FROM PIZZA SHOP TO CARTRIDGE WORLD

Toner News Mobile Forums Toner News Main Forums FROM PIZZA SHOP TO CARTRIDGE WORLD

Date: Friday March 11, 2005 10:24:00 am
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
  • Author
    Posts

  • Anonymous
    Inactive

    Nelson: Cartridge World fills Sullivan’s itch for a
    challenge

    You might say he Saw the ink and toner on the wall. Mike Sullivan, who
    served up pizzas for nine and a half years through his Athens Cici’s Pizza
    franchise was ready for change.Sullivan, who had grown tired of the long hours
    and thin profit margins, sold his pizza buffet restaurant and has opened a new
    franchise, Cartridge World, on the corner of Hawthorne Avenue and Old Epps
    Bridge Road.

    “I wanted something
    with more upside potential, profit-wise,” Sullivan said about his new
    venture.

    Cartridge World, a
    14-year-old Australian-based company that has grown well Down Under and in the
    United Kingdom, just recently emerged in the North American market, said
    Sullivan, who added that the businesses seem to thrive in college towns like
    Athens.

    The yellow-and-blue
    Cartridge World stores serve as combination service and retail shops for
    computer printers supplies. The business recharges and refills ink and toner
    cartridges for inkjet and laser printers, photocopiers and fax machines.
    Sullivan said his service enables computer printer users to reuse their toner
    containers, save money and avoid sending spent cartridges to the
    landfill.

    “The recycling
    aspect is appealing,” Sullivan said. “You can reuse all your
    cartridges.”

    Refilling ink
    cartridges can save as much as 50 percent compared to buying new ones, Sullivan
    said. His store can refill most types of equipment from Lexmark to Canon and HP.
    Cartridge World ink and toner is formulated for each type of printer. The
    refilling procedure takes only a few minutes, and the staff will run a test
    print with the cartridge to make sure it works well.

    In addition to
    refilling containers, the store sells new supplies that carry a guarantee and
    are compatible with brand-name products. Specialty papers, premium photo
    printing paper, fax supplies and cash register ribbons are available.

    Calling his new
    business a one-stop shop, Sullivan said he offers advice on how to care for
    printer cartridges and equipment.

    For example, he
    said consumers should not run their cartridges until completely dry.

    And he notes that
    many of the containers can be refilled as many as 10 or 15 times, though at some
    point they will have to be replaced. At that point, Cartridge World will help
    recycle the old accessory.

    “We are very green
    and want to recycle,” Sullivan said.

    He plans to set up
    a program to collect cartridges from schools and pay the schools for them.
    Cartridge World will then refill them and resell them.

    Sullivan and his
    store manager Danny Booth, who also worked with Sullivan at Cici’s, spent two
    weeks in Emoryville, Calif. training with the Cartridge World system. The new
    store will also employ one sales person and two part-time workers.

    A grand opening is
    scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. April 14.

    Chef cooking up
    personal service

    The value of
    spending time with one’s family spurred chef Mickey Wickwire to launch a
    home-based venture, a personal cooking and catering service called Classic City
    Chef. Wickwire will offer gourmet prepared meals and catering to Athens area
    families and businesses.

    Allen
    Sullivan/StaffMike Sullivan, right, owner of a new Cartridge World franchise on
    Hawthorne Avenue at Old Epps Bridge Road, speaks with Bernie Dobbs of Fastsigns
    recently. Sullivan said his business offers name-brand and generic ink
    cartridges, but its biggest selling point is refilling customers’ current
    cartridges.Wickwire said his goal was to get more quality time with his own
    family, a wife and 6-year-old daughter, as well as to provide customers the
    chance to spend more time with their families and not have to worry about
    cooking.

    As an executive
    sous chef at the Athens Country Club, where he has been for four and a half
    years, Wickwire has had to work most nights and weekends, the ideal times to
    spend with his daughter. Taking on Classic City Chef, he hopes will give him the
    ability to set his own schedule.

    His goal is to
    establish a list of regular clients for whom he will prepare and deliver a batch
    of prepared meals that a family can pull out and reheat or cook at
    mealtime.

    Meals will be
    customized for each client and delivered to their home, saving them shopping and
    cooking time. A family of four can have five customized meals delivered by
    Classic City Chef ready to reheat for between $150 and $200 depending on the
    menus.

    “I have some set
    menus, but I want to meet with clients and determine their likes, dietary needs,
    portion sizes, etc. and develop menus especially for them,” Wickwire
    explained.

    He said the meals
    he prepares for a week will likely be delivered vacuum packed in a food saver or
    frozen with instructions on reheating or cooking the food. He added that he will
    deliver the food in the type of containers the customer desires.

    His first job
    actually entails a catering an event today for about 50 people. Next Sunday he
    will go to a couple’s home and cook and serve them a meal. He offers his
    services for any special occasion, from anniversaries to retirements to
    reunions. He can handle from two people to 500.

    While he’s getting
    started, Wickwire plans to continue working on a part-time basis as needed at
    Athens Country Club.

    A graduate of the
    Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Wickwire has 22 years
    experience in the food industry. He also has worked with The Four Seasons in
    Palm Beach, Little Nell in Aspen, Colo.

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.