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On November 18-19, 1999, in Dallas Texas, a gathering of ice cream shop owners took place. If you forgot you were in a hotel meeting room, you might think that you were sitting in a gathering of patriots for the 13 American colonies planning the American Revolution. Impassioned speakers described dreams of freedom while debating the merits of unity and diversity, in response to the actions announced by their Franchisor one month prior regarding the future of store development and support in certain parts of the country. The people in attendance at this meeting had what they believed was an experience they never wanted to happen again. They felt the heavy hand of a franchise organization and didn't want more of that. Yet they knew that, divided, they would fall. They wanted unity without complete uniformity, individuality without isolation. It was plain as vanilla ice cream, these folks wanted to have their ice cream and eat it too. In January of 2000 the group voted to become an unincorporated association for the following objectives: In addition, they wanted the "ice cream" in the title to be their unifying element; the "and more" would symbolize the individual freedom that exists within the co-op. Members are allowed - even encouraged - to sell products other than ice cream, such as coffee, sandwiches, bagels and such. Since that first gathering in November 1999, many hours of committee meetings took place, which we are proud to say have brought about considerable progress and successful results. In May of 2000, the group agreed to change from an un-incorporated Association to a Corporation and voted to form the Association of Independent Ice Cream Retailers (AIIR). Also in May of 2000 following a nationwide search, the Association selected its ice cream manufacturer which would supply store with a complete line of quality products. In July of 2000 the first stores took delivery of ice cream, still not sure on a name. The stores began operating with no name and each did what they thought best in terms of individual local store marketing. In August of 2000 the Association chose a name for America's Newest Ice Cream Chain: "KaleidoScoops"- Ice Cream & More. This name is now trademarked and fully registered. By February 2001 we had grown to 25 stores fully operational under the KaleidoScoops banner. We also were incorporated in the State Of Delaware as America's Newest Ice Cream Co-op, KaleidoScoops. In April 2001 we opened our corporate headquarters and they are located in Wheaton, IL, a suburb of Chicago. begin our controlled growth in opening a variety of stores, not just conversion stores, we had the desire and ability to open brand new stores with new operators. During 2002 and 2003 we continued to open new stores as well as hired our own Advertising Agency to help develop our own image and marketing materials. We put to together a complete dry goods distribution network in order for our members to begin to see how our growth would help in purchasing power. As well, we were able to team up with a store design firm that helped us design and source out our equipment needs for our new members. However, we did not stop there, since our initial meeting and ongoing, we at KaleidoScoops have operating committees comprised of co-op members that help set our strategic direction and assist in many ways, making sure that all co-op members have a voice in the company. We believe this type of structure will help us with continued growth for many years to come, both from conversions of existing ice cream stores and new members with new locations. Every member of the KaleidoScoops Board of Directors owns and operates an ice cream shop, compared to a franchise's board that might be dominated by stockholders who are not storeowners. KaleidoScoops board is set up that way to ensure that everything it does is in the best interest of the members. |
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