Three Northwest Nazarene University seniors participated in a course titled “Franchise Venture” this spring. The class tasked each student to prepare a business plan for a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise.

The three students presented those plans May 5 before an eight-judge panel that included Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Founder and CEO Frank Crail. Following the presentation, the panel selected a winner who received his own Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise located in Petaluma, California. After a short but difficult deliberation, Ben Circeo was announced as the franchise recipient.

Circeo is a financial economics major from Mill Creek, Washington.

“I’m overwhelmed," he said. "One reason I came to NNU was the size of the business program and the opportunity to work closely with the professors. Drs. Crabb and Chaplin have both been great and have built up my confidence and skill. Even faculty members not in my major have invested in me here.”

Crail explained what made Circeo’s presentation stand out.

“Ben is very energetic, enthusiastic and well-spoken, and he has a very good plan," he said. "I have no doubt he is going to excel.”

Circeo participated in a special commencement ceremony specifically for athletes that evening and then left for baseball playoffs in Billings, Montana, on Wednesday. 

“Next, I get to go home for a bit," he said. "Then I’m headed to Durango, Colorado, for franchise management training with a projected open date for my franchise of July 15.”

Casey Crail, field consultant for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, was another of the eight judges. He is also an NNU alumnus and member of the NNU Business Advisory Board.

“We are delighted to partner with NNU on this initiative to foster the entrepreneurial spirit in graduating seniors and to give them a platform for developing real experience in the world of business ownership," Casey said. "Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has a passion for entrepreneurship because it’s the backbone of our franchise business model, so providing an opportunity to own and operate an actual store location for a bright NNU student is a real treat.”

Frank also has a connection to NNU.

“I’ve had four of my own kids graduate from NNU, and they’ve all had excellent experiences," he said. "Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has had a program like this at Missouri Western, and the event today is the culmination of many months of planning to bring the same opportunity to Northwest Nazarene University. There were three great presentations to choose from, and the hardest part is picking only one. We hope this will be the first of many years of offering the [franchise competition] program at NNU.”

Established in 1981 and headquartered in Durango, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory operates as an international franchisor with operations in the U.S., Canada, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company continually strives to cultivate excitement and appeal in the confectionery industry.

The mission of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory highlights the importance of giving back to the community and currently supports 13 national and local organizations that work to better society. With the number of stores approaching 350 worldwide, the potential for an NNU student to own and operate a franchise location is a unique opportunity.

--Northwest Nazarene University