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Who's Who: Jason Shifflett

At 28, Jason Shifflett franchises seven Domino's Pizza units and is one of the chain's top operators. He attributes his success to great mentors, hard work and community generosity, and he teaches his employees those same values.

July 4, 2005

Diane Davis Barrentine's back was against the wall nine years ago. One of her Domino's Pizza franchises was losing $30,000 annually and she couldn't stop the bleeding. A multi-unit operator, Barrentine needed someone else to run the store for her, so she called on Jason Shifflett, a manager in her system. The confident 20-year-old cut a shrewd deal with his boss: If he turned the store around, he'd get 100 percent of its profits for that year.

Twelve months later, the once-staggering store made a six-figure profit and Shifflett was shopping for a new Corvette.

"He

Jason Shifflett

was not the typical college student," said Barrentine, recalling how Shifflett accomplished the amazing turnaround along with a full-time class load at the University of Mississippi. "I was hesitant to give him that deal because I was afraid he would be pushing himself too much. But I ended up paying the kid $100,000. He proved to himself and everybody that he could do it."

At 28, Jason Shifflett is an anomaly. Seven years ago he bought his first Domino's franchise and he's added six more since. In that same span he has earned five Golden Franny awards (given by Domino's to the top 1 percent of its franchisees) and the chain's Chairman's Circle award. In June he got a "Stevie" from the American Business Awards, which dubbed him the nation's top franchisee. And though he doesn't discuss business specifics, Shifflett told the Memphis Business Journal in 2004 his units' sales consistently double Domino's national unit average, which is about $650,000 a year.

Shifflett calls himself "blessed" to have enjoyed so much success, but those who've worked with him aren't surprised.

With the permission of Shifflett's parents, Barrentine hired Jason as a teenaged door-hanger. (The two disagree over his age at the time; he said he was 14, and she believes he was 15.) He began answering phones and taking on other safe-duty tasks in the store, until he turned 16 and was unleashed on the full operation. As a senior in high school, he managed Barrentine's Olive Branch, Miss., store.

"I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and I saw that this could become the conduit to express that," said Shifflett, reflecting on a time when most that age are more shiftless than work-minded. "I was always the kid in school who'd sell magazines and candy bars and be the top seller."

Barrentine recognized Shifflett's mettle and began taking him to franchisee meetings with her. Her young charge "was a sponge" for information, always plying other franchisees for their tricks of the trade.

"He'd go to meetings and hear, 'If you do all these things, you'll have a successful store,'" Barrentine said. "He took everybody's ideas and implemented them. Wherever I would take him, he'd be completely enthralled."

Shifflett credits much of his fast-paced learning to input from mentors like Barrentine, and the chance to associate with Domino's legend Richard Mueller, co-owner of RPM Pizza, a 143-unit franchisee.

"Most people today aren't willing to put their time into somebody to improve them," he said. "And any time you can glean the knowledge of someone who's been in the business as many years as (Barrentine and Mueller) have, you want to take advantage of it for sure. You listen closely when they talk to you."

From pre-med to pizza

Shifflett spent his first two years at Ole Miss majoring in pre-med, but as it became clear he had a knack for pizza operations, he changed his major to business administration. The combined load of college and work was enormous, but Shifflett insists foregoing fraternity parties and football games for the Friday-night rush was worth it. That goal-oriented focus is a Shifflett trademark, said Barrentine.

"Here I was, the president of the company, and he was my assistant. But he'd come to me with a list of things to do," she said. "I would say, 'Here's my A list, here's your A list. Let's look and see what we can do together.'"

How, when more than half of Domino's operators run a single store, can Shifflett run seven? By hiring the right people and setting and expecting high standards.

"The world is full of mediocrity ... and some people just want a job where they can unlock the doors and keep the place from burning down during their shift," he said. "To get individuals who want to perform, you have to lead by example. You talk the talk, but you walk it, too."

Like Barrentine, Shifflett seeks out prodigies who want to grow. When he finds them, he challenges them, and "when they respond favorably, you keep giving them more and more. ... They're yearning for that."

Justin Shoemaker is one such person. When he turned 18, Shifflett let him manage his busiest store. This year, at 19, he won Domino's National Rookie Manager of the Year award — Shifflett's fourth manager to win the

Jason Shifflett Age: 28 Company: Domino's Pizza (Shifflett Enterprises, seven units) HQ: Olive Branch, Miss. Wife: Kelly Hobby: water skiing, flying College:University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss. Degree: Business Administration, BS Quote: "You're really not in control of anything," he said. "To grow your business, you have to rely on other people and the training you've given them."

award.

Shoemaker said Shifflett's standards are high, but not unreasonable.

"He holds himself to the same standards he holds everyone else to," said Shoemaker. "Any type of goal he puts in place or standard for how the stores are supposed to be run, not only can he set the goal, he demonstrates it can be done."

In the 14 years Barrentine has watched Shifflett work, she said he's learned to temper his drive some and accept that not everyone is as "gifted with the ability to focus" as he is.

Shifflett agreed and said that every new store he adds to his company reminds him of how little control he has over his life and his pizza business.

"You're really not in control of anything," he said. "To grow your business, you have to rely on other people and the training you've given them."

You also have to be generous to the community that supports your business, he added.

"I think success follows people who do the right thing, and part of that, I believe, is giving to others," he said. "Community groups and religious organizations need physical and financial support for their causes, and Domino's gives me the opportunity to do that for others. When you think about it, that's really what we're here for."