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| Teri and Mike Poole at their Lodge at Belle Island Hunting Club |
It was this fateful question, when asked to Mike Poole, from his friend in Oklahoma, Steve Cromwell, who owns several Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt stores, that the beginning of Orange Leaf LA sparked into existence. This ONE simple question led the Poole family on a journey that has brought them more joy than could ever have been expected. "Orange Leaf LA is truly a family venture and keeps the kids laughing, on their toes, but more importantly allows them each and everyday to meet new people and form great relationships, who they might not ever had the chance to meet otherwise." states Mike. Teri and Mike Poole, watching from the sidelines, are so overjoyed to see their children working together, and not only that, SUCCEEDING TOGETHER.
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| Tom & Shannon Hagan |
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| Brittany & Cade Eskridge |
When THE question was posed to Mike, he tapped his son-in-law, Tom Hagan, husband to his oldest Shannon to take the reigns of the new venture. Tom went to Oklahoma to visit & speak with Orange Leaf Corporate, and that was all she wrote as they say. Two weeks later, Olyla, LLC (Orange Leaf Yogurt Louisiana) was formed & with that, signed a contract capturing the rights to the entire state of Louisiana. The frozen yogurt business was an entirely new adventure, and a long jump from the Oil & Gas business in which they all worked in. Everything had to be learned and implemented in a very short amount of time. Tom, along with Mike, picked MONROE for the first store.
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| Amy & Brad Lawrence |
Tom immediately got his sister and her husband, Amy and Brad Lawrence, involved as they live in Monroe. From beginning to end, these three waded thought the new experiences of the frozen yogurt business, and pulled off the success that the Monroe store still achieves one year later. When Monroe opened in December 2010, it was apparent that Tom, Brad and Amy needed help and LOTS of it. “Shifting into high gear, “ as Mike so often relayed to his kids, was the only way OLYLA, LLC would capture the Frozen Yogurt markets for the 15 required stores that were to open in Louisiana over the next 4 years. So, what does a family do when called upon to jump? They say How High? And that is just what the ENTIRE family did. Shannon & her sister, Brittany Eskridge were the next to enter the yogurt wars in January 2011. Brittany’s husband, Cade Eskridge, was shortly to follow. Brittany and Shannon’s brother, Shane Poole jumped on board in May, and that was the last piece of the puzzle.
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| Shane Poole w/ Michael & Catherine |
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| Tom, Shane, Cade, Shannon & Brittany |
“It’s funny.”, Shannon says, “Brittany and I share an office and the boys share the other. The laughter we hear through the walls on a hourly basis leaves Brittany and I staring at each other and shaking our heads. Work isn’t supposed to be this fun, or is it?” asks Shannon.
OLYLA will open 5 more stores in the next 2 months, so things are moving at an extremely fast pace. “In less than a year, we will have 8 of 15 stores open”, says Brittany. “The kids are getting into it, too. My daughter, Catherine, will be the Dreaming of an Orange Christmas girl depicted in our magazine ads next month!” states Shane. The older kids are some of the best employees, serving as shift leaders during time on the floor at Orange Leaf. “OLYLA will employ over 100 employees by the end of 2011,” states Cade. “That is something to be proud of.” The Orange Leaf Louisiana employees are fun, energetic and dependable. A better team couldn't have been assembled if they tried harder.
So proud of my family! Shannon
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