The Advocate: Smoothie King Owner Named Franchisee of the Year

"I'm humbled. When I got the call saying I had won, I thought it was because of work we had been doing in Livingston Parish following the devastating floods," Wilder said. "But the decision was made before Aug. 12."

Roger Wilder has come quite a long way since he worked alongside Smoothie King’s original owners, Steve and Cindy Kuhnau, as a staff member in their stores. At just 23 years old, he became a franchisee of the brand and opened his first location in Denham in 2001. The store has since been deemed a total loss due to the flood earlier this summer.

"When the storm hit, I got in touch with the COO and top guy at Smoothie King, and they asked immediately what Smoothie King could do to help," explained Wilder. "I told them I wanted some vans and smoothies. Forget the business side of it, this community got derailed. I know what our brand can do, so me, Trey Ponsock and Daniel Heltz began blending smoothies out of our other stores."

Wilder's his team visited about 13 shelters, 14 neighborhoods and stopped by 11 schools to hand out smoothies.

“With passion and hard work, you will find success, but it’s vital for you to love and believe in the product you’re selling. I found that with Smoothie King, and it’s become the inspiration in everything I do,” Wilder says. "God deserves the glory I get. I truly feel that."