The Wolak Group’s 50th Anniversary!
Filed Under: Wolak News
On this day in 1975, at 2:00 PM, Ed Wolak purchased 601 Congress Street, Portland, Maine – his first-ever Dunkin’ location!
Young Ed began working in the Dunkin’ Donuts business in 1967, when there were fewer than 250 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the entire world! He started as a porter and worked his way up to becoming a donut baker. While working in this position, he earned his associate’s degree in Business Management in 1972, then earned his bachelor’s with a double major in Business Management & Marketing in 1974 from Southern New Hampshire University. With his degrees, he took a management position and was quickly promoted to General Manager, overseeing 3 locations. When Ed had the opportunity to purchase an existing Dunkin’ location in 1975, he seized it—despite the store operating at a loss. His talent for turning struggling businesses around quickly became evident again in 1979 with the acquisition of a Westbrook, ME location, and once more in 1982 with a Berlin, NH store—both of which were also underperforming at the time but became profitable again under Ed’s leadership.
In 1983, The Wolak Group opened its first Dunkin’ restaurant located on “self-developed real estate” (i.e., real estate acquired, permitted, and constructed by The Wolak Group). Since then, most of the Company’s Dunkin’ restaurants have been opened on self-developed real estate. Commercial real estate acquisition and development, combined with its success in the Dunkin’ space, proved to be instrumental to The Wolak Group’s expansion and long-term success.
FUN FACT! At this time, Dunkin’ offered only unflavored coffee and donuts. Ed played a role in testing the brand’s first breakout product, Munchkins, and went on to help introduce flavored coffee, muffins, cookies, breakfast and deli sandwiches, along with many other menu innovations over the years!
The Wolak Group expanded across Southern Maine and into New Hampshire. By 1998, Ed began branching out into Central New York, opening the first New York location in North Syracuse, and marking a pivotal phase of growth for the Company.
In 2005, the Central Manufacturing Location(CML) was opened in Syracuse, with the capacity to service 120+ locations in the area.
Understanding the importance of education and investing in his employees, Ed partnered with Southern New Hampshire University in 2015 to offer all Shift Managers and above the opportunity to earn a college degree at no cost to them.
In 2016, Southern New Hampshire University’s Edward S. Wolak Library Learning Commons was named to honor the generosity and leadership of Ed, which supports the academic and research needs of nearly 85,000 current students.
Continuing his vision for enhancing business and leadership skills for his employees, Ed opened the Wolak Career Development Center in Syracuse, NY, which offers a unique learning experience for managers in the company through the ability to blend classroom learning and real time restaurant experience. His passion for leadership and helping others reach their potential has led to the emergence of many new Dunkin’ franchise owners, some of whom began as Wolak Group employees!
Over the past 50 years, Ed has been recognized many times for his impactful work. He was honored with the Retail Excellence Award from Dunkin Brands, Annual Developer of the Year Award from Dunkin Brands, the Community Service Award from the Maine Institute for Family-Owned Business, Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Central New York, the Annual Philanthropy Award for the Northeast Region from Dunkin’ Brands, and more.
For most of those years, Ed has had the honor of being repeatedly elected by his peers to represent Dunkin’ franchise owners at the state, regional, and national levels on the Dunkin’ Advisory Council. In addition, he spent many years advocating on behalf of franchise owners and the American Restaurant Association, lobbying at both the state and national levels. Simultaneously, Ed served as a Chairman, Co-Chairman, or member of numerous councils and committees, including Brand Advisory Council for Dunkin’ Brands; Dunkin’ Donuts Development Advisory Steering Committee; Southern Maine Franchise Owner District Council; Northeast Dunkin’ Donuts Advisory Council; Ad Committee; Store of the Future Subcommittee; Government Affairs Committee; and Executive Committee of Mid-Maine’s Central Production Kitchen.
In 2005, Ed served on the Dunkin G-6 Committee, representing franchisee interests during the sale of Dunkin’ Brands to three private equity firms. He strongly advocated for, and received for his fellow franchise owners, shares of friends and family stock when Dunkin again went public, thus highlighting his influence in the industry.
Notably, The Wolak Group ranks No. 120 on the Franchise Times list, which recognizes the nation’s largest franchise owners. Even more importantly, the Company is debt-free—a feat few, if any, on the list can claim, and one of Ed’s proudest accomplishments!
Now operating more than 95 Dunkin’ locations with a team of over 1,800 employees, The Wolak Group stands as a testament to Ed’s unwavering dedication, strategic vision, inspirational leadership, and the loyal support of trusted colleagues who helped bring his vision to life.
