North Bay Small Business Receives Two Top National Awards

Just Between Friends of North Bay Named “Franchise of the Year” Consignment Event also receives “Community Impact Award” for Helping Fire Victims

Santa Rosa, Calif. – A small business from the North Bay is receiving national recognition as Franchise of the Year for Just Between Friends Franchise System, Inc. (JBF). JBF is North America’s leading children’s and maternity consignment sales event. Local couple, Jennifer and Matt Hundley, received the honor at the company’s national conference in January. The Hundley’s own and operate the popular consignment event that happens twice a year. For more than eight years, the Hundleys have helped thousands of families throughout the North Bay area save money and earn money on items for their children. At the JBF events, local families sign up as consignors and sell the new and gently used children’s items their families have outgrown. They can earn between 60% and 65% of the selling price and literally turn “clutter into cash.” Other families shop the JBF events and can typically save 50% to 90% off retail on items such as children’s clothing, toys, baby equipment, furniture and much more.   The independent judges who chose the North Bay franchisee said key deciding factors were their leadership skills and the ability to build strong business partnerships.  They also cited their ability to respond to changes in the marketplace and work with their team members, consignors and shoppers to improve their events.  “This franchisee understands the value of teamwork and leadership,” said the judges. These changes resulted in strong numbers for their event in just one year, including 13% growth in consignors and 7% growth in sales.In addition, the judges were impressed with their commitment to their community. They give back through charitable donations to Active 20-30, a charity that inspires millions of diverse 20-39-year-olds to “Make a Difference,” through fundraising and volunteering. “I am thrilled that the judges chose Just Between Friends of North Bay. This is such a well-deserved award. The Hundleys’ ability to adjust to changes in the marketplace has allowed them to continue to grow in the competitive resale market. They are a leader in our franchise system. Their generosity to their community, especially during the wildfires in Northern California, is a testament to their giving spirit and the mission of JBF to give back,” said Shannon Wilburn, CEO and Co-founder of Just Between Friends Franchise Systems, Inc. That is why a separate team of independent judges also awarded Jennifer and Matt Hundley with the Community Impact Award for serving their community during the deadly wildfires that began October 8, 2017 in Sonoma and Napa Counties. Using the resources through their business, The Hundleys and Just Between Friends North Bay opened their storage facility full of donations and partnered with their charity, Active 20-30, to help victims. They spread the word that they had free items to help families and a team of volunteers worked to assess and meet the needs of hundreds of families victimized by the fire. In many cases, they hand delivered items. They continued this process through the end of 2017. In addition to winning Franchise of the Year and the Community Impact Award, The Hundleys were also awarded Ruby Top Achiever Status.“We owe both awards to our amazing team of selfless community members who help us pull off these large scale biannual events!  Many of these same angels sprang into action when the wildfires broke out. Within hours they were at our storage facility sorting donations and putting together a week’s worth of clothing and supplies for babies and children. They even hand delivered to families that were unable to reach us,” said Jennifer Hundley.JBF-North Bay is planning its spring event March 8- 11 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. For more information or to schedule an interview with Jennifer or Matt Hundley or with JBF Co-founder and CEO Shannon Wilburn, contact Diane White at 918-770-3905 or DianeWhite@jbfsale.com  We can also provide photos and video.  About Just Between FriendsIn 1997, Just Between Friends was created in a living room in Tulsa, Oklahoma when Shannon Wilburn, a mother of two young children, and her friend Daven Tackett hosted a sale with 17 friends as consignors and had gross sales of $2000.  The sales caught on with families and grew, so in 2003, they formed Just Between Friends Franchise Systems, Inc.  Wilburn is now sole owner and CEO of Just Between Friends Franchise Systems, Inc., which has more than 150 franchises in 30 states and one in Canada. System-wide sales in 2017 were almost 30 million dollars. Forbes Magazine named Just Between Friends one of the top ten franchises in the United States in the under $150,000 investment category for three straight years. JBF was also named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 500 Franchises for six years.  Just Between Friends Franchise Systems Inc. also received a “Franchisee Satisfaction Award” and was named in the Top 50 franchises by “Franchise Business Review” for the past ten years. JBF has been featured on numerous national television shows including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Real Biz with Rebecca Jarvis, CBS Early Show, Fox News,ABC News,CNN, Headline News, Inside Edition and CNBC’s The Big Idea. They have also been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNBC.com, Inc.com as well as in many top markets including Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco and Philadelphia and on popular websiteswww.yahoo.com, www.sheknows.com and Disney website www.family.com.