TEXAS PRODUCES TOP FRANCHISES FIVE OF ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINES TOP 30 NEW FRANCHISES ARE IN TEXAS (1/01)

Entrepreneur Magazine just released the 22nd annual Franchise 500® list. In their Top 30 New Franchises category, five of the thirty are based in Texas. That's 1 out of 6!

ACE America's Cash Express - franchise 500 rank: 48, Top New Franchise: #1 ACE Cash Express, Inc. is headquartered in Irving, Texas and is the largest owner, operator, and franchisor of check-cashing stores in the United States. Founded in 1968, the company has a total network of 1,208 stores, consisting of 1,045 company-owned stores and 163 franchised stores in 33 states and the District of Columbia. ACE also maintains automatic check-cashing machines, which provide Financial Services without the need for a service associate, at 21 locations. ACE offers a broad range of financial and check-cashing services and is one of the largest providers of MoneyGram wire transfer transactions. In addition, ACE offers money orders, bill payment services, and prepaid local and long distance telecommunic ation services. Under ACE's agreement with Goleta National Bank (GNB), GNB currently makes small consumer loans available to customers at various ACE company-owned stores.

Christmas Décor, Inc. - Franchise 500 rank: 168, Top New Franchise: #9 Christmas Décor, a Lubbock, Texas based franchisor, offers a program to seasonal landscaping and construction companies that create opportunity to generate profits in the off-season. The company provides franchisees training, on-going education and support, and all the materials and forms needed to start their residential and commercial holiday and event decorating service. Blake Smith, previously the owner of a landscaping company, founded Christmas Décor in 1986 in order to solve the problem of low revenues in his off-season. Year after year the solution worked wonders for his bottom line. So, in 1996 he began offering the Franchise Opportunity to like businesses. Christmas Décor currently has 274 franchises in 45 states and 17 in Canada.

HomeVestors of America Inc. - Franchise 500 rank: 189, Top New Franchise: #11. HomeVestors of America, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is a franchise for professional real estate investors. Franchise members specialize in purchasing houses that are undervalued; 'rehabbing' the houses; and selling them at a profit. Ken D'Angelo, founder of the concept, developed a system of marketing to potential sellers using the simple message, "We buy houses, any condition" which has now evolved to the widely recognized slogan "We buy ugly houses". To generate business for their franchisees, HomeVestors promotes the "Ugly House" message through mass advertising such as billboards, TV, and Yellow Pages to attract homeowners willing to trade full market price for an immediate cash sale at a discount. In addition, the company has developed proprietary software for franchisees that evaluates houses to determine repair costs and market value. HomeVesters provides financing for franchisees to buy houses and will also finance credit-injured buyers that can only afford a small down payment. HomeVesters currently has more than 40 franchise owners in seven states.

Mr. Appliance Corp. - Franchise 500 rank: 235, Top New Franchise: #16 Established in 1996, Mr. Appliance is the latest Franchising concept for The Dwyer Group (NASDAQ: DWYR). The major household and commercial appliance and Repair franchise supports approximately 25 franchisees nationwide and was listed among Business Start-Ups magazine's "Top 100 Low-Investment Franchises" and Entrepreneur Magazine's "Franchise 500". The Dwyer Group Inc., based in Waco, Texas supports over 900 franchisees in the United States and nearly 400 franchisees in 23 countries. The Dwyer Group's franchise concepts include: Rainbow International Carpet Care and Restoration Specialists, Mr. Rooter (Drain Doctor in the UK), Mr. Electric, Glass Doctor, Aire Serv Heating & Air Conditioning and an associate company, DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen by Worldwide. Combined, these concepts offer a broad base of residential and commercial services. The Dwyer Group's objective is to reach $1/2 billion in annualized system-wide sales by 2003 and have 3,000 locations worldwide by 2005.

Wingstop Restaurants, Inc. - Franchise 500 rank: 336, Top New Franchises: #27 Wingstop is a Dallas, Texas based franchise operation founded by Restaurant veteran, Antonio Swad. The restaurant offers a nostalgic, aviation-themed atmosphere in which the sole focus is on chicken wings. They feature eight unique wing flavors: Original Hot, Cajun, Atomic, Mild, Teriyaki, Lemon Pepper, Hawaiian Barbeque, and Garlic Parmesan. The wings are always made-to-order and served steaming hot. Customers can also choose from a variety of beers, soft drinks, and homemade side dishes: bourbon-baked beans, freshly cut and seasoned fries, pearl potato salad, vegetable sticks, rolls, and assorted dipping sauces. Currently, Wingstop has 21 franchises open with 37 under development, in just over a two-year period.