World’s largest supplier of small-quantity metals honours Florida entrepreneurs with Bill Mair Award for Franchisee of the Year
Metal Supermarkets has announced that Florida franchise owners, Stan and Natalie Kinnett, of the Metal Supermarkets stores in Sarasota and Orlando (South), were honored with the Bill Mair Franchisee of the Year award at the network’s 2023 Franchisee Conference.
Held in Memphis, Tennessee from September 28–30, the “In It to Win It” themed conference honored Metal Supermarkets franchisees, like the Kinnetts, for their excellence in 2023 while celebrating the brand’s overall growth and success.
During the conference, franchisees heard presentations from Metal Supermarkets’ head office staff and participated in interactive presentations, networking sessions and Q&A panels. The three-day event provided an opportunity for franchisees to learn from and connect with each other while also gaining further insights into the brand’s status and business plans. Top-performing franchisees, like the Kinnetts, were celebrated during the annual awards ceremony and presentation.
“Every year, we look forward to recognizing franchisees who go above and beyond to serve our customers, as well as grow their Metal Supermarkets business and the brand as a whole,” said Stephen Schober, president and CEO of Metal Supermarkets. “We accomplished a lot in 2023, and franchisees like Stan and Natalie Kinnett played a big part in our ability to innovate, grow and succeed together.”
Named for the late founder of Metal Supermarkets, the Bill Mair Award for Franchisee of the Year recognizes the Kinnetts’ operational and customer service excellence, strong performance and true dedication to the Metal Supermarkets brand. The Florida-based husband-and-wife team opened their first store in Sarasota in 2018 and their second store in Orlando (South) in 2021. The Kinnetts are supported by a dedicated, customer service–oriented team, including other family members: Their son, Nick, is the Sarasota store manager and their niece, KC Neill, is the senior customer service representative (CSR).
To grow their business, the Kinnetts focus on providing customer service excellence and setting high performance expectations to improve employee expertise, ensure customer satisfaction and increase sales. Notably, their store in Sarasota has held a customer loyalty and satisfaction score of 93 per cent since first opening its doors. Stan has also volunteered to participate on the network’s Franchise Advisory Council for nearly four years, helping to provide franchisee feedback and ideas to better the brand.
“We are so honored to be chosen as this year’s Bill Mair Award recipients,” said Stan Kinnett. “Everyone at our store believes in customer relationships. They know customer service builds brand loyalty. Since day one, this family team has worked together, learned the system and assisted each other to grow. We also appreciate the support of all our employees who played a key role in this success.”
