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Valerie Daniels-Carter and VJ
Holdings featured in a new entrepreneurship issue of
Black Enterprise Magazine
Amherst, N.Y. Student
Earns College Scholarship from Auntie Anne’s® Pretzels
Valerie Daniels-Carter Featured in
the May 2009 issue of Essence Magazine.
National
Restaurant Association Recognizes Valerie Daniels-Carter
of V&J Holding Companies Inc.
John W. Daniels, Jr. Selected by
Prestigious National Law Journal
as One of the 50 Most Influential Minority Attorneys
in America
Click the links below to
read the article
(courtesy of Black Enterprise Magazine)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Padron
Auntie Anne’s, Inc.
717-435-1616
jenniferp@auntieannesinc.com
Shannon Zimmerman
Auntie Anne’s, Inc.
717-435-1612
shannonz@auntieannesinc.com
Amherst, N.Y. Student
Earns College Scholarship from Auntie Anne’s® Pretzels
 Lancaster,
Pa. July 7, 2009 – Area student Elayna Chan is the
recipient of this year’s most “twisted” college
scholarship. Chan has earned a $5,000 scholarship from
Auntie Anne’s, Inc. in recognition of her outstanding
work ethic and educational accomplishments.
Chan is a 2008 graduate of
Amherst Central High School and currently attends the
University at Buffalo where she is pursuing a bachelor’s
degree in psychology. She is an employee at the Auntie
Anne’s store at Boulevard Mall, where she has worked for
two years.
At work, Chan is recognized
for being a dependable and pleasant team player, as well
as an excellent shift supervisor. At school, Chan
focuses on learning all she can about becoming a school
counselor. She recently had the opportunity to intern as
a student counselor, where she was able to work with
middle-school aged students and apply what she has
learned. She credits her mentor during this process,
Shari Bauda, with providing her with the tools and
instilling her with the confidence to pursue her dream
of counseling.
As part of the company’s
vision to invest in employees, Auntie Anne’s recognized
five deserving students from across the country for
their outstanding achievements both in and out of the
classroom. Now in its fourth year, this post-secondary
scholarship is available to all Auntie Anne’s employees
as well as their dependents and grandchildren.
About Auntie Anne’s
Auntie Anne's Inc. is the world's largest
franchisor of hand-rolled soft pretzels, supporting more
than 1,000 Auntie Anne's® Pretzels locations worldwide.
The concept mixes, twists, and bakes pretzels to golden
brown perfection in full view of customers. Auntie
Anne's is committed to pretzel perfection by
guaranteeing you will love its pretzels or they will
replace them with ones that you do. For more information
about Auntie Anne's Inc., visit
www.auntieannes.com.
National
Restaurant Association Recognizes Valerie Daniels-Carter
of V&J Holding Companies Inc., with 2008 Restaurant
Neighbor Award
(Washington, D.C.) The
National Restaurant Association today announced that
Valerie Daniels-Carter of V&J Holding Companies, Inc, in
Milwaukee has been named this year’s Cornerstone
Humanitarian, which is part of the Association’s 2008
Restaurant Neighbor Award. Daniels-Carter was presented
the award and a $5,000 donation to her cause during the
Association’s annual Public Affairs Conference in
Washington, D.C. on September 23. Now in its 10th year,
the award celebrates the philanthropic spirit of the
restaurant industry and serves to inspire others to
actively get involved in their communities.
“Valerie Daniels-Carter is a leader in her community, as
well as the restaurant community at large, and she truly
embodies what a humanitarian should be,” said National
Restaurant Association President and CEO Dawn Sweeney.
“She works tirelessly on initiatives that improve the
lives and communities of people in both her own city and
cities in Africa, and inspires her employees to get
involved as well. We are pleased to recognize her as our
Cornerstone Humanitarian for 2008.”
“Valerie Daniels-Carter is a superb example of how one
person can make a huge impact both locally and
internationally through her efforts as an individual and
by galvanizing the support of others,” said Ed Lump,
President & CEO of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
“Whether working to provide safe water to thousands in
Kenya or ensuring that a child in Milwaukee has a gift
to unwrap at Christmas, she is an inspiration.”
Owner of a quickservice restaurant company operating 130
restaurants, Valerie Daniels-Carter is the largest
multi-brand African-American franchise operator in the
United States. In the U.S. and Africa, she has been
involved in many philanthropic initiatives, including
educational and economic empowerment programs.
One of V&J’s first major initiatives was the No Child
Left Out for Christmas program. The company buys gifts
for children whose parents are unable to buy presents,
making it clear to the children the gift is from their
parents and the community. While committed to personal
involvement, Daniels-Carter credits her employees for
helping realize many of her charitable passions.
One of the projects dearest to Daniels-Carter is the
Mother Kathryn Daniels Youth Center, developed in memory
of her mother and husband. Her mother was active in
community work and made it part of the family’s culture.
Opened in 2002, the center is a 150,000-square-foot
multi-building complex in the heart of Milwaukee that
houses the state’s largest Boys and Girls Club, two
schools, a family service center, social and meeting
facilities. It also includes educational programming and
extended learning for adults.
Daniels-Carter is also looking to serve communities
outside of her own, and created an initiative for the
Minority Franchise Association to build a
state-of-the-art wing for the Jubilee Center Orphanage
in Kenya. She also helped build a water well in Kenya
that today serves 20,000 families. In Ghana, she helped
create an Economic Empowerment Initiative, acquiring 20
acres of land to enable local people cultivate and
market crops.
Her personal philosophy in terms of community service is
that it’s not difficult to give back, but aligning
oneself with organizations and initiatives that share
that passion can help focus efforts and really make a
difference.
Restaurants from participating states were selected to
contend for the national Restaurant Neighbor Award in
four categories – small business, mid-size business,
large business and Cornerstone Humanitarian. American
Express is the founding sponsor of the awards program.
“American Express is proud to partner with the National
Restaurant Association to honor restaurants across the
country for the invaluable contributions they have made
in their communities,” said Curtis L. Wilson, Vice
President and General Manager, Restaurant Industries
Group, American Express Company. “The impact
restaurateurs have in their communities through
charitable activities and relief projects is
immeasurable. We are honored to work side by side with
them and hope their commitment to community involvement
inspires others to do the same.”
The National Restaurant Association developed the
Restaurant Neighbor Award to recognize outstanding
community programs across the country and to inspire
other restaurant operators and owners to get involved.
Joining Daniels-Carter in receiving the 2008 Restaurant
Neighbor Award are: Chili’s Grill & Bar, headquartered
in Dallas, in the large business category; Keystone
Apple in Mechanicsburg, Pa., in the mid-size business
category; and Barry’s Café in Raleigh, N.C., in the
small business category.
Profiles of the national and state winners are
highlighted in a booklet and on the National Restaurant
Association’s Web site,
www.restaurant.org/community.
John
W. Daniels, Jr. Selected by Prestigious National Law
Journal
as One of the 50 Most Influential Minority Attorneys
in America
The
National Law Journal announced that it has recently
selected the 50 most influential minority attorneys in
the United States. Quarles & Brady is very pleased that
I have been counted a part of this exceptional group,
but I am personally much more proud of the people (like
you) who gave me the chance to practice law at the
highest level. My greatest honor has been the great
opportunity to work with you as a client, and I will
always appreciate that as much as any recognition I may
receive. To me, The National Law Journal selection
actually represents a real acknowledgement of those who
have given others the opportunity to demonstrate their
talents. Therefore, I want to personally thank you for
the privilege of working with you through the years.
I
thought you might be interested in the following
excerpts from the NLJ announcement.
"First,
a reality check: At last count, a mere 5.4% of partners
at U.S. law firms were members of minority groups. For
women of color, the figure was fewer than 1.7%,
according to the legal placement organization NALP.
"But
what an amazing group of people those numbers represent,
and what a payoff for the firms, law schools and
corporations that invested in diversity."
"We were
met with an avalanche of nominations, which we
supplemented with our own research."
"That
said, there's no question that the attorneys listed (in
the article) truly represent important movers and
shakers. They direct the legal affairs of mighty
corporations; they invent new practice areas; they move
the gears of the nation's political machinery. And some
will be in a position to become even more influential. .
. ."
August 2005
Black Entrepreneur's Hall of Fame >
read
August 2005
Valerie Daniels-Carter, Dominion Honoree >
read
March 2006
Franchisee blazes trail for minorities
> read
June 2006
QSR Magazine Interview with Valerie Daniels-Carter
>
read
Feb 23, 2007
Willie Davis from Packers
> read
February 2008
Interview with Quarles & Brady LLP Chairman John W.
Daniels Jr.
Television interview with Quarles & Brady LLP Chairman
John W. Daniels Jr. on Black Nouveau.
VJ
Tour of Kenya (Photo 1) VJ
Tour of Kenya (Photo 2)
June 2008
John Daniels CEO Quarles
and Brady
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