Corporate Vision Issue 11 2018

CORPORATE VISION / Issue 11 2018 5 NEWS , Pinch A Penny Pool Patio and Spa, the world’s largest swim- ming pool retail, service, and repair franchise, announced today Mi- chael Arrowsmith has joined the company as chief development officer. An industry veteran, Ar- rowsmith has spent his profes- sional career growing franchise brands and will leverage his 25+ years of experience to spearhead Pinch A Penny’s aggressive de- velopment efforts in key target markets, including Texas and Georgia, as well as drive new franchisee recruitment. Over the past several years, Pinch A Pen- ny has experienced ongoing suc- cess, achieving eight consecutive years of same store sales growth and consistently outperforming competitors in the retail and ser- vice space. As a result of this im- pressive growth, the company is investing in its corporate leader- ship to accelerate this momentum and position the brand for further success. “While the retail industry as a whole has experienced slowing sales, Pinch A Penny’s consistent success reinforces the brand’s position as an industry leader and one of the most sustaina- ble business opportunities in the segment today. We know that an investment in our leadership is an investment in our future and know that Michael’s expertise will be a tremendous asset in helping us achieve our growth goals and tak- ing the brand to new heights,” said John Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Pinch A Penny Pool Patio and Spa. Throughout his distinguished ca- reer, Arrowsmith has held senior level executive positions at sev- eral leading franchise brands, including Denny’s, Gloria Jean’s Coffee, Checkers & Rally’s, and most recently serving as chief de- velopment officer of Captain D’s. With more than 25 years of expe- rience, his extensive understand- CGTrader, one of the world’s leading 3D model marketplaces, offers integration of its technology with the Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify. As part of the integra- tion, CGTrader will help Shopify to create an all new shopping experience using 3D modelling and Augmented Reality (AR). The merchants on Shopify will be able to access CGTrader’s services through the Shopify experts’ site. “This integration can help busi- nesses turn their products into a 3D visual format using the latest 3D modelling and AR technolo- gies,” says Dalia Lasaite, CEO and co-founder of CGTrader. She notes that 3D is the future for e-commerce and within a few years will replace a significant part of today’s 2D online shop- ping experience. CGTrader offers the kinds of services that are critical for e-commerce of the future. “Shopi- fy has chosen us to provide the services needed to make this revolution happen as demand for 3D models in e-commerce sector is expanding rapidly,” says CGTrader’s Lasaite. Lasaite adds: “Companies like Shopify are 11 times more likely to sell an item or a product that has an Augmented Reality experience. This fact is very significant for the mobile e-com- merce market, which according to Statista.com is expected to generate some $3.56 billion in 2021, a year when it is expected to make up almost three quarters of e-commerce sales.” CGTrader is already one of the leading 3D model marketplaces globally with around 1,500,000 professional 3D designers and over 710,000 models for computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and gaming. On CGTrader, 3D artists, design studios and businesses share and sell their models. Enterprise and business cus- tomers can choose from a wide collection of high-quality 3D models, which can be used in their projects to reduce develop- Ongoing Success and Growth ment time and save on valuable resources. CGTrader is focusing its efforts on offering complete solutions for enterprises enabling them to manage their growing de- mand for 3D content. Businesses can also hire designers for their specific 3D projects from the company’s huge and unmatched list of professionals. With CGTrader’s 3D models, Shopify’s store owners do not need any technical knowledge of 3D design to get a high-quality 3D model that is guaranteed to work in AR apps. As a result, it will be much easier for them to achieve guaranteed quality, a smooth service and technical compatibility. CGTrader can help Shopify leverage high quality 3D model- ling, according to Lasaite, who explains: “We have a strong and highly specialised 3D design community, and therefore our team can find the perfect design- er for any product. All in all, AR greatly increases user engage- ment, brings your products to life, and lets customers really make sure they want a product before they purchase.” CGTrader was founded in 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania, and was the brainchild of the COO Marius Ka- lytis, who owned an architectural visualisation studio in Lithuania and decided to turn his long-time hobby of making 3D models into a business. CGTrader CEO Dalia Lasaite, a serial entre- preneur, joined the company in 2013 as co-founder following the first funding round by Practica Capital. CGTrader is backed by investors such as Intel Capital, Practica Capital and Karma Ventures. The company won the Deloitte CEE Fast 50 Rising Star award 2018, the second time in a row and was nominated among the top scale-up companies in the Digital Top 50 Awards, organised by Google, McKinsey & Co. and Rocket Internet. CGTrader cur- rently has around 50 employees who comprise an interdisciplinary team of multinational experts that includes several dozen software engineers and designers. ing of the franchising industry has allowed him to achieve exception- al and sustained development and financial results for each company’s franchise system. Dur- ing his tenure with Captain D’s, Michael reestablished the legacy brand’s development organization and implemented growth strate- gies that resulted in the most suc- cessful period in the company’s history, building a pipeline of more than 100 locations with consistent double-digit openings, as well as achieving a 225-percent increase in new store openings and six con- secutive years of positive growth. “Pinch A Penny’s prosperity amid the changing retail landscape is clear evidence of the brand’s re- markable influence in the space, and I’m excited to be joining one of the most established names in the industry today,” said Michael Arrowsmith, chief development of- ficer of Pinch A Penny Pool Patio and Spa. “The consistent success Pinch A Penny has achieved over the past several years coupled with my franchising experience will make an unstoppable force, and I look forward to tapping into the brand’s unlimited potential as we implement new strategies to aggressively drive growth.” With more than 245 locations across the Southeastern U.S., Pinch A Penny Pool Patio and Spa offers customers a one-stop shop for all of their pool and spa supply needs with one of the most complete lines of pool chemicals, maintenance equipment, as well as parts and accessories availa- ble anywhere. In addition, Pinch A Penny stores carry games, toys, floats, grills and more. Pinch A Penny is currently seek- ing qualified candidates to join its growing brand. The company currently has franchise opportu- nities available in key target mar- kets throughout the Southeastern U.S., including Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisi- ana and Mississippi.