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Clothes Mentor Named to 2018 Franchise Times Top 200+ List

Top-Performing Women’s Resale Clothing Franchise Earns Spot on Franchise Times’ Annual Ranking of More Than 500 Franchise Systems

(MINNETONKA, Minn.) – Clothes Mentor, NTY Franchise Company’s national women’s resale clothing franchise headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is celebrating their inclusion in Franchise Times Top 200+® 2018 list. The annual ranking measures systemwide sales and units of the largest 500 U.S.-based franchise brands. It is the second national honor for Clothes Mentor this year, following their inclusion in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 in January.

“It’s always an honor to be recognized by leading franchise media outlets like Franchise Times,” NTY Franchise Company COO Chad Olson said. “We’re very proud of the Clothes Mentor brand.”

Clothes Mentor was NTY Franchise Company’s first brand, launched when the company purchased the franchising rights in 2007. The resale designer clothing franchise has seen tremendous growth over the last three years, opening 38 new units around the United States since 2015. Clothes Mentor specializes in buying and selling like-new designer clothing, shoes and accessories for women.

Clothes Mentor jumped 11 spots from their position on the 2017 list, thanks to robust sales of more than $84 million from their 145 nationwide stores. Thanks to their community-friendly resale model, Clothes Mentor has successfully recycled more than 42 million items of mall brand and designer clothing; and paid women more than $172 million for their gently-used items since 2007.

“Clothes Mentor is leading the $17 billion resale industry today because we offer high quality, gently-used clothing for a fraction of their retail price, but we also put money in the pockets local families when we buy their gently-used items and donate their items we don’t buy to local charities,” Olson explained.

The Franchise Times Top 200+ is published in the October issue and available in a searchable database online. Along with measuring systemwide sales and units, it also analyzes industry sectors based on percentage change in sales growth, reports the 10 fastest growing franchises by four different measures, and includes exclusive news stories about the biggest names in franchising. The rankings and full report, and the searchable online database, are available at www.franchisetimes.com.

To learn more about NTY Franchising Company, visit their website at ntyfranchise.com.

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About Clothes Mentor

Clothes Mentor started with two existing locations in 2006 and began expanding the brand the same year. As of January 2018, the company has 145 stores in 42 states with many more in development. Clothes Mentor is a resale-based women’s designer fashion brand known as being cutting-edge in both high-end designer fashion and technology. The company buys and sells like-new apparel, shoes, and accessories for all women, Sizes 0-26, petites, and maternity. The inventory comes from the same customers who shop in the store, and sellers are offered cash on-the-spot or credit toward a new purchase. With stores throughout the United States, each store serves its local community in both buying and selling gently-used, designer clothing, shoes, boots, handbags, jewelry, and other accessories.

About NTY Franchise Company

Founded in 2006 by Ron Olson, NTY Franchise Company is the gold standard in resale franchising companies. NTY franchises five brands, all with a different focus: Clothes Mentor, Children’s Orchard, Device Pitstop, New Uses, and NTY Clothing Exchange. The brands are all resale-based and cover women’s designer fashions, children’s apparel and accessories, furniture and household goods, electronic sales and repair, and clothing for teens and young adults. All are great business opportunities with cutting-edge technology, unmatched support, and lucrative resale franchises. NTY Franchise Company has helped individuals to establish resale stores throughout the United States in many communities, and it has territories available to develop nationwide.

 

Ronald G. Olson

President

Ron Olson has been President and a Director of NTY Franchise Company since October 2006. Ron’s background included starting his career at Dayton’s Department Store, where he held many management positions. In 1977 he opened his own furniture store in Minnesota, which was a Drexel Heritage prototype store. In 1988 he co-founded Grow Biz International, now called Winmark. The first franchise rights that Olson purchased and started marketing was Play It Again Sports. Olson continued buying the Franchise rights for Once Upon A Child, Plato’s Closet, and Music Go Round. Today there over 1,000 Franchise locations.

Under NTY Franchise Company, the franchise rights were bought for Clothes Mentor and New Uses. In 2013 Olson bought Laptop Exchange and changed the name to Device Pitstop. In 2014 the company opened NTY Clothing Exchange and NTY Kids, now Children’s Orchard. There are currently 204 stores sold and 133 stores opened under the NTY Franchise umbrella.

Chad Olson

Chief Operations Officer

Chad Olson has been Chief Operations Officer of NTY Franchise Company since January 2007. From May 1994 to December 2006, he held various positions for Winmark Corporation (f/k/a Grow Biz International, Inc.), including Field Operations Manager for the Once Upon a Child concept from 1999 to 2002, and Regional Operations Manager for the Plato’s Closet concept from 2002 to 2006.

Sarah Primmer

Vice President of Finance & Human Resources

Sarah Primmer is the Vice President of Finance and Human Resources for NTY Franchise Company. She joined the company in January 2014. Prior to joining NTY, Sarah spent over 25 years as the controller and business manager of a local sales and marketing firm calling on Target stores.

Michael D. Smith

Vice President of Strategic Planning

Michael D. Smith has held numerous roles with NTY Franchise since 2010. He is currently the Vice President of Franchise Development and Strategic Planning. From December 2000 to July 2010, Michael held the position of Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the franchise company Laptop Xchange. From June 1994 to December 2000, Michael held numerous roles within the Grow Biz International brands of Play It Again Sports and Computer Renaissance. These roles included Corporate Store Management, Field Operation Specialist, and Franchisee.

Jenny Mann

Vice President of Operations | Executive Director of IT

Jenny Mann is the Senior Vice President Clothes Mentor and Children’s Orchard. In February of 2024, Jenny took on her current role overseeing IT, Marketing and the e-commerce platforms for both brands. Prior to this, Jenny was the Director of Marketing for NTY Franchise Company since January 2013. Jenny started with the NTY Franchise Company in 2008 with Clothes Mentor and has held many roles, including; Store Manager, New Store Opener, and Regional Operations Manager. Before joining NTY Franchise Company, Jenny worked for Old Navy (Gap, Inc.) and Target in management roles.

Michelle Vaudrin

Senior Director of Operations

Michelle Vaudrin is the Senior Director of Operations for Clothes Mentor and Children’s Orchard. Prior to joining NTY Franchise Company in March 2016, she worked in leadership roles for Burlington, American Eagle and Macy’s. Michelle attended University of Wisconsin-Stout with a degree in Retail Merchandising and Business Administration. She brings extensive background in training of strategies, merchandising, customer service and multi-unit store operations to the team.

Ashley Huebner

Director of Marketing

Ashley Huebner oversees NTY Franchise Company’s marketing and advertising efforts to drive sales, build brand awareness and lead the planning on how to effectively market both brands. She leads creative initiatives for NTY Franchise Company, driving the brands’ vision in aesthetics, tone, and trends to elevate our brand position as a leader in the resale category. Ashley joined the Clothes Mentor team in March of 2015. Ashley has 8+ years of Graphic Design experience. Ashley holds a strong background in design, user experience, and a passion for creativity. She holds a BA degree in Advertising and Art.

Jessica Fix

Franchise Contract and Office Administrator

Jessica Fix is the Franchise Contracts and Office Administrator for NTY Franchise Company. She started with the company in January of 2018. Jessica works alongside the Franchise Development Team and provides office support to the headquarter office. She has 20 years in the franchise industry, previously working for Carlson Leisure Group/Travel Leaders Franchise Group in a variety of roles, such as Database Coordinator, Legal Contract Administrator, and Executive Assistant to the Franchise Sales Team.