The Executive Team
Wade Brannon, President & CEO
Wade Brannon’s entrepreneurial endeavors began early on. He started, and later sold, his first enterprise shortly before receiving his BA in economics from Virginia’s Washington and Lee University.
Brannon’s first experience with franchising grew into a remarkable success story. As Senior Vice President and Principal of Heavenly Ham, he helped propel the company from one retail store to over 230 locations across the United States. Their business acumen was noted by Entrepreneur Magazine, which ranked Heavenly Ham the No. 1 franchise in its category for 10 consecutive years before it was sold to HoneyBaked Ham.
With more than three decades of experience in the franchise world, Brannon knows what works. He knows the importance of customer service, franchise support, brand consistency and smart marketing. His expertise has guided Pigtails & Crewcuts to become one of the fastest growing children’s haircut franchises in the United States. Beginning in 2010, Entrepreneur Magazine named Pigtails & Crewcuts to the Franchise 500 list where it remained for five consecutive years. In addition, Parents Magazine named Pigtails & Crewcuts one of the Top 10 Chains for Kid Birthday Parties.
Michelle Holliman, Vice President of Franchise Development
Michelle Holliman’s work within the franchising industry dates back to 1997. Throughout that time she built experience by working for the parent companies of well-known brands such as Heavenly Ham, HoneyBaked Ham, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Planet Smoothie and P.J.’s Coffee. Michelle served as the Director of Franchise Development for Pigtails & Crewcuts before being promoted to Vice President of Franchise Development in 2017. In this role, Michelle evaluates prospective franchisees to help them determine if owning a Pigtails & Crewcuts salon is the right investment choice.
Theresa Vona, Vice President of Franchise Support
Theresa Vona has been in the childcare and franchise industries for over 25 years. Prior to joining Pigtails and Crewcuts, Theresa served as the Director of Franchise Support and Operations for a childcare franchising company. Her work there included providing support with operations, marketing, staffing challenges and customer service. In 2012 she brought those skills to Pigtails & Crewcuts and began providing salon owners with operational, marketing and retail training. Theresa’s position has now evolved into a leadership role where she heads up the Franchise Support staff and serves as the main point of contact for Pigtails & Crewcuts’ work with our marketing agency and many of our vendors.
The Support Team
Ben Rigel, Franchise Support Specialist
Ben Rigel has served as a Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise Support Specialist since January 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing and Financial Services. His past experience as an Assistant General Manager and Business Support Specialist within the automotive industry provided him with the perfect skill set to support Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees. Ben uses his expertise to help franchisees better understand their financial documents, develop their operating procedures and build marketing plans. He also assists with testing and researching new software applications that can benefit the entire Pigtails & Crewcuts system.
Andrew Conner, Franchise Support Specialist
Andrew Conner came to Pigtails & Crewcuts in April of 2018, bringing with him experience as a regional director for a restaurant franchise. Andrew’s background includes multi-site management and business consulting. Andrew gained expertise in developing budgets, financial management, staff training, site openings, and maximizing profitability while in his previous roles. Andrew obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English Education from Savannah State University located in Georgia. Andrew’s training and knowledge equip him with the abilities to productively support Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees on their path to success. Andrew supports Pigtails & Crewcuts by reviewing their operations, financials and performance both remotely and in-person on site visits, then assisting them in establishing future plans and achieving goals.
Hannah Swanson, Franchise Development Coordinator
Hannah Swanson serves as Pigtails and Crewcuts’ Franchise Development Coordinator. Hannah’s background was in education prior to joining the Pigtails & Crewcuts team in 2015. In addition to coordinating internal activities and keeping the franchise office organized and running smoothly, Hannah works closely with the Franchise Development team by fielding calls from prospective franchisees in order to assist them in learning more about our concept.
Morgan Saimeri, Operations Support Assistant
Morgan Saimeri joined the Pigtails & Crewcuts team in March 2022 as the Operations Support Assistant. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has a background in business management. Prior to Pigtails & Crewcuts, Morgan worked as the Managing Partner of an Atlanta based children’s fitness studio. She has experience in day-to-day operations including employee supervision, financial management, and overall business organization. Morgan supports the franchise through vendor relations, assisting with special projects, and being available to our franchisees as an additional resource.
Christopher Jennings, Social Media Coordinator
Christopher Jennings joined the Pigtails & Crewcuts team in August 2023 as our Social Media Coordinator. He is a recent graduate from Kennesaw State University and holds a degree in Media and Entertainment. Prior to joining us, Christopher predominantly worked in customer service, while briefly interning for a non-profit organization. He has experience in social media management, content creation, and video editing. Christopher supports our franchise by maintaining and operating our social media aggregator while collaborating with our marketing firm to provide attractive and informative social media campaigns.
Rock Paper Scissors, Branding & Marketing Support Team
Rock Paper Scissors was brought on by Pigtails & Crewcuts in November 2016 to refresh the Brand and help establish Pigtails & Crewcuts as the number one children’s hair salon in the industry, as well as take over all aspects of national advertising.
Since its foundation in 1986, Rock Paper Scissors has created strong brands and marketing programs that sustain long-term results for their clients through the integration of the team’s experience, creativity, and technology. The team is made of up of creative generators whose goal is to develop fresh ideas based on solid business sense while inspiring growth through creativity.
Rock Paper Scissors has served clients in a wide variety of industries, including franchise marketing for both the childcare and retail industries.
