What an interesting team they make.
Meet Casey Cooley, Director of Franchise Development of Real Estate at Jeremiah’s Italian Ice and President of Pivotal Growth Partners,, and Michael Keller, president and CEO of Jeremiah’s Italian Ice.
Casey is naturally geared to think in terms of effectiveness. His background working with emerging brands taught him the importance of a strong foundation. He believes well thought out systems and processes are literally what result-driven and sustainable franchises are built on.
Michael is geared towards the people side of the business. He believes clear values and a team aligned with and committed to those values provide the framework (building blocks) of a successful business. A team with shared values is more synergistic, productive, and professionally fulfilled.
Both Michael and Casey are in essence architects, visionaries, and leaders. Listen in to their full interview on The Franchise Woman podcast.
A native of McKinney, Texas, Casey Cooley launched his career in the franchise industry in 2012, when he joined the franchise development team at Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt. Within three short years he moved from Franchise Sales to Director of Business Development. During that time, Casey helped launch Sweet Frog’s franchise program and grow the chain to 380 units in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Egypt.
He played an integral role in identifying and executing new lines of business including merchandising, catering, and mobile franchising options for the company. During his time there, Sweet Frog reached over $34.4 million in revenue, having grown by 10,372 percent between 2010 and 2013 and earning #22 on the 2014 Inc. 500 list and #20 on Entrepreneur’s Fastest Growing Franchise list in 2015.
After his success at Sweet Frog, Casey sought new challenges and moved into a different field. As General Manager of Sports Reality Performance Training, he helped launch a training center in Richmond, VA and managed all aspects of the business. In that role, he worked with athletes of all ages and skill levels, from elementary school to professional athletes and teams, including the Washington Redskins.
Later, he met PGP founders Cam Cummins and Bryon Stephens when he transitioned to Marco’s Pizza, where he held the role of Director of Franchise Development. Casey helped launch the brand into new emerging markets in the Midwest and West Coast. He handled franchise development and real estate for the regions and directed new franchisees through the development process, including site acquisition, training, architecture and engineering, construction, and grand opening procedures.
Now, Casey has rejoined Cam and Bryon to offer his expertise to Pivotal Growth Partners, assisting and enabling business owners to achieve their goals and aspirations through franchising and looks forward to sharing his vision and passion for the company’s culture-based growth perspective with businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Casey currently serves as the Director of Franchising and Real Estate at Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, and has served in that capacity since 2019. During that time Casey has led the development of the brand to over 100+ locations open, and another 150 locations under development.
Casey resides in Murrells Inlet, SC with his wife, Lauren, their son, Brooks, and their hound dog Harley. In his spare time he enjoys fitness and golfing.
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Meet Michael Keller
Michael Keller currently serves as the CEO and President of Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, based in Orlando, Florida, a position he has held since May 2023. Prior to joining Jeremiah’s, Michael was the Business Development and Marketing Leader at Pinnacle Performance Group, a change implementation consulting firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Before that, he spent seven years as CEO and President of Pearson Candy Company, a private equity-owned confections manufacturer in St. Paul, Minnesota. Michael’s extensive marketing career also includes a decade as Chief Marketing Officer at American Dairy Queen, and leadership roles at Jamba Juice, Baskin Robbins USA, and Homestore.com.
Residing in Minneapolis with his wife Gina and their two rescue dogs, Michael is a proud father of three children, aged 24, 22, and 20. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College (Class of 1987) and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (Class of 1991). Michael is also an accomplished author, having penned the award-winning children’s book The Legend of Jet the Gerbil. His dedication to community service is evident through his extensive non-profit work, including serving as Governing Board Chair for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. He is currently a board member of the YWCA of Minneapolis.
Learn more about Michael Keller
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