> Meet Our Team

Shawn Saraga

Shawn Saraga is the President and the visionary of the franchise and real estate development consulting agency called Mr. Franchise. With a wealth of experience in franchising and growth strategy in various reputable corporations such as Rapid Print, Continental Press, Pizza Pizza and Shoeless Joe’s Restaurants, Shawn currently represents PostNet Canada, Academy for Mathematics & English, MR. GREEK Restaurants, Druxy’s Famous Deli and Monkeynastix Canada. The awareness of these brands has increased making them stronger than ever before. Currently, Shawn is actively involved with numerous charities including North York Harvest Food Banks, Youth In Motion, TIP, Make A Wish Foundation, and is highly involved with Mount Sinai Hospital. He is a member of record at over 50 Boards of Trade across Canada and chair of 2008 and 2009 Canadian Franchise Association Convention.

Meaghan Granville

Meaghan Granville is the Business and Real Estate Developer for Mr. Franchise in Eastern Ontario. She is the newest addition to the sales team and brings an abundance of energy and enthusiasm to the group. Prior to coming on board, she worked as a sales recruiter helping companies find exceptional sales professionals to ultimately drive revenue and add to their bottom line. Earlier she worked in media sales with CanWest. Meaghan is responsible for all franchisee recruitment in her territory and focuses on finding outstanding prospects for all Mr. Franchise clients. She also works on negotiating competitive real estate leases working hand in hand with the franchisees so that they can open viable businesses in their community.

Alex Grudkin

Alex Grudkin is presently the office administrator. Previously, she has worked as a supervisor at a telemarketing firm of 80 agents and was a great asset to the organization with her superior multi-tasking abilities in office administration. She has also gained plenty of experience working in a Franchise within the food service industry. Alex is currently working on a degree in a business program at York University and is specializing in Human Resource Management. In essence, she has a relatively diverse employment background alongside the skills and knowledge required to succeed in the business environment today. Her role includes supporting our sales team in helping to open franchisees to our numerous concepts. Additionally, Alex is responsible for coordinating our many tradeshows and the preparation of leasing documents and resales. Alex brings a work ethic to our company that is demonstrated in all of her daily activities. Our franchisors and franchisees have come to rely on her for communicating with our organization.

Lisa McDonald

Lisa McDonald is the Franchise and Real Estate Developer for Mr. Franchise in British Columbia and Alberta, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge with her. Lisa has worked in Franchise Operations for McDonald’s, Casey’s and O’Tooles in operations, management and training capacities and later earned her Real Estate License at the Ontario Real Estate Board. She went on to work with some of Ontario’s top developers launching numerous projects in Toronto. A former ICU/CCU nurse, Lisa has spent time in Medical Equipment Sales and as a Clinical Specialist for a wide array of manufacturers, including Hewlett Packard. Lisa utilizes her extensive experience in franchising, operations and sales, to develop the franchise systems of clients by finding the right fit for Franchisees and negotiating leases.

Mary Stuart Melanson

Mary Stuart Melanson is Mr. Franchise’s Business Development Manager for Western Ontario and brings over 15 years of Canadian Franchise experience to the company, as well as several years as a leader in corporate retail marketing. Mary is a graduate of the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Social Science. She went on to become the Vice President of Jumbo Entertainment Inc., franchisor of 4 brands. Other Franchise experience includes business coach for national franchisor, Herbal Magic Inc. She has a Canadian Marketing Management Certificate which she obtained from the University of Toronto, and has held positions of Director of Marketing with national retail chain, The Bargain! Shop Inc., and the Shopping Center Division for Orlando Corporation. Mary uses her diverse experience in franchising to help clients grow their franchise systems in the Ontario marketplace.

Ashley Ramsden

Ashley Ramsden is the newest member of the team as the Sales Administrator for Mr. Franchise. She has years of experience in office administration and customer service along with a background in marketing, graphic design and Law. Prior to coming on board she worked as an account executive with a promotional company providing exceptional service to corporations of all sizes and industries. She enjoyed spending two years working as an English teacher in China and Indonesia. Her diverse experience has made her into a great multi-tasker and problem solver. She is looking forward to earning her Real Estate License and working towards becoming a Business and Real Estate Developer for Mr. Franchise.

Success Stories

Bolton MR. GREEK Franchisee

MR. GREEK Awards Bolton Franchise!

In December 2009, MR. GREEK Restaurants awarded there coveted Bolton franchise. The franchisee who has a background in Accounting says “I’ve always dreamed about owning a MR. GREEK Restaurant. I am so excited to have my family as a part of this great franchise system.” Having opened to incredible fanfare and overwhelming local feedback, this new MR. GREEK Express is well on it’s way to becoming another success story in this established chain. The head office team is very proud of this opening and sees great things ahead for the franchisee and his family.