Title Boxing Club International, Ann Arbor, Michigan, recently announced new additions to its existing ownership group.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, David Barr, Shelly Sun, JD Sun and Doc Cohen joined Title Boxing Club owners John Rotche, Tom Lyons, Rick Washburn, Danny Campbell and President Susan Boresow on May 23, according to a media release.
"It's not often in a person’s career when you get to work alongside the best-of-the best," Rotche said in a statement. "We’ve created the dream team of franchising, and I don’t think it’s possible to gather a more prominent group of leaders in one room than what we have at Title Boxing Club. With the experienced and creative minds of our new shareholders and Susan, the potential to make a lasting mark on the franchise and fitness space is limitless."
Below are bios of the new additions to the Title Boxing Club ownership group:
Drew Brees was the 2009 Super Bowl XLIV Champion and MVP-winning quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. Brees was named 2004 Comeback Player of the Year, 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and NFL Player of the Year, 2007 PFWA George S. Halas Courage Award recipient, NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2008, 2011), 2009 Bert Bell Award recipient, 2010 ESPY Award Best Male Athlete, 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, 2010 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, 2011 Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award and Man of the Year. Brees has been elected to nine Pro Bowls and authored the book, "Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity." Brees is also a Jimmy John’s franchisee.
David Barr is chairman and founder of PMTD Restaurants and its affiliates, which own and operate 23 KFC and Taco Bell restaurants. He also serves on the board of directors of a variety of public and private boards, both internationally and domestically, including Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shops Inc., BrightStar Care, The Spice & Tea Exchange, Bistro Group (a large franchisee of TGI Friday’s) and Franworth. In the past, he has been on the board of directors of Rita Restaurants LLC, the owner and operator of Don Pablo's Mexican Restaurants, Mrs. Fields, TCBY and Samuels Jewelers Inc. Prior to his board work, Barr was the CEO of Great American Cookies from 1994 to 1998, at which time he sold the company on behalf of its shareholders to Mrs. Fields. Barr is currently the secretary of the International Franchise Association (IFA)and slated to be the chairman of the board of directors for the IFA in 2019-2020.
Shelly Sun is the CEO and co-founder of BrightStar Care, a nearly $350 million, 300-unit healthcare staffing company. Sun was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the IFA in 2010, currently sits on the board of directors for the IFA, is an incoming chairperson of the board of directors in 2017-2018, and authored the business book, "Grow Smart, Risk Less."
JD Sun, along with Shelly Sun, is the co-founder of BrightStar Care. In 2012, JD stepped away from BrightStar Care and in recent years has pursued other investments in small cap companies with emphasis on scalable business models, such as franchise entities.
Lawrence “Doc” Cohen is a veteran of the franchise industry as a franchisee of numerous brands including Great American Cookies, Pretzelmaker and Coffee Beanery. Cohen was the first-ever franchisee inducted into the International Franchise Association’s Hall of Fame. Cohen is a past chairman of the board of directors for the IFA.
Franworth, a franchise management firm, counts Title Boxing Club as one of its brands along with Everlast Fitness, Spavia Day Spa, Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea, Kalamata Grill and Lash Lounge. Rotche is the CEO and a managing director of Franworth while Barr is a managing director, Mike Skitzki is the chief operating officer, Alex Roberts is the chief development officer, and Lyons and Washburn are partners.
As part of a restructuring in June 2015, Rotche was promoted from Title Boxing president to CEO, Boresow was hired as president and Roberts was added as chief development officer.
In February, Title Boxing Club announced a partnership with Everlast, New York City, to develop international fitness franchise Everlast Fitness and make Everlast's boxing products available in domestic Title Boxing Club locations.
âIn 2015, Title Boxing Club was ranked the No. 1 fastest growing franchise by Inc. Magazine and landed at No. 250 on its 5000 list with reported revenue of $46.2 million. It has more than 150 locations open with 400 locations in development.
(Correction: Title Boxing Club is a Franworth brand. An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Franworth due to a typing error.)