This story appears in the
May 1998 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Cottman Transmission Systems Inc. in Ft. Washington,
Pennsylvania, has found a unique way to inspire
franchisor-franchisee relationships. For the past 10 years, the
home office staff at Cottman has thrown on the saddle bags, hooked
up with willing franchise owners and headed off into the wild blue
yonder on a motorcycle trip.
Part of an outbound experience that's different each year,
the trip covers several thousand miles during the course of a week
or more, with activities that have included whitewater canoeing and
visiting hot springs mineral baths. Participants tend to be from
the most successful franchises, which Jim Corkran, co-owner and
vice president of operations at Cottman, attributes to their
risk-taking personalities. "The folks who join us on
these trips are top performers," he says. "We welcome any
franchisee, but these highly competitive folks like to do things
that are strenuous and a little risky."
Franchisor and franchisees get more out of the trips than just
easy riding. "We try to tear down some of the typical
franchisor-franchisee barriers and build relationships based on
communication and mutual respect," says Corkran. "We do
it because it's terrific fun, but there's more to it than
that. We treat our franchisees as equals. We enjoy spending time
with them."
Contact Sources
Cottman Transmission Systems Inc., (888) 4-COTTMAN,
http://www.cottman.com