As part of its $100 million global Unlocking Opportunity Initiative, Yum! Brands is providing more than $800,000 in funding to launch the “Accelerating Growth� programs, which is in addition to the $3.5 million commitment the company made to launch the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence in 2021. The goal of Yum! Brands’ Unlocking Opportunity Initiative is to create opportunities for education and entrepreneurship for employees, frontline restaurant teams and communities around the world.

The two new “Accelerating Growth� education tracks will launch in the summer and fall 2024 semester and will focus on training attendees to upskill their franchising education.

“Yum! Brands is passionate about the franchise business model, and capable franchise leaders are the lifeblood of every successful franchise system. As the franchisor of choice for the industry, we are thrilled to partner with the University of Louisville and address a need of the industry – training a new generation of leaders to take on senior management roles in franchise businesses,� said Wanda Williams, head, Global Franchising, Yum! Brands. “Since its launch in 2021 as part of our Unlocking Opportunity Initiative, the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence has helped prepare hundreds of students for successful careers and business ownership opportunities by building knowledge about the franchising industry.�

Two new education tracks will be offered as part of the “Accelerating Growth� program, which will develop the skills necessary to run and grow a large franchise business: a six-month Level 1 program designed to train general managers and area coaches for a vice president role, and an advanced one-year program customized to prepare vice presidents for a role as president of a franchise organization. Both programs include online and experiential education, and the advanced program also includes a final simulation and development of a business plan.

“The ‘Accelerating Growth’ program is an exceptional addition to the multilevel franchise education offered by our center at the University of Louisville and is yet another way we can create opportunities for professionals across the franchising industry. We are incredibly grateful for Yum!’s continued support for the center and this opportunity to expand the center’s programs,� said Kathleen Gosser, director of the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence and assistant professor in the .

Since the launch of the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence at UofL, total enrollment has exceeded 900 students – 418 undergrad, 50 graduate-level and 500 executive education enrollees.

In addition, the center launched the annual Yum! Franchise Accelerator Fellowship in 2022, a collaborative effort between UofL, Howard University and Yum! Brands, which offers a unique opportunity for four MBA students from the two universities. Participants in the annual program are granted $10,000 scholarships and receive personalized training and mentorship from industry experts during an immersive educational journey centered around the franchise business model. Each accelerator program culminates in a pitch competition featuring a $10,000 cash prize, while establishing winners as top candidates for promising franchising careers. The Yum! Franchise Accelerator Fellowship is open to all eligible students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age.

To meet their education needs, the University of Louisville  recently worked with Beam Suntory to develop “Leading with Spirit,� a professional development program customized to the needs of the company and its employees. The program is built on UofL’s existing distilled spirits business certificate, with content added in project management and leading change.  Beam Suntory employees will benefit from courses led by industry experts, and a compressed 16-week, non-credit curriculum, which can be completed regardless of previous educational background.

“Our employees are deeply knowledgeable in their specific areas of the business and want to apply their background to the nuances of the spirits industry,� said Nicki Clifton, senior HR director, Supply Chain at Beam Suntory. “We are proud to provide a learning opportunity to them through the UofL College of Business and are appreciative of this partnership which supports our employees and their development goals.�

A pilot cohort for Leading with Spirit was launched in October with 10 Beam Suntory employees. The new certificate program will add industry-specific leadership and strategic management education to the employees’ resumes in just a few months, a much faster and more cost-effective solution than traditional degree programs.

The UofL College of Business has expertise in developing customized, industry-specific programs such as the new certificate for Beam Suntory to meet the needs of Louisville industries.

“With the development of the graduate certificate programs in niche industries in Louisville such as distilled spirits, we can fine-tune the programs to fit the specific needs of the audience and company,� said Jeff Guan, interim dean of the UofL College of Business. “Creating a non-graduate-degree version of a program allows flexibility to meet the need where the need exists. In this case, it’s created a great partnership with Bean Suntory.�

The original is an online certificate offered to graduate students that provides credits toward completion of an MBA. Developed to meet the needs of Kentucky’s important distilled spirits industry, the certificate covers regulations, sales and distribution, operations and supply chain management, sustainability and brand marketing. It is believed to be the only distilled spirits business certificate in the U.S.

Virginia Denny, assistant dean for executive education in UofL’s College of Business, said programs like  Leading with Spirit are becoming more important for both professionals and corporations.

“We are no longer in a world where we can think about education ending with a bachelor’s, master’s or even a PhD degree. We are living in a world of 60 years of curriculum. Technology is transforming so rapidly, we have to be there for students and companies in a different way,� Denny said. “That’s where the non-credit, executive education programs come into play. That is our future – the ability to play in the space between credit and non-credit and responding to the needs of corporate clients.�

Beam Suntory is a global premium spirits company headquartered in New York. They produce Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbons in Kentucky, Hibiki Japanese whisky in Japan and more than 70 other spirits brands around the world. Its 5,700 employees are in more than 90 locations on five continents.

The  at the University of Louisville has launched a smartphone app, Leadership Amplifier, to help new and experienced leaders develop these skills by embedding them in their day-to-day activities.

“Classroom instruction helps people learn concepts about leadership and practice leadership skills, but even when people learn well, they may never translate that knowledge and skill into everyday application,� said Ryan Quinn, associate professor of management at the UofL College of Business and academic director of PPL. “Leadership Amplifier allows leaders in training to practice those skills in their everyday activities with inspiration and advice from others in a learning community.�

The Leadership Amplifier app is available for users in the U.S. in and the .

The app is a centerpiece of PPL’s efforts to increase positive leadership in the world by providing training and tools for developing leaders at every level – students, higher education instructors, executives and executive leadership coaches. PPL worked in partnership with Slingshot, a Louisville company founded by UofL College of Business alumnus David Galownia, to develop the app to support classroom education and make it available to everyone.

Leadership Amplifier is free to download with all the app’s functions for an individual or a community of up to three individuals to practice positive leadership. With a subscription, users can create a larger community.

“Anyone can use the app by gathering a group of people to practice leadership, setting aside regular times to make and report on plans, then give advice and feedback to others,� Quinn said. “Or they can use the app on their own by setting a regular time to make plans to practice various aspects of leadership and then reflect on those plans.�

Classes offered through the program incorporate Leadership Amplifier to help participants apply the skills and concepts they learn in the classes to their everyday lives, translating those ideas into changed behavior. Instructors can use Leadership Amplifier in undergraduate or graduate classes as well, and can join a to discuss ways to use the tools for developing positive leadership.

“The Leadership Amplifier app is a great way to plan, share, analyze best practices and get feedback on your path to being a better leader,� said Beth Williams, director of UofL Health Sciences Center faculty affairs, who used the app in a class taught by Quinn.

Increasing positive leadership is the fundamental goal of the , founded by the UofL College of Business to create and disseminate teaching tools for positive leadership, support research in the field and collaborate with units within the university and other organizations throughout the region and beyond. In addition to the app, PPL provides , many of them free, on the PPL website.

“Positive leadership begins when people exhibit virtues such as courage, compassion, integrity or humility with more excellence than if they had conformed to convention,� Quinn said. “Consistent, skillful virtue requires practice in a wide array of everyday activities. Leadership Amplifier can help leaders practice these skills and turn them into habits.�