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Leeward J. Bean, President and CEOSince 2006, Leeward has been a co-owner of Dream Niche, LLC and Bay Area Custom T-Shirts LLC, now doing business as Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, both located in Clearwater, Florida. Leeward is primarily responsible for overseeing high level activities such as franchise development, legal and compliance issues as well as public relations.Prior to starting the Big Frog Franchise, Leeward founded a highly successful company. From 1991 to 2004 he was a founder & Vice President, Sales & Marketing of Ocean Optics, Inc. located in Dunedin, Florida. Ocean Optics, Inc. is a world leader in fiber optic spectrometers & was acquired by Hallma LLC in 2003. Prior to his involvement with Ocean Optics, Inc. he worked for 17 years for Polaroid Corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts as Director Worldwide Business Imaging. Leeward is heavily involved in the community and is actively involved with a number of philanthropic organizations and presently sits on a the Board of Trustees for the UPARC Foundation for the Developmentally Challenged. Leeward also enjoys mentoring young entrepreneurs. |
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Ronald E. DeFrece, Vice President and COORon as Vice President at the Big Frog Franchise Group overseeing all aspects of store and system operations. In 2006 he became a co-owner of Dream Niche, LLC and Bay Area Custom T-Shirts LLC, now doing business as Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, both located in Clearwater, Florida. In 2012, he transferred his interest in Bay Area Custom to focused purely on the Big Frog Franchise Group and its ongoing success. From 1997 to 2006 he was employed by Ocean Optics, Inc., located in Dunedin, Florida, first as a Senior Applications Engineer and then as a Sales and Marketing Manager specializing in optical and laser sensing systems for general science and process applications. Prior to his involvement with Ocean Optics, Inc. Mr. DeFrece worked in both an engineering and manufacturing capacity for Litton Laser Systems in Orlando, Florida from 1987 to 1997 helping to develop and build next generation laser ranging and targeting systems for commercial and military applications. By combining his strong manufacturing and engineer background with franchise best practices Ron has put together simple yet effective systems and training programs for all aspects of Big Frog Store Operations. |
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Christina (Tina) Bacon-DeFrece, Ph.D., Executive Vice PresidentTina is responsible for strategic planning and tactical development for all aspects of the Big Frog Brand. Tina works with the Big Frog staff and the corporate vendors to coordinate a symbiotic approach to the marketing materials and programs to maintain a homogeneous look for all aspects of the BIG FROG Brand. Prior to her foray into franchising, Tina; as a Ph.D. Chemical Engineer, was a research director for a multimillion dollar scientific instrument company. Tina parlayed this experience into starting the Big Frog concept by servicing a large niche market that had previously gone un-served. Tina’s successful scientific background brings a fresh perspective to the “science of business” and is proven by our successful growth both as a franchisor & the franchisees, and the national recognition of the BIG FROG Brand. |
Who is the Big Frog Franchise Group? Meet the Partners and Founders...
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