June 14, 2011 – Duluth, GA. Robert J. Kirschner joined the Discovery Point Franchising, Inc. management team this month as Vice President of Franchise Development. Kirschner has over 15 years’ experience in the franchise development field, and has been awarded the highly respected designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association.

“Discovery Point made a commitment early this year to build a world class franchise management team. Bob Kirschner certainly qualifies in this regard”, said Cliff Clark, President and CEO of Discovery Point Franchising. “His many years of experience in franchising, especially in iconic franchising companies such as Hallmark Cards, Great American Cookies, Deck the Walls, and most recently Mathnasium, one of the fastest growing franchises around, show that Bob Kirschner is a true franchise professional. Coupled with his financial background as Senior Vice President of Textron Financial, we could not have found a better management team member for Discovery Point. We are extremely pleased to have Bob Kirschner join the Discovery Point management team.”

Kirschner possesses extensive business and franchising experience and knowledge to help develop franchises in both North America and in international markets. “While Discovery Point is the first child development franchise that I have joined, having been involved in franchising for the majority of my career, I recognize quality franchise concepts and quality Franchisors. I also recognize tremendous growth opportunities for different industries and their franchise networks. Discovery Point has an impeccable reputation as an industry leader developing and supporting very high quality and value-added Child Development Centers. The need for quality, affordable child care today and in the future creates a tremendous opportunity for individuals to own their own Discovery Point Childcare Center to reach their personal and business ownership goals”, said Kirschner. “The growth potential for Discovery Point is unlimited!”

About Discovery Point:

Duluth, Georgia based Discovery Point Franchising, Inc. is the leading child development franchisor in the southeastern United States. Discovery Point has built over 60 world-class child development centers from the ground up in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee since the company started in 1988. Today, there are an additional 10 new centers under development, and the company plans to continue expanding Discovery Point’s reach across the southeast in 2011 and beyond. For more than 22 years, Discovery Point has provided quality childcare for families and offered franchisees a proven formula for success. For more information: www.discoverypointfranchise.com/

“Winning the Bronze Award for 2010 Summit Creative Award is thrilling. To be recognized in a field of such outstanding competition is just amazing”, said owner of Rock, Paper, Scissors Cynthia Sutt. “We worked through the design and development process to give Discovery Point the usability and scalability they needed for their growing business and to have our work appreciated by our peers makes this very special.”

Cliff Clark, President and CEO of Discovery Point said, “Discovery Point is very proud of the work Rock Paper Scissors has provided for us and the long standing relationship between RPS and Discovery Point. Our website and other RPS work have been instrumental in keeping Discovery Point at the forefront of our industry. We look forward to more exciting work from RPS in coming years.”

Over the past sixteen years, the Summit Creative Award has established itself as the premier arbiter of creative excellence for small and medium sized advertising agencies and other creative groups with annual billings under $30 million. The competition recognizes and celebrates the creative accomplishments of these firm annually. Entries in 23 major categories are judged against a stringent set of standards. During the blind judging events (entering company names withheld) judges search for innovative and creative concepts, strong executions and the ability to communicate and persuade.

“Winning a Summit Creative Award is a significant accomplishment. The combination of our excellent judges and the tough judging criteria ensures that only deserving entries receive Summit recognized.” Said Jocelyn Luciano, Executive Director for the Summit International Awards. “It was an exciting year to watch and listen to the judges’ debate the details of individual entries. Making the decisions of which ones receive the top spots is hard.”

This year’s creative competition included companies from the following twenty-four countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, England, Germany, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Spain, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States and United Kingdom.

This year’s panel of international judges included:

• Normand Miron, President, Ogilvy 2B Interactive – Canada
• Christopher Jones, Principal & Creative Director, Stellar Debris Creative Studios – Japan
• Cindy Stern, Principal, Both Worlds Creative – United States
• Tom Roychoudhury, Chief Innovations Officer, MCN | Interpublic Group Company – Dubai
• Tony Adamic, Owner/Creative Director, Elevator – Croatia
• Pier Lalonde, Principal, Pixel & Co. Creative Marketing – Canada
• Louai Alasfahani, Managing Director/Creative Director, Paragon Marketing Communications – Kuwait
• Roberto Pedroso, Regional Creative Director, Saatchi&Saatchi – United States
• Richard Taylor, Principal, RT Strategic – Canada
• Jonathan Steinmann, Web Designer, CMI Web Studio – United States
• Daniel da Hora, Creative Consultant – Brazil
• Kyle Bailey, President, e-cubed.com Media Synthesis Inc. – Canada
• Stéphane Veilleux, Vice-President & Creative Director, Brad – Canada
• Kevin Hersh, Creative Director, MFX, Inc. – United States

Rock, Paper, Scissors, L.L.C., established in 1986, is a creative communication group experienced in branding programs, advertising, marketing, print and web design, and NOW video solutions. RPS prides itself in using custom solutions that provide the capabilities to give each client dynamic marketing and design options. For more information about RPS and its services visit http://www.123shoot.com.

The Summit International Awards (SIA) organization was founded in 1994. The organization conducts the Summit Creative Award, the Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award and the Summit Emerging Media Award. The 2010 competition is the 16th year for the creative competition. Additional information about the Summit International Awards organization, its competitions and winning firms can be found on the Summit Awards web site at www.summitawards.com.

Twitter: @summitawards
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SummitInternational
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Summit-International-;Awards/52564073025?ref=ts

Entrepreneur Magazine has generated its list of the Top 500 franchises for over 30 years. To begin generating the list, Entrepreneur asks franchisors to participate in a survey that helps scale the list of eligible companies down to 760. Based on financial and statistical data over the past two years, the list of top 500 companies is finalized.

The criteria to qualify for the list is what separates the extraordinary from the ordinary: financial strength and stability, growth rate, and size of the system are evaluated. These criteria apply to all the companies that are considered, no matter their size. Other factors are used to determine the list, such as the years of operation, how long they have been franchising, and whether the company provides financing.

Founder and president, Cliff Clark was immensely pleased to have Discovery Point enter the list, saying that “this recognition shows that Discovery Point is more than a child development center you see on your way home from work. We are a solid franchising company who is recognized as one of the best in the nation.”

For additional news about Discovery Point and how you can begin the process of opening a Center, please visit www.DiscoveryPoint.com.

About Discovery Point:
Discovery Point is the leading child development franchisor in the southeastern United States. Discovery Point has built over 60 world-class child development centers from the ground up in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee since the company started in 1988. Today, there are an additional 10 new centers under development, and the company plans to expand Discovery Pointʼs reach across the southeast. For more than 21 years, Discovery Point has provided quality childcare for families and offered franchisees a proven formula for success.

Discovery Point has chosen its 2010 President’s Award Winner. Since opening its first Center, Discovery Point Franchising, Inc. has awarded the most accomplished and outstanding Center Franchisee of that year with its prestigious President’s Award. With over 60 Centers from which to choose, this award is truly an honor to receive. This year, Shanett Battle was announced the winner of this prestigious award. She has operated Discovery Point 305 Highway 314, in Fayetteville, GA for three years and has demonstrated a standard of excellence in 2010 that made her the prime candidate for the award.

Each year Discovery Point selects one franchisee who displays a positive and upbeat attitude to both staff and customers, is actively involved in their community, maintains genuine relationships with other franchisees, has had a successful business year, works alongside Discovery Point Franchising, Inc. to reach out to potential and new franchisees, and works positively with their State representatives.

Shanett Battle has a strong commitment to Discovery Point and enjoys volunteering her time to speak with potential franchisees, as well as training new franchisees at her Center. Even in these economic conditions, her Center has maintained a healthy enrollment as her Center continues to grow.

In addition to a strong relationship with Discovery Point Franchising, Inc., Shanett is heavily involved in her community. She is a member of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, as well as a member of the Georgia Child Care Association. Shanett sponsors needy families in her community and exhibits strong customer service relations with her students’ parents. Shanett’s staff claims that she is “the best boss in the world” and is an “outstanding operator”.

Congratulations to Shanett Battle!

Neal Freeman, president of Watkins Associated Developers, is proposing a $12 million shopping center in Hoover’s Trace Crossings neighborhood geared toward kids and the moms that tote them around.

Watkins Associated Developers is “performing due diligence” on 11 acres at the corner of Stadium Trace Parkway and Brock’s Gap Road, near Regions Park, Freeman said.

Plans for Hoover Family Festival shopping center call for roughly 100,000 square feet of space that would be anchored by a baseball academy, an aquatic center and a retailer that holds birthday parties, similar to Dacula Kids Village, which Watkins developed and recently opened in Georgia.

Freeman said he has the land in Hoover under contract to purchase from USS Real Estate – developers of Trace Crossings – and plans are still in the preliminary stages.

But discussions currently are ongoing with a baseball and softball academy, an aquatic center, a local library, an inflatable birthday party store and a cheerleading academy for the local center, he said.

Some of the smaller space would be filled with retail geared toward parents for their children and themselves, including hair and nail salons, pet stores, bike stores, restaurants, coffee shops, clothing stores and more, he said.

This will be the sixth “kids village” concept Watkins Associated Developers has built. The most recent one just opened in Dacula, Ga., east of Atlanta.

Since opening a few short weeks ago, the Dacula Kids Village has been a huge success, said Candace Ragsdale, manager of the Dacula Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop.

“In sales, we have superseded what established stores have done,” she said of the franchise. “Day or night, the kids are drawn here.”

That’s no surprise to Jack Taylor, professor of retailing at Birmingham-Southern College.

“I like this concept,” he said. “It makes sense to me. The key is to have a destination point and it sounds like they’re building a destination point with the baseball diamond … and the assortment of stores will keep them there.”

Taylor said a shopping center with a family atmosphere is missing in Birmingham and if it’s located in the middle of Hoover – a city many young families call home – it should do well, calling it a good “bribe tool” for parents.

Ben & Jerry’s Ragsdale said the hook for the entire Dacula development has been the baseball academy – Jack City Sports Center – which has plans to bring children in year-round for games and lessons in baseball, basketball, football and soccer, as well as summer camps.

Jack City Sports Center moved its 10,000-square-foot facility to Dacula in April. The company is owned by Keith Whitner, former player for the Detroit Tigers, and staffed by numerous former and aspiring college and professional athletes.

Kyle White, an instructor at Jack City, said there’s been a steady flow of business that picks up every day since the Dacula Kids Village opened.

“The parking lot is always full,” he said. “There’s a new sporting goods store and people just bounce from store to store. It really helps some of the smaller stores to get established.”

Watkins’ Freeman said the shopping center will be built in a ring shape, with an entrance at one point and a baseball diamond and large playground near the middle.

Other attractions will include an amphitheater with a stage, where live performances can be held and movies can be shown.

“It will be set up nice as an entertainment area,” said Freeman. “You can go and not spend a dime.”

Read more: Kid-centered retail slated for Hoover – Birmingham Business Journal

The fall enrollment festivities began on July 31st at the Gwinnett Braves game. As children entered the stadium, they received Discovery Point kazoos, and were then invited to march along with Chopper, the Gwinnett Braves’ mascot, in a lap around the field. Discovery Point owners, Cliff and Diane Clark, were in attendance, as well as franchisees, Center staff members, and corporate team members. Why kazoos? “The theme of our celebration is ‘harmony’, because Discovery Point works in harmony with parents to give children a creative and balanced educational, child care experience”, said Cindy Sutt, owner of Rock, Paper, Scissors, the creative firm responsible for Discovery Point’s marketing. “It was so much fun to see kids’ faces light up when they were told they’d meet Chopper, and march around the field in the kazoo band. This was one of those moments that both kids and parents will remember.” The Discovery Point Dugout also hosted another local group of children from the Care For Cops organization. The Discovery Point Dugout is a 25-seat special seating section that hosts children from local organizations and charities, and will provide seats for the rest of the home-game season.

On August 7th, all Discovery Point locations held an Open House for new and current families to see all that Discovery Point has to offer. Centers provided an afternoon of games and refreshments, allowing children and parents alike to explore the facilities and understand the Discovery Point Experience™. Georgia centers, in partnership with B98.5FM, each had a family 4-pack of tickets to Sesame Street Live that visiting families had the chance to receive. “We had such an excellent turn-out for this year’s fall enrollment Open Houses. It was so exciting to see families come out and visit our centers and just have a great Saturday afternoon.” said Theresa Underwood, Discovery Point Franchise Support Director. Most centers gained new enrollments for the fall semester, in addition to welcoming back returning students.

Discovery Point is the leading child development franchisor in the southeastern United States. Discovery Point has built over 60 world-class child development centers from the ground up in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee since the company started in 1988. Today, there are an additional 10 new centers under development, and the company plans to expand Discovery Pointʼs reach across the southeast. For more than 21 years, Discovery Point has provided quality childcare for families and offered franchisees a proven formula for success.

For more information, visit www.discoverypoint.com.

The website offers current and prospective parents access to information about Discovery Point’s programs and philosophy. There is also a “look up” function that allows parents to search for Discovery Point centers in their area. Each Discovery Point center has a page on the website that the owners can customize and update with information about events and special offers.

Owners and teachers also have a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Marketing Section of the website at their disposal. This site allows owners to order promotional materials for Discovery Point events and promotions, such as Open House and summer camps. All materials have been professionally designed and are approved by Discovery Point Franchising.

The launch of the website is a large step forward in revamping Discovery Point’s image, both for parents and employees. “This website provides parents with the facts they need, and it also helps center owners feel more involved and in control of promoting their center.” said Cindy Sutt, owner of Rock, Paper, Scissors, the creative firm responsible for Discovery Point’s marketing and website development.

Discovery Point is a leading child development franchisor in the southeastern United States. Discovery Point has built over 60 world-class child development centers from the ground up in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee since the company started in 1988. Today, there are an additional 10 new centers under development, and the company plans to expand Discovery Pointʼs reach across the southeast. For more than 21 years, Discovery Point has provided quality childcare for families and offered franchisees a proven formula for success.

For more information, visit www.discoverypoint.com.

Cliff Clark, CEO
Discovery Point Franchising, Inc.

Contact:

Cliff Clark, CEO

Discovery Point Franchising

SPECIAL NEEDS ATHLETES SOAR, THANKS TO OWNERS OF DISCOVERY POINT

May 12, 2010. Cliff and Diane Clark, principal owners of Discovery Point Franchising, Inc. headquartered in Duluth, GA, are pleased to announce their participation in the 2010 Citation Special Olympics Airlift, which will take place on July 17th and July 24th in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Citation Special Olympics Airlift program enlists owners of Citation aircraft to donate their time, airplanes, crews, fuel and other related resources to transport Special Olympics athletes to the Special Olympics and then back home after the games are over. Having taken part in two previous Citation Special Olympic Airlifts—2006 in Des Moines, Iowa and 1999 in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, the Clarks say that this year’s goal is to recruit 325 Citation private jet aircraft and pilots who will be assigned to transporting 2000 athletes.

“It’s truly impressive to see 325 aircraft coming from all across the country and landing one after another over just a few hours,” says Cliff.

For more information about this year’s airlift, please visit

http://www.airlift.cessna.com/index.php?/info/about. For additional news about Discovery Point, please visit www.discoverypoint.com.

Cliff Clark, CEO
Discovery Point Franchising, Inc.

Contact: Cliff Clark, CEO

Discovery Point Franchising

Discovery Point Dugout in Full Swing Starting July 31st

July 13, 2010. Discovery Point is partnering with the Gwinnett Braves to provide 25 tickets to each home game for children in need. “Children enjoy the excitement of a ball game, and they should experience the fun,” said Diane Clark, co-owner of Discovery Point, “We decided to help make that happen.” Recipients of these tickets will be seated in the special “Discovery Point Dugout” and will receive a voucher for the concession stand, compliments of Discovery Point. These tickets will be made available to local agencies and organizations, including American Diabetes Association, Special Olympics of Gwinnett, Toys for Tots, and more, through the Gwinnett Braves Community Relations department.

On July 31st a pre-game parade around the ball field, lead by the Discovery Point Marching Band, will kick-off the Discovery Point Community Sponsorship. The band will be accompanied by a children’s kazoos section made up of game-day fans. Join us at Coolray Field for this exciting event and a great evening at the ballpark.

Discovery Point has always been a leader when it comes to giving back to the communities they serve. Cliff and Diane Clark, the owners of Discovery Point, have established a special connection with families across Georgia because of their commitment to children and families in-need. As the franchise system grows, their outreach is focused on touching even more young lives.

Discovery Point is a leading child development franchisor in the southeastern United States. Discovery Point has built over 60 world-class child development centers from the ground up in Georgia and Florida since the company started in 1988. Today, there are an additional 10 new centers under development, and the company plans to expand Discovery Pointʼs reach across the southeast. For more than 21 years, Discovery Point has provided quality childcare for families and offered franchisees a proven formula for success.

For more information, visit www.discoverypoint.com.

Cliff Clark, CEO

Discovery Point Franchising, Inc.