Dave George of Williamsport found himself amidst the chaos of the economy. George was working for a company on the verge of total bankruptcy.
He marginally avoided lay- offs when he was plant manager at Foamex in Williamsport's industrial section on Reach Road. George accepted a position as manufacturing excellence manager at the company's corporate office.
Unfortunately, nine months later George was unable to avoid the next set of layoffs.
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SHAWNA TURNER/Sun-Gazette
Sherri George, co-owner of Dominic's, mans the counter at the kiosk in front of Lowe's.
"Finding myself without a job and way too much time on my hands, I noticed a small ad in the Sun-Gazette," George said.
George bought the Dominic's of New York kiosk located outside of Lowe's in Montoursville.
"Physically Dominic's is a kiosk that sits in front of Lowe's in Montoursville. We sell the finest quality hot italian sandwiches and I mean that sincerely," George said.
The kiosk was opened Thanksgiving weekend in 2007.
According to George, he learned from the previous black friday and made some changes to make the experience more enjoyable for the customer. "This year for Black Friday we opened 0 dark hundred hours and offered free coffee to everyone," George said.
According to George, his wife Sherri conducts the day to day operations and he handles the accounting and administrative management responsibilities.
In addition to the George's, there are also three part time employees.
George began implementing changes to improve the kiosk.
The product quality is important to George.
"Catastrophic in the food service industry is the cost of poor quality. We use only approved certified suppliers who provide only the highest quality meats, breads and condiments," George said.
"I focused on employee training to consistently provide our customers with a superior product that would exceed their expectations," George said.
According to George they also began accepting credit cards, offered gift certificates to fit all budgets and extended the hours to match the store hours. An area was designed for dine in customers.
"Sherri has always had a flare for design and creating an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere," George said.
According to George, they implemented a monthly commercial account luncheon. George provided a luncheon for their commercial accounts free of charge.
"I personally serve this meal. I find it a great way to meet and chat with our contractor customers," George said.
George added coupons in the yellow book and accepts phone orders as well.
"This helps people with short lunch breaks and relieves congestion during the busy lunch period," George said.
George won Franchisee of the Year award for service provided in 2007.
"This award is granted to somebody who took over a location and turned it around. He didn't even have the location for a whole year, but did an amazing job in the time he had it," said John Felico, president/CEO of FoodNet Franchising Inc.
"We're having a great time operating the business. It is truly a lot of fun. We've made many new friends and have become reacquainted with people we have not seen in years," George said.
Dominic's of New York is open Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
