Call me, DEFINITELY!

By now, most everyone has heard the Carly Rae Jepson song, Call me maybe, right?  Well, if you haven't, then WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?  When you search  "Call me maybe" on GOOGLE, literally hundreds of videos are posted with different people and groups covering (lip-synching) to the catchy tune!

Harvard Baseball Team

It all started with the HARVARD BASEBALL team (except for one player who sleeps through the entire video), doing a COVER to Carly's #1 tune. Billboard.com even put together a TOP 10 List of the BEST Call me maybe Covers! 

Watch NOW! Billboard.com 10 BEST CALL ME MAYBE COVERS

Insight Creative Group

So, what does ORANGE LEAF do when they see something FUN?  They do it, too! First, it was ICG (our advertising agency) that jumped on the COVER bandwagon!  Very professionally made, and VERY FUNNY, too! 

Watch NOW!  Call me maybe : Insight Creative Group

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt CORPORATE

Then, ORANGE LEAF CORPORATE took their turn!  In their new offices in OKC, they let us behind the Wizards curtain to see where the OLY magic is born!Then, ORANGE LEAF CORPORATE took their turn!  In their new offices in OKC, they let us behind the Wizards curtain to see where the OLY magic is born! 

Watch NOW! Call me maybe : Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt Corporate OLY Louisiana Style We here at ORANGE LEAF LOUISIANA couldn't let it end there!  We decided to make our own cover!  Getting all our employees from the 8 LA stores to send in their versions of Call me maybe, with a little Orange Leaf Mix Magic thrown in!  So, debuting this week, the newest VIDEO in the Call me maybe COVER list!  "Call me maybe:Orange Leaf Louisiana Style".  Think we would have made the BILLBOARD.com top 10 list? ENJOY! Watch NOW!  Call me maybe: Orange Leaf LOUISIANA!

I'll have another - KENTUCKY STYLE!

No one quite believed when I’ll Have Another nipped Creative Cause in the Santa Anita Derby. They’ll believe in him now.  Saturday before a record crowd of 165,307 at Churchill Downs in Lexington, KY, I’ll Have Another ran down the highly touted Bodemeister to win the 138th Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths. The University of Kentucky championship basketball Coach John Calipari (Coach Cal) had the honor of saying, "RIDERS UP!" Coach Cal's UK team captured the school's eighth NCAA national basketball championship on April 2 with a 67-59 victory over Kansas in April. Now, what does this all have to do with ORANGE LEAF you might ask?  Well, in Kentucky (just like Louisiana), Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt is a highly valued commodity!  Not only that, but Coach Cal LOVES him some ORANGE LEAF!  Coach Cal made a quick stop by the Louisville store following the Barnstable Brown party Friday night.  Even though it was 10:30 at night, when Calipari tweeted to his 1.15 million followers that he was heading to the Bardstown Road Orange Leaf, the BIG BLUE NATION packed the house!  So, today, we here at Orange Leaf Louisiana salute our Orange Leaf KENTUCKY compadres!  Thank you sir, I'll have another! 

"Kicking" off Lake Charles right!

Lake Charles Mayor Roach cutting ribbon for
Orange Leaf Lake Charles 3-2-12

Mayor Roach explained it best at the 3-2-12 Ribbon Cutting of Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt in Lake Charles. He had just visited a first grade class to read a Dr. Suess book and was asking the children if they had ever thought about who made this book?  The children replied that Dr. Suess did!  Mayor Roach told them that Dr. Suess had not cut the trees to made the paper, printed the words, bound the pages together, or had delivered it to their classroom.  The children had their first lesson in Business 101.  It's all the little things that go on behind the finished product you now see before you.  And the first thing was to make the decision to do it.  He thanked Orange Leaf Louisiana for making that decision, and for deciding to open in Lake Charles.

So, in return, we thank you, Lake Charles.  Thank you for your support and continued patronage!  A celebration to show our thanks was held yesterday. The McNeese Kickers were on hand selling their AWESOME calendars and signing autographed pictures for our guests.  

Crunchy the Clown made an appearance as well, painting magical faces and twisting up some fantastic balloon animals!  Grand Opening Cakes were provided by Sweet Chic Cupcake Bakery and contests, giveaways, and Guessing the Weight to receive it free were some of the activities of the day.  Smiles, laughter and even a little dancing told the real story.

Crunchie entertaining guests!

                          

Cowgirl Kickers message they left Orange Leaf!

It's now official!  Fun, Friends, Family and Freaux Yeaux makes for the perfect day.

Who dat? HOUMA DAT!

 

 Lucky number 7.  Orange Leaf Louisiana's 7th store opened on Thursday, January 5th at 11am in Houma.  It is the first time we instituted the Free Yogurt on the first day and it was a TOTAL success.  Customers showed up with Freaux Yeaux on the brain!  And that turned out to be a good thing, because it was FREE!  The balloons on pinwheels right by the front road brought patrons in that might not have known we were open otherwise and if that wasn't enough, our LEAFERS stood by the road waving Free Freaux Yeaux Signs!

Crowded house!

ALL the schools of Houma were represented; Vandebilt Catholic High, Ellendar, Terrebonne, H.L. Bourgeous, South Terrebone, and many more!  Small children who walked in were already asking their mom's if they could have their next birthday at Orange Leaf.  The Free Yogurt ended at 5, but that did not slow down the crowd.  Just as soon as a table was open, someone sat down in it.  

T-Shirts were a big hit! Geaux Freaux Yeaux

Great for Families!

But by far, this picture sums up the day.  This little man is getting every last drop!  He doesn't want to waste any of his Freaux Yeaux!

Thanks, Houma, for letting us know how much you love Orange Leaf!  We love HOUMA, too!

Our Grand Opening CELEBRATION is right around the corner on January 21st with lots of giveaways, games, and prizes!  Stay tuned to our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/orangeleafhouma to stay up to date with all the HOUMA HAPPENINGS!  

We just loved this ORANGE Bike that a customer road to Orange Leaf on opening day! We hope it's a sign that HOUMA will love Orange for a long time to come!

Let's Celebrate!

When you think of December, CHRISTMAS usually comes to mind.  For us here at Orange Leaf Louisiana, it will be the season of GRAND OPENINGS!  We will start our month off with the Natchitoches Ribbon Cutting on Friday the 9th at 10am & Grand Opening Bash on Saturday the 10th which will be an ALL DAY AFFAIR!   Although the Festival of Lights is happening this weekend in Natchitoches, our little grand opening party might be thought of as small to a newcomer, but those that are in the FREAUX YEAUX know realize, our BASH's are anything but small!  We will hold facility tours after our Ribbon Cutting for those that might want to see behind the "Wizard" curtain!  At first glance, the nuts and bolts seem a little overwhelming with red & blue tubes going everywhere, but with careful attention to detail, our team can explain just how everything works!

Brad Lawrence, Tom Hagan,
and Shane Poole
 Opening Day in Natchitoches

On Saturday the 10th, there are so many things planned it's hard to know where to start!  Santa will be at the store from 11AM until 3PM to hear the children's wishes for Christmas.  From 3-5 PM, we will have a Balloon Twister to amuse young minds while they eat their Freaux Yeaux mix.  From 4-8PM, a face painter will be on deck to create art masterpieces on the children's (and Adults) faces!  All day events include: A Contest to win a KODAK PLAYSPORT CAMERA and a $50 and $25 Orange Leaf Gift Card serving as 2nd and 3rd prize. Guess the number of Jellybeans in the Jar and win a $10 gift card.  Guess the weight of your Freaux Yeaux and receive it free.  And to polish things off, a Coloring Contest with 5 age groups.  Each group will have one $10 Gift Card winner.  Grand Opening Cake from the Sugar Shack, and Cake Pops from Katie Bakes will be the perfect complement to your favorite Freaux Yeaux swirl!  Sounds like fun, right?

The very next weekend, we will hold our Mandeville Grand Opening Party.  Starting the weekend off with our Ribbon Cutting on Friday, December 16th, at 10am, we will have facility tours, Grand Opening Cupcakes from Cupcakes 'N Cream & Cake Pops from Katie Bakes, and our entire Orange Leaf LA team will be on hand to answer any questions and greet our guests before the doors open to the public at 11am.  That same day, we are participating in the St. Tammany Macaroni Kid Christmas Party at Mandeville Karate from 4-7PM.  We will be handing out 300-500 FREE 4 ounce Freaux Yeaux cups and also will have toppings to add as well.  Click this link if you would like to RSVP. St. Tammany Macaroni Kid Christmas Party

On Saturday, December 17th, we will hold our Grand Opening Party starting at 11am.  Like Natchitoches, we will be raffling the KODAK video camera and gift cards.  Also, the ALL DAY activities and prizes are the same.  Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand from 3-6:30 pm to twist balloons and paint your faces.  The MAIN Event will be the SAINTSATION appearance from 1-5 PM.  They will sign autographs and take a picture with you so make sure to bring your camera. We will also serve FREE Freaux Yeaux during their appearance.  YES, we said FREE!  If you haven't gotten the chance to swing by to taste it, here is your chance.  

So, like we said, Let's Celebrate!  Freaux Yeaux Style!  See you soon!

 

West Monroe Winner

Erin, Ashlee and Zoe opening WEST MONROE 11/22/11

Our FIRST Customer, Sarah, and her Grandfather!

 Orange Leaf Louisiana "#6" is officially in the books, and we couldn't have ended our 2011 Orange Leaf Louisiana "opening" year with a more perfect store than West Monroe!  Opening on a rainy, Tuesday, November 25th, customers couldn't WAIT until we turned on that OPEN sign!  In fact, we opened at 10:20 (40 minutes early) just to let people get a head start on their Freaux Yeaux fun!  Sarah and her grandfather were our first paying customers of the day, and she got to sign her dollar that will permanently hang on our wall.  Five Guys opened next door the day before, and we finally had to put a sign on our door stating WE OPEN TOMORROW!  They just couldn't wait, and with good reason.  Looking through our glass windows at our colorful walls and fun atmosphere, it's like teasing the Freaux Yeaux lover to open the door and just make sure that we WEREN'T open yet....so, that is why our doors opened a little before our official 11am time.  Even with the rain, the Freaux Yeaux flowed and customers that had been waiting for months, were finally happy that they didn't have to drive across the bridge to Monroe to get their fix. Here is OLYLA's recipe for ORANGE LOVE: Stir vigorously, the perfect Orange Leaf location while adding Yummy, Healthy Freaux Yeaux.  Fold in slowly our FANTASTIC CUSTOMERS and that is ALL SHE WROTE, as they say! ORANGE LOVE is the perfect mix of the perfect ingredients!

Thanks for your well wishes from all of us, here at Orange Leaf Louisiana!  Can't wait for the official GRAND OPENING PARTY!  It's going to be a doozy!

West Monroe Mural by Melanie

Regional Trainer/Manager
Amy Lawrence says HEY!

What do you have going on right now?

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. 

Tom & Shannon Hagan

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.  

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.  

Shane Poole w/ Michael & Catherine

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.

Eskridge Kids: Taylor, Paxton, & Tate

Poole Kids: Catherine & Michael

 Tom, Bailey, Shannon, Erin Higginbotham & Blake

Just to think that all of this came from one simple question, What do you have going on right now? This makes you listen to every other question that is posed a little more intently.  You never know when something important might be coming your way if you recognize the opportunity when it presents itself.