Chris Reynolds opened two Cold Stone Creamery locations in the Truckee Meadows in six months, and the 30-yearold franchisee is on a fast track to open four or five more.
The first two stores one at D'Andrea Marketplace in east Sparks, the other at Shoppers Square in central Reno both are performing above the average unit volume for the 640-store Cold Stone Creamery chain.
A third store will open in July at McQueen Crossing at Mae Anne Avenue and Robb Drive, and Reynolds looks for more locations in south Reno, Spanish Springs and downtown Reno.
"There's urgency to control the market," Reynolds said.
As he scouts new locations, Reynolds looks for places with a lot of traffic at night near a movie theater, for example as 75 percent of Cold Stone's sales are posted after 6 p.m.
But his early experience in Reno shows that the stores may not need the help of a nighttime drawing card.
"Cold Stone is able to create its own traffic," Reynolds said last week.
"Northern Nevada seems hungry for California-type businesses such as Krispy Kreme, P.F.
Chang, Jamba Juice and Cold Stone Creamery.We're craving some of that culture from the evil state."
To meet that need for California culture, Reynolds needs to find capital $250,000 or more to open a single Cold Stone store and continue to build a base of employees.
His brother, Randy, is a California accountant who handles the financing for Subcrawlers Inc., the brothers' corporation.
So far, he's used a combination of Small Business Administration loans, franchise financing from the parent company of Cold Stone Creamery and cash flow to get stores open.
Alicia Youngberg, the general manager of Subcrawlers, also holds an equity stake in the company.
Although Subcrawlers also owns four Subway stores in the market, Reynolds acknowledged he initially faced challenges financing a new concept in the area.
The new stores' cash flow now are reducing his need for outside financing.
Staffing each new store, meanwhile, involves hiring 20 to 30 young workers who can deliver the all-singing, all-dancing performances that accompany the delivery of premium-priced ice cream.
"They're the kids who are in drama club and band.
Their parents are active in their lives," Reynolds said.
"On the other hand, with all those activities, they have very selective schedules."
Along with interviews, job candidates face auditions before they're hired.
Management of young workers is nothing new for Reynolds, who started working in a sandwich shop at 15 and was all of 21 years old when he came to Reno as the part owner of two Subway locations.
His new venture, the Cold Stone Creamery stores, doesn't promote itself through paid advertising.
Instead, the company's stores look to involve themselves in a heavy schedule of community events to spread the word.
