ExecuTrain Board Member Becomes Director of Franchise Sales

ExecuTrain, the world's leading business education provider, has announced that Rich Karakis, former ExecuTrain franchisee and Board Member, will take on responsibilities as Director of Franchise Sales.

Rich will continue his duties as a Board Member for ExecuTrain, while he concentrates on expanding distribution in several major markets.

"We are pleased that Rich will use his extensive business experience to grow our business," said Ray Kelly, CEO of ExecuTrain. "I can think of no one better prepared to introduce the ExecuTrain system to potential business partners than someone who has been a successful entrepreneur and franchisee himself."

Rich began his relationship with ExecuTrain 13 years ago, when he purchased franchise rights to the San Jose and San Francisco markets as a franchisee. As a leading franchisee within the ExecuTrain system, Rich served as an elected member of the Franchise Advisory Board and was a charter Board Member of the Franchise Owner's Association. Rich recently sold his ExecuTrain franchise in order to focus on his new responsibilities.

Prior to purchasing an ExecuTrain franchise, Rich was with Xerox as a Branch Manager. He has also served as COO of Franklin's Printing, a leading franchisor in the printing industry, and as Manager of Apple's U.S. Reseller Group.

"Existing training providers can truly benefit from joining the ExecuTrain system," said Karakis. "The ExecuTrain brand not only offers visibility to their business, but also gives them access to resources and potential business opportunities that they could not access alone."

The Dershya Institute of Orlando, FL is a good example of that: "Our clients now have access to a broader array of the industry's highest quality training and customer service," said Dershya Song, CEO of ExecuTrain of Orlando. "Many of our clients conduct business throughout the U.S. and the world, and have asked for consistent quality service and training administration in all of their locations. We can now offer a wider variety of training solutions that we can integrate to their best benefit, anywhere they need a solution."

Rich is focusing on the development of several major markets, including New York, Northern New Jersey, Detroit, Denver, Miami/South Florida and Boston. Existing successful local or regional training companies, like the Dershya Institute in Orlando, are top candidates for these opportunities.

Founded in 1984, ExecuTrain is the world's leading business education provider. The company's comprehensive, customer-focused solutions include instructor-led and technology-based training, as well as course development and training on desktop applications, technical applications/management, general business management/skills and client-specific software applications. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga., privately held ExecuTrain has more than 230 locations in 35 countries, and has trained more than 10 million people worldwide.