamic between he and Robin. Robin is his wife, though I mistake her for your daughter every time.
Jeff Burroughs: There you go.
Chad Jordan: Glad you corrected me that you do not have any daughters. The dynamic of a husband, wife combo, and how that works, especially in franchising, and their roles. We're also going to talk about his efforts in marketing, what he does for his stores, and how he makes them so successful through marketing efforts. And then we're also going to talk about, Jeff has been awarded our Heart of a Champion for his activities in the communities. So, I want to talk and explore that a little bit as well. So, that's what we're gong to cover today, so, yeah, back to Robin-
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah-
Chad Jordan: In the first podcast you had mentioned that you kicked the tires on the idea of maybe going in to business with other family members, and it just didn't feel right, and then you and Robin decided that it would be a good venture for you guys to go in together. Can you lead me through that discussion? How you guys ... I think you said you had to sell her in the idea?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah, yeah, I had to bring out my sales techniques from the car business and try to sell her on the fact that this was the direction we were going to go. Robin is a very cautious person.
Chad Jordan: There always is in a marriage, right? One is a risk taker-
Jeff Burroughs: You have to have one, you know, and I think that's what makes it work so well.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: And there was some, I would say, it was just positive reinforcement that this was the right choice. I think, definitely, the easy part was she trusted me, that I had done the investigation on the brand and what it was about, but then, selling her on everything that I had learned, and that this could be something that we could diversify. At that point, you know, she was about 10 years left with Verizon, the phone company, as a cable splicer, outside, driving a bucket truck and climbing telephone poles. And I'm in the car business looking for something different to diversify income because we had gone through the peaks and valleys, as we all know, with the recession and everything, and you know, we were being protective of having that income there, for our son, who wanted to go to college, wanted to play sports in college-
Chad Jordan: He's an athlete
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah, and, you know, not everybody's going to get the big scholarship, so we wanted to be prepared. And, so we sat, and we chatted and, eventually, there was a decision, and the decision was, we'll do three, that's good, okay, this is good, and I got to that point.
Chad Jordan: Three's the minimum, right? You had to start with three?
Jeff Burroughs: Right, at that point, you know, Sport Clips was sold in three-packs and so, a three-pack is three licenses in a designated area, for Sport Clips, and that was the agreement. I kind of pushed the agreement as we have gone along a little bit, so, I continue exercising my sales skills, and-
Chad Jordan: Keeping them sharp?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah. And they work, but I will tell you, and the reason I think it's become easier and easier to sell her on pushing the bar and growing is because she has 100 percent fallen in love with the brand, the people, the values, and what it is about, and it has given us a direction to, one, for me to step out of corporate America-
Chad Jordan: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Jeff Burroughs: And step away from the auto industry, totally. Two, it has given her the availability to retire, also. You know, she's at an age that people have to make a decision, can they live with the same ... at the same level when they retire, because they are at a younger age, and when we met with a wealth management person at the point when she was looking to retire, and he looked at her and he said, unless you have something else going on, you probably can't retire right now. Well, then we filled him in on Sport Clips and he said, I think you'll be okay.
Chad Jordan: Yeah, you got something going on all right.
Jeff Burroughs: Okay, and so, that made a huge difference and now she's gone from Verizon and she is fully in with Sport Clips a hundred percent, and you know, and it's kind of made it ... There's been challenges, because when you go, when you're the one spouse who's probably running 90 percent of things on the day to day activity with 10 to 20 percent support, because, you know, she still had her regular job to focus on. Now, you come in and you're truly, trying to divvy up 50, 50, there's going to be little challenges, but it's a breath of fresh air.
Chad Jordan: And I want to talk about her role, and especially the one that's she's growing in to, right now, but before I get there, in those early days, and we're talking 2009, 2010, were there ever any I told you so moments where she's kind of going, this is, I'm not sure this is going work. Were there, and if so, how did you manage to get through that?
Jeff Burroughs: You know, there's been those moments where I told you so, maybe, if we gave an employee a second chance, you know, I'm a believer in life that people, if they show positive direction ... Sometimes, there's a worthiness of a second chance. Sometimes I'll hear it on that and it just doesn't work out, you know, I told you so-
Chad Jordan: Right, right-
Jeff Burroughs: Or if you've taken a direction and purchased a store, and you over-promoted it a little bit, you know, trying to say that this was the right way to go, and you'll hear a little, told you so.
Chad Jordan: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Jeff Burroughs: But, I'll tell you, you'll only hear it every once in a while and, maybe, sometimes in a joking form. And the reason why is the system that we're involved with, guides us in a way that I don't have to worry about that too much. There's going to be a few, there's going to be a few, and I think it's also, sometimes it's bought out as a fun game, more than a real, real issue.
Chad Jordan: Yeah, and the trick is, this isn't autopilot.
Jeff Burroughs: No.
Chad Jordan: You follow a system, but it's not like, you know, set it, and forget it-
Jeff Burroughs: Right. This is not one of those concepts that you buy in and they print money for you.
Chad Jordan: Right
Jeff Burroughs: You know, you get what you give. If you give the effort, you should see the production. You know, you should see a value to the effort that you've put in.
Chad Jordan: So, back to Robin's role, and essentially, what she's growing in to, now, and really, I want to focus on the personality types, because you each brought in ... You're the risk taker, she's more cautious, and you're probably type A, she's probably more type B. So, can you outline for me and explain a little bit on what you feel your strength is, and what role that you are hoping this next phase of your partnership with her, to fill, and what she's probably best wired for and maybe team leaders out there can understand it as well.
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah, you know, when you say the risk taker, you know, I'm the get it done guy.
Chad Jordan: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Jeff Burroughs: You know, I'm the one who's going to try to make the deal. I'm the one who's going to push the bar. She's physically the one that will keep us in check. She may look a little bit more in to details than what we had in the past because I may have been running 100 miles an hour and, you know, hey, the light's green, let's go, now-
Chad Jordan: She's looking both ways to make sure you cross, traffic lights don't [crosstalk 00:07:54] change on you, yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: Right, now you have somebody who's just looking at a few little details and not only that, I mean, the great part of her coming in is, you know, maybe I was moving so fast that I wasn't looking at other opportunities to save us money. You know, there's two ways you could make money in this concept. One, clients, service ticket, bringing people in, that's great. But then, having her come in, and actually look behind me, and make sure we're not overspending on things, you know, and it could be utility bills. It could be the minor little things.
But, you know, and it's funny, she always says, you know, hey, I just saved us enough to go on a trip. Or I just saved us enough to go to dinner. You know because she feels like, hey, I've done something and-
Chad Jordan: We're going to celebrate-
Jeff Burroughs: And there's a reward, Jeff, let me just tell you. You know I keep hearing, where's my raise and I'm like, okay, here we go. How much did you save this time?
Chad Jordan: I love it. So, I want to talk ... She saves, Robin, we were just saying, saves you money. You've over-promoted things, but I do want to talk about that marketing aspect that you bring, obviously, with the power of almost 20 stores, now, there's some momentum marketing that you get to take advantage of, but instead of that, I want to go back to ... I want to put the hat of, the mindset of someone that only has two, three, four, five locations. What are some marketing tips, tricks, things that you've seen work before? Before you got to 20 stores.
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah, so, when I first got in, I felt like with the marketing, I was gong to try to recreate the wheel. I was trying to bring in what I was doing in the car business to build a brand, you know, and everybody has to understand in the car business, yeah, you may have a Ford logo a Chevy logo, or whatever on the front of the building, okay. But, to be a successful sales person, you have to build a brand inside that brand. So, you have to sell yourself.
Chad Jordan: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Jeff Burroughs: And it tried to bring that over and sell myself with Sport Clips. And I'll tell you that during that period of time, there was so many little things that we were doing that all we wanted to do was make noise. We just wanted to make noise.
Chad Jordan: Disrupt the market, essentially.
Jeff Burroughs: Absolutely, I wanted to be known as the haircut guy.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: Okay. And I figured that if I was known as the haircut guy the brand name would tag with me, would follow, and I felt like I had a heck of a reputation in the area where we bought our three licenses that it would really follow.
Chad Jordan: And this is back in the day before social media was really even a thing.
Jeff Burroughs: 2009, 2010-
Chad Jordan: You know, it was just getting off the ground, so-
Jeff Burroughs: Right, I mean, you know, every person that was buying a truck from me was getting free haircuts, and somebody got a business card from the Ford dealership. On the back of it, it had a free haircut, I mean anywhere I could drop a card-
Chad Jordan: Guerilla marketing.
Jeff Burroughs: Right. For my main business, the backside had my other business.
Chad Jordan: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Jeff Burroughs: You know, and, we were doing anything we could, I mean, we were doing little events that some people looked at it like, where did they come from? We were going to a little dirt track and showing up with wind feathers, tents, and blow up machines. I had three vehicles wrapped, and they're like, wow-
Chad Jordan: And really over the top for what-
Jeff Burroughs: Over the top, but the thing is, there was huge value that has carried for so long, now, because in that point.
Jeff Burroughs: ... that has carried for so long now because, in that point, we were making such an impact that now, we're seeing the reward from it.
Chad Jordan: Yeah. So, twenty stores in, are you still doing that kind of stuff? Or are you finding that you now got enough kind of cache to-
Jeff Burroughs: Right. There's a few things that we might back up a little bit on, but I will tell you, we still try to do as much in these small markets because ... I love small markets. I love the markets that, you know, it's like your hometown type deal.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: There's a lot of owners that would love to be in these huge hundred thousand, two-hundred thousand populations.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: I've got some markets that in five miles, I only have twenty thousand people. And in doing that, it's okay. And the reason why is because if you go in and make an impact and people fall in love with you and you give them great service, they're coming back.
Chad Jordan: [crosstalk 00:11:47]
Jeff Burroughs: [crosstalk 00:11:47] Right. I'll get a heavy percentage of that twenty thousand.
But we have some small markets that we're still doing those things. I mean, little league baseball asking for Sporty to show up. Robin today, as I'm doing this podcast is going to pick up something from Lowe's, but she's driving a Sport Clips van through a market that we just ... we have a couple of stores. That makes a difference. People are seeing that rolling billboard. I mean, we have billboards and different things that we have changed. We may have done things at a smaller level that were more closely knit to one individual store years ago. Now we're trying to do the same outside events, but we're trying to make them impact multiple stores inside that market.
Chad Jordan: Sure, yeah. And you mentioned little league, and that's a great opportunity for us to start talking about the community.
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah.
Chad Jordan: So, what are some things that you do at the local levels to really ... It's not marketing, but you're gonna be seeing ... you're gonna be wearing a Sport Clips logo shirt or driving a Sport Clips logo-wrapped truck. So, what are some of the things that you guys do in the community to really help them, and help you as well?
Jeff Burroughs: So, couple things that we do. I used to race dirt late models; I used to race dirt cars, and I don't have the time to do it anymore. So, I found two guys that-
Chad Jordan: Do you have the reflexes to do it though?
Jeff Burroughs: They might be a little slow now.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: They say turn left, I think I turned right too many times.
Chad Jordan: You're blaming time. [crosstalk 00:13:15]
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah, exactly. Got it.
Chad Jordan: Maybe it's not the time to do it anymore.
Jeff Burroughs: Exactly. But I found two guys that I felt social media-wise did a really good job talking up what they do at the racetrack and the different tracks they go. And we got involved. Come to find out, they're just small teams. They're all by themselves, but they do a heck of a job marketing us and-
Chad Jordan: So, you're sponsoring them.
Jeff Burroughs: I'm a sponsor for them. And-
Chad Jordan: Okay. What does that entail? What do you get?
Jeff Burroughs: So, one of the guys was ... He came to me, he says, "Hey, I'd love to have you as a sponsor." I said, "Okay, here's what I'll give you." He said, "Oh, really!" He was excited, you know. And by the time I'm done, I mean, we look like a NASCAR out on a dirt track that's now running four or five tracks. We have front, side, rear; everywhere on the car. Guys posting several things a week. And he's making noise for us.
Chad Jordan: Right.
Jeff Burroughs: Okay. And then we have a guy over on the eastern shore who's just a single dad, police officer, who's trying to race as a hobby. Unfortunately, his spouse passed away a few years ago, and he was looking to maintain this hobby and keep going. Robin and I stepped up to help him. And Sport Clips is on the side of that car. And it means something to us that it's there. We do things like that.
The St. Leonard Volunteer Fire Department doing their concert series, we jumped in as a big sponsor there. And that's not about passing out coupons. It's just about being involved; being there. We're giving out Koozies, we're hula-hooping, and playing corn-hole, and we're throwing beads to people. That's led to a whole different thing.
We were there eight years ago, and all of a sudden, the lady that runs the organization, she goes, "You know, I need help." I pay the sponsorship, I'm inside the arena, we have the van there; everything. She says, "Do you have any problem helping me ... help us announce the concert?" I'm like, "I don't care, it's fine." So, what's transformed in from eight years ago as just as help, now I'm the MC of the concert promoting Sport Clips and every other business that's there. But I'm wearing a Sport-
Chad Jordan: I was gonna ask that. [crosstalk 00:15:19]
Jeff Burroughs: Wearing a Sport Clips shirt.
Chad Jordan: [crosstalk 00:15:20]
Jeff Burroughs: Don't worry, don't worry. Wearing a Sport Clips shirt. They're letting us throw Sport Clips stuff out, because there's not radio station there anymore. And they know that I'm fair to the other people that are spending money as vendors, but it just helps make a noise. Make everybody know what we're doing.
The college that my son played football for. We got involved with their, what they call, the SU foundation. Which is ... it's not really the marketing side, it's being involved with more of the athletics and the alumni aspect; people that are out there in the community. And we were able to do some stuff with them that's really helped our stores on the eastern shore.
But we'll do the littlest things. I mean, we'll have somebody looking to do a crab raffle at a firehouse, and we paid for their raffle tickets and they put Sport Clips on each ticket. And we're helping them sell the tickets. All the money goes to them.
Chad Jordan: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Jeff Burroughs: And I have to tell you, over the last ... Every year at the St. Leonard Volunteer Fire Department, we sponsor their concert.
Chad Jordan: Is that the one where you are-
Jeff Burroughs: The MC at.
Chad Jordan: But I know you're an MC, but are you a volunteer firefighter as well?
Jeff Burroughs: Not at that one. I'm actually at two departments up in that same county, but I'm providing support and help them. Just in ... Not only do we pay a couple thousand dollars a year to be a sponsor there, just to be involved with people like Luke Brian, and Eric Church, and ...
Chad Jordan: Amazing.
Jeff Burroughs: ... Sugarland, and different people like that. Those are the type of concerts that are there.
Chad Jordan: Wow.
Jeff Burroughs: We've become the MC of that deal. But during that, our team has really felt a value in what they've given back. Not just us, because I will tell you, in the last eight years, I think we're up to a little over fifteen, sixteen thousand dollars in raised cash simply by the girls asking for a donation for a Sport Clips Koozie. We're handing out Sport Clips Koozies, but they're getting a donation for it.
Chad Jordan: Yeah, yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: They're putting it fire- [crosstalk 00:17:13]
Chad Jordan: And the people could get them for free, but they're-
Jeff Burroughs: That's correct. But the girls are getting donations for it. And the beaded necklaces; everybody loves the beaded necklace. And right now, I think we're at between fifteen and sixteen thousand cash money that we've donated to the firehouse in the last several years, that it's just because of our team. It's not because of me, because I'm not the one running around with the little boot. They're out there; every dollar they can get.
Chad Jordan: You're probably not cute enough to get the donations anyway, so ...
Jeff Burroughs: No, no, no, no, no.
Chad Jordan: ... I think that might have something to do with it.
Jeff Burroughs: And I tried the hula-hoop thing one time; it did not work [crosstalk 00:17:41]
Chad Jordan: Oh yeah, I'm sure. Did that make it to social media? I'm [crosstalk 00:17:44]
Jeff Burroughs: I think a picture did, but not the video.
Chad Jordan: Oh, okay. That's probably a good thing.
I think the take-away for me is you've been creative on some of your marketing opportunities, to say the least. But you've also been able to tap into what you are passionate about as a human being, even outside of Sport Clips, and work that and weave that in with things like the car sponsorship, and MC-ing the concert series, and raising money that way. Can you tell us a little bit ... NASCAR is an important part of the Sport Clips family, and I know you're passionate about racing and NASCAR. Can you tell us a little bit about the NASCAR partnership with Sport Clips?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah, I think it's an absolute awesome partnership for Sport Clips to be able to get a brand awareness out there to many media markets by being involved with such a great team. I mean, if anybody knows the story of Joe Gibbs, he is just such a great guy. Forget the Washington Redskins scenario, there's love there, but Joe Gibbs is such a nice guy.
Chad Jordan: Yeah. Genuine.
Jeff Burroughs: He believes in a very similar value pattern that we do, and it's really distilled in that team. And to be involved with the different drivers that we've had over the years has been absolutely great. We've had several of them that have been at the National Huddles-
Chad Jordan: You interviewed ... One year, you interviewed.
Jeff Burroughs: I had tried to figure out who was gonna sweat more, because I think the night before, Elliott Sadler and Denny Hamlin had a pretty rough night at the [inaudible 00:19:16] but-
Chad Jordan: Yeah, this was Vegas year, that's right.
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah, that was a Vegas year, but it was a great deal. But in doing that, now we have ... We still have Denny Hamlin, and we also have Erik Jones, a young and up-and-coming driver. If anybody wants to know his nickname, it's Mullet. But in doing that, we have some premier drivers in a series that is running around the country getting great attention and helping build the Sport Clips brand. Not only do we just have Sport Clips on some of the cars that are out there, sometimes we'll have things like 'Help a Hero', or really promoting other things that we're passionate about.
And then also, this year, not only did we kind of bridge the gap a little bit ... because there is a couple different types of racing series that are out there. I mean, this year, we had a great opportunity to get involved with Coyle Racing. Sport Clips was at the Indy 500.
Chad Jordan: Mm-hmm (affirmative), amazing.
Jeff Burroughs: I mean, who woulda thought, again we're back at the Indy 500. And we were very, very competitive if he hadn't of crashed.
Chad Jordan: Spin out, yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah. That wall though, it just doesn't come ... it just doesn't go the right way. So, Sebastien Bourdais is that driver. And it's really cool that we can have people like that out there representing our brand on a national level when we as owners are trying to represent our brand on a local level.
Chad Jordan: Right, right.
Jeff Burroughs: And I just think that some of the things ... And as we've gone over time, our NASCAR campaign has grown as the number of store. Because as anything, it takes money to make the world go 'round. So, we've been able to get some extra races, which has given us extra exposure, and also had Joe Gibbs Racing evidently come to us as a company and say, "Hey, thank you for you partnership. We wanna give you an extra this. Or we wanna give you an extra ... "
Chad Jordan: Yes, yep.
Jeff Burroughs: And that's only created by a relationship. And that relationship is there because of our marketing department and the people at Joe Gibbs. That doesn't happen overnight.
Chad Jordan: And Darlington ... This podcast will probably air in June or July. The Darlington race is coming up in ... is that Labor Day?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah. That's a return visit for me, man. After last year, to have the opportunity as an owner to join the team and our brand at Darlington for the XFINITY race on Saturday, and the Cup race on Sunday. And then to just be ... Imagine being on your couch, and being a person that's sitting there watching all of these cars go around and all of those fans. And then imagine yourself being a part of brand that also allowed you to be standing in the physical winner circle two days in a row.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: Okay. That's a life experience.
Chad Jordan: Yes.
Jeff Burroughs: And if I wasn't involved with Sport Clips, I wouldn't have had that opportunity, and that's just ...
Jeff Burroughs: If I wasn't involved with Sport Clips I wouldn't have had that opportunity. And that's just been ... That is dear to my heart because I love racing. To be able to do those type things. But, we could also be one of those ones that we are just sitting on a mediocre team. But we're a top notch company and we're out there on a top notch team
Chad Jordan: Yeah. And that weekend is especially important because it ties in with VFW?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah.
Chad Jordan: So, our company, our founder Gordon Logan certainly supports veterans.
Jeff Burroughs: Absolutely.
Chad Jordan: And we have great relationships with veteran ... The veteran community. So there's two ways ... Two ... Three, actually, between Help a Hero, Aleethia, and Ageless Aviation. And I believe you are, have been, instrumental in all three of those?
Jeff Burroughs: Yep.
Chad Jordan: So can you ... Let's split them up. Can you describe, especially for people that are not familiar with Sport Clips, what Help a Hero is and how our stores are involved with that?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah. So, Help a Hero has transitioned a couple of different ways. Help a Hero, originally, was we were gonna help our veterans, our military folks, make calls home.
Chad Jordan: Mm-hmm (affirmative) That are deployed?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah, that were deployed, trying to call home. And we were providing the funds to make that happen. And then, now, it's transitioned into, with the VFW's partnership, providing scholarships for our retired military folks, and the veterans that are out there, so that they can further their education to become a different ... I guess you'd say, to take things to another level once they've gotten out of the military or they're looking for something new.
And that's a pretty cool deal. To know that you're giving back to somebody, that you're helping, that really is helping you every day.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: They're helping us be where we're at in the country we are. So what happens there is we're raising money in our stores, our teams are.
Chad Jordan: Is that year long? Do we have just one month? How are we raising the money?
Jeff Burroughs: You know, it's right in the fall period of time.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: That October to November time. And we're raising money during that period of time. We're collecting money that's given 100% back to the VFW for the scholarship fund. And then, on Veteran's Day, most of the stores across the country are offering free haircuts to our veterans.
We actually kinda look at it, and depending on what day it falls in, sometimes we'll even do two days. Because we think it's a very important deal. We have a lot of bases and retired military around our stores and it's really not about the money that day. It's about saying thank you. And they're very appreciative. Those customers that are coming in like that, think about this when you're standing in an airport and you tell somebody thank you for your service?
Chad Jordan: Right.
Jeff Burroughs: And the smile you see?
Chad Jordan: Yep.
Jeff Burroughs: When you give a guy, and you show appreciation on Veteran's Day, the smile you see when they walk out, and they know it's about them, it hits close to the heart.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: You know, and then we have the other.
New Speaker: We have the Ageless Aviation, which we just recently did. We had a 96 year old young lady, I would say young lady 'cause she was moving around very well for 96 years old, she was able to get up into that open cockpit biplane and go on a dream flight. And that was a ... That was a very cool scenario. And -
Chad Jordan: So how are we involved? Do we have managers or stores -
Jeff Burroughs: ... We are the sponsors.
Chad Jordan: ... What's going on?
Jeff Burroughs: Sport Clips sponsors the Ageless Aviation.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: There's three airplanes around the country.
Chad Jordan: So it goes on a tour around the country?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah. So, upon request, they'll come to an area for ... Like, the assisted living homes will put in a request. They'll come into the area and provide a dream flight to somebody who is retired military, past involvement.
Chad Jordan: Okay. Or a spouse of someone?
Jeff Burroughs: Or a spouse, yeah. And then someone doing that. And then, in that respect, then Sport Clips will reach out to the local owner and say, "Hey, Ageless Aviation is coming to your area. Would you like to be involved?" And we're one that jumps at it right away. This is not about haircuts. We're not taking haircut coupons.
Chad Jordan: Right.
Jeff Burroughs: We have them with us. If somebody's and they want to come, that's fine. It's about them. And we're there helping them strap in, get into the airplane, and make that dream possible. And I will tell you, this past event, that Ageless Aviation did an unbelievable job because they had promised this 96 year old lady that she was gonna have her dream flight.
On Monday we were supposed to have it, it was canceled due to weather. Tuesday, it was canceled due to weather and they were stuck in North Carolina. Wednesday, because Donald Trump was flying out of Andrews Air Force Base, they couldn't fly into the airport they were originally ... So they had to relocate and they made it happen all the way on Thursday and still stayed on schedule. 'Cause they wanted to make that dream possible for that lady.
Chad Jordan: Wow.
Jeff Burroughs: And so, got us great media coverage. There was two different TV stations, newspapers, everything there just wanting to cover her story, which was unbelievable. So that was awesome.
Then coming up here in the ... At the end of July, Sport Clips will sponsor what we call the Aleethia Foundation.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: Which is a foundation that's there to help our disable military that are coming back. That are at the Walter Reed Hospital.
Chad Jordan: Yes.
Jeff Burroughs: And they're getting ... They're getting treatment and they just need that feeling of a night out. This is about ... It's a dinner that they put on every Friday night.
Chad Jordan: If they're married, do they bring their spouse kind of thing?
Jeff Burroughs: Yes. Yep, yeah.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: So, immediate family's with them because they're important. Let me just tell you, I've been to several of these. It's not just about that person that got injured. The family is there because, really, their heart is injured.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: Because they're feeling loss. Like what do we do? And to be able to have that night, to get away from Walter Reed, sponsored by Sport Clips, just for a dinner and give them some prizes.
I mean, one year they were giving out helmets from Joe Gibbs Racing. Joe Gibbs provided helmets signed by the drivers and gave one to everyone of the Aleethia Foundation person there.
Chad Jordan: Oh my gosh.
Jeff Burroughs: And ... But to see them have a night away, that's not inside the cafeteria at Walter Reed. I mean, we're talking Morton's type Steakhouse type restaurants. A really, a sit down nice dinner away from the hospital and then, they're taken back, but they're taken back with a smile. And to sit there and listen to some of those stories -
Chad Jordan: And so you and Robin actually go?
Jeff Burroughs: ... Yep, yep.
Chad Jordan: Anybody else from Sport Clips come?
Jeff Burroughs: You'll have the founder and CEO, Gordon Logan -
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: ... makes a special trip on most of the occasions. As long as his schedule will allow. You'll have folks like Martha England, who is very, very involved in this.
Chad Jordan: Our VP, Martha England?
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah. And she's definitely a big supporter of this, with the Aleethia Foundation. And then they'll try to get owners from the area that would like to come to the dinner and be involved and be able to sit and chat and hear these people's story.
Chad Jordan: Wow.
Jeff Burroughs: And also, let them know that we care.
Chad Jordan: Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: And thank you for what they have gone through. Because ... Because of what they've gone through, like I said, we're all able to do what we do every day.
Chad Jordan: Well, I don't know how to sign up for the one in July, but I want in.
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah.
Chad Jordan: So, if there's maybe a seat next to Martha, I'll -
Jeff Burroughs: Let me text Gordon for ya.
Chad Jordan: ... Yeah.
Jeff Burroughs: Let me get you a seat on the [inaudible 00:29:24].
Chad Jordan: See what we can do about getting me in that 'cause I'd love that. I'd love that opportunity.
I think everyone is, that's listening, is understanding why you were named Heart of a Champion award winner. This has been another amazing Podcast. I know we need to conclude for times sake and you have to get back to your stores. I'm keeping you away from them.
But, like I said last time, I like to ask random questions at the end of these Podcasts just to kind of close it out.
Jeff Burroughs: Sling away.
Chad Jordan: So I've got five more ... I cannot do follow up questions, so whatever you answer, you gotta stick with it. All right.
Number one, what sound or noise, Jeff Burroughs, do you love?
Jeff Burroughs: Race cars.
Chad Jordan: Okay. Race cars. I was wondering if it was gonna be the cash registers ca-ching?
Jeff Burroughs: Nah, I'm a race car guy.
Chad Jordan: Race car, I like it.
Number ... Next one, what sound or noise do you hate?
Jeff Burroughs: A loud boom.
Chad Jordan: Okay. You like the sound of race cars, but the loud ... Okay, I can't ask a follow up.
Jeff Burroughs: I would say like a gun shot.
Chad Jordan: Okay, okay.
What profession, other than your own, would you have been good at? Or at least, have wanted to try?
Jeff Burroughs: I would have to say owning a restaurant.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: And I know that's deep to your heart.
Chad Jordan: Yes, as someone whose been there and done that, I can say kudos for not going that route!
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah. I came out of high school being involved in an organization that was involved in restaurant management. And it was just kinda like .... It was a love. I just thought it was cool.
Chad Jordan: I will say this, this is not a follow up, but this is a comment. There's an old joke in the restaurant business. How do you make a small fortune by owning a restaurant? And the answer is, take a large fortune and open a restaurant.
Jeff Burroughs: Exactly.
Chad Jordan: That's how you make a small fortune.
Next question, what do you consider your greatest achievement?
Jeff Burroughs: My son.
Chad Jordan: Okay.
Jeff Burroughs: Hands down.
Chad Jordan: Love it. And your sons name is?
Jeff Burroughs: My son's name is Tyler.
Chad Jordan: Tyler.
Jeff Burroughs: Played ... Great in school. Graduated college already. Played four years college football and now he's a paid fireman and doing what he loves.
Chad Jordan: That's amazing.
Last question and I'll let you get outta here and have your Mountain Dew on the ride home.
Jeff Burroughs: That'll work.
Chad Jordan: If heaven indeed exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
Jeff Burroughs: You did a great job.
Chad Jordan: And I'm sure he will say that.
Jeff Burroughs: Yep.
Chad Jordan: All right. And hey, you did a great job on this Podcast!
Thanks so much to Jeff Burroughs team leader here in the Baltimore, Maryland, Delaware-ish area -
Jeff Burroughs: Yeah.
Chad Jordan: ... and one of my favorite Mountain Dew lovers in the world. Thanks everybody for joining us and we will talk to y'all soon. Thanks!