Director of Franchise Development
Dave was born and raised in Alaska, and serves as the Director of Franchise Development for Buzz Franchise Brands. He spent 30 years in Sacramento, California and now resides in Thomasville, Georgia. Dave has been in franchise development for more than 12 years and loves helping people feed their entrepreneurial spirit and free up time through scaling a business. The former VP of Development at Deka Lash enjoys the outdoors camping, fishing, and spending time with his family and four-legged friends.
Director of Franchise Development
Austin James was born and raised in Norfolk, VA and is a proud alum of James Madison University. He started his career with Buzz Franchise Brands and has held prior positions on both the operations and finance side of the business. Now, as a Director of Franchise Development, Austin enjoys getting to know prospective franchise owners and helping guide them through the discovery process. In his free time, he enjoys going to the beach, biking, and boating. He is also a foodie and enjoys cooking new cuisines and tasting different craft beers. Austin lives with his fiancé Amanda and their Goldendoodle Kylo.
Director of Franchise Development
In 2010, Rita had the opportunity to transition from Tourism to Franchising by joining an emerging health food franchise and quickly fell in love with the industry. Working with hopeful entrepreneurs became more than an interest—it became a passion. Guiding someone through the journey to business ownership is extremely rewarding and just one of the many reasons she enjoys Franchise Development as much as she does! Rita currently lives in Central Florida with her husband, Christian, and their loyal “delivery man guard dog,” Louie. She is a major bibliophile with a yearly goal of 75-100 books. She also loves traveling, live music, paddle boarding, and hosting themed dinner nights with family and friends during her free time.
Director of Franchise Development
Matthew grew up working in his family’s restaurant and catering business, so he has first-hand experience inside what it is like to run a small business. Matthew has been in the franchising industry for the past 7 years and is thankful for the relationships the industry has allowed him to build. His ability to keep his cool and solve problems in a fast paced environment comes to him naturally, and he loves the opportunity Buzz Franchise Brands provides to help people every day. Matthew lives with his wife and their two kids in Charlotte, NC.
KRIS NILSSON
Director of Franchise Development
Kris has 20-plus years of entertainment and live production in Las Vegas but transitioned into the franchising world about two years ago. He has found home service franchising to be very rewarding and enjoys helping aid people in their journey of business ownership. Kris resides in Las Vegas, NV with his wife Abigail and their two boys. They also have a chocolate lab named Ripley. Kris and his family love doing anything outdoors such as camping, hiking, and swimming.
JACKIE LANZALONE
Director of Franchise Development
Jackie has spent the past 18 years in the franchise industry. She has a passion for connecting clients to exciting business opportunities, allowing them to become entrepreneurs. Most recently, Jackie was selling preschools to individuals who really want to make a difference in educating and providing a safe, creative and social environment for small children. Jackie currently resides in a beach community in Delaware and in her spare time enjoys spending time in the ocean, golfing and biking.
Franchise Development Coordinator
Matt Cullen was born and raised in Norfolk, VA and currently lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, Cherie, and his four children. He has joined our team here at Buzz Franchise Brands as the Franchise Development Coordinator. He has many years of customer service and account management experience and is a veteran of the United States Army. In his free time, he enjoys quality family time, coaching our youth in baseball and always enjoys a good laugh. Matt is goal-oriented, outgoing, and always wanting to learn something new.