From Local Print and Sign Shop Owner to Corporate Executive 

When Lisa Buehler and her husband, Darwin, arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas 33 years ago, they had no idea of the professional growth that was on the horizon.

Lisa and Darwin began their careers in the restaurant industry, working for Hardee’s Food Systems. Once in Little Rock, Darwin continued his journey with Hardee’s Food Systems and Lisa went to work for a local Applebee’s franchisee opening restaurants as their general manager. Through their work, the couple learned and developed their skills in customer service.

“Your job at a restaurant is to make sure that the guests are taken care of and leave happy,” said Lisa. “You can learn how to cook and take care of customers, but if you don’t have that mindset, you’re not going to have happy customers.”

Entrepreneurially minded, the couple eventually changed directions, guided by their desire to work in a different industry. This passion is what led the duo to start looking into franchises, and that’s when they came across Alliance Franchise Brands. 

Known for serving the multi-billion-dollar market for marketing, print, signage and visual communication services, Alliance Franchise Brands is considered a leader in franchise training, technology and implementation. 

“What stood out to me about Alliance Franchise Brands in our initial franchise search was their support and care for franchise members,” said Lisa. “I knew that if we decided to franchise with Alliance, we would greatly benefit from their support and training programs as we started our journey into business ownership.”

The Buehler’s took the leap and opened their Allegra Print and Imaging of Arkansas in Little Rock in 1991.

              

Nearly 30 years later, the couple continued to enhance and scale their business with more than 15 different acquisitions. In 2010, they made the decision to grow with Alliance Franchise Brands and purchased an existing Signs Now franchise, now Image360, located in Little Rock as well. The new services were welcomed by local businesses and made the brand a mainstay in the community.

“After purchasing the second franchise with Alliance Franchise Brands, we continued to build a dedicated team to help us support the community with our capabilities and uphold the customer service values that we instilled in our Allegra Center. Because of our loyal and hard-working team, our Centers have been able to work on big projects over the years, including major apartment complexes and a large job for Amazon in Huntsville,” said Lisa.

The humility, hard work and accomplishments of Lisa and Darwin caught the attention of the franchisor, Alliance Franchise Brands. Consistently, Lisa’s devoted time and attention toward supporting other Center owners around the country was well received and beneficial. In tandem to her steadfast dedication and continuous desire for growth, Lisa was on her way to taking on a new role with the company. 

In early 2023, the Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Franchise Brands, Mike Marcantonio, sat down with Lisa to discuss an opportunity that would further her professional development – a position as the President Marketing and Visual Communications Brands, where she would oversee and support hundreds of franchise members in the Alliance Franchise Brands family. 

“At the heart of Mike and my conversation was our mutual dedication to putting franchise members first in all that we do,” Lisa said. “We both firmly believe in placing their needs, success, and satisfaction at the forefront of our actions and decisions. He reminded me of the fervent support at our Center, and emphasized this was an opportunity for me to take the leap and pass on what I’ve learned to others starting their franchise journeys.”

Shortly after the conversation, Lisa accepted Mike’s offer.

Now, as the President Marketing and Visual Communications Brands, Lisa devotes her full-time efforts to providing franchise members with guidance and insights drawn from her own experiences. She also supports the Alliance Franchise Brands home office members in their dedication to their primary core value: franchise members first.

“Over the years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of franchise members that have been in the industry for a long time,” Lisa said. “It’s a great opportunity to support others while giving the home office team a different perspective of the franchise members.”  

In the past four months, Lisa has been able to support franchise members in improving operations, scaling their business and by providing support and guidance. 

Lisa is an inspiration to entrepreneurs and serves as a reminder that hard work and dedication towards your team can create endless opportunities. Firmly focused on supporting other entrepreneurs like herself, she is eager to leave a lasting impression for Alliance Franchise Brands.

“Change can happen when you least expect it,” Lisa said. “I am proud of the progress my team, Darwin and myself have made thus far, and I look forward to supporting franchise members in the future.”

 

Lisa Buehler holds the esteemed position of President Marketing and Visual Communications Brands at Alliance Franchise Brands. With over three decades of valuable expertise in marketing, print, signage and visual communication service, she possesses unparalleled qualifications to offer guidance to professionals in the field. To contact Lisa, email lisab@alliancefranchisebrands.com