Real Talk with Real Owners: Heather Flanery of Wausau, WI

As the former General Manager of this store, Heather Flannery jumped at the opportunity to take on ownership. With the years of food service experience, she was the perfect fit for the Dickey’s location in Wausau.

People in Central Wisconsin love quality food, and Heather has many loyal guests that come for the quality slow-smoked meats and signature sides, but stay for the southern hospitality.

The keys to success for the Wausau store are community marketing and engagement. They do several fundraisers around the community benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Sheriff’s Department and local sports teams. Recently, Heather donated all the food for Never Forgotten Honor Flight, a fundraiser to help veterans fly to Washington DC to visit the memorials that stand in their honor.

Heather says she loves being a franchisee for the security it provides. She says that the community marketing and art request availability help build brand awareness in her town. “Dickey’s marketing department keeps us constantly moving in the right direction,” Heather says. “The ads they generate bring new customers every day. The mail drops have brought in a lot of new people, who are now our regular customer base.”