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Robert E. Pirtle, Founder and President

Bob Pirtle is a leading expert in all forms of business expansion. With over 30 years of experience creating profitable organizations, Bob has helped hundreds of small businesses and multi-national corporations expand their methods of distribution and generate sustainable increases in sales and profits. A passionate believer in the power of franchising, Bob has served for many years as an officer and board member of the International Franchise Association (U.S.), the Franchise Association of Southern Africa, and the Franchise Association of Zimbabwe (which he created).

Although franchising has always been his main focus, Bob has also successfully developed licenses, distributorships, and cooperatives in the US and Canada as well as internationally. He is a firm believer that every business has its own unique requirements for growth and he thoroughly enjoys the challenge of finding what works best for each of his clients.

As president and CEO of International Expansion Experts (IEE), Bob has worked with diverse companies in industries such as Internet and telephone service, apparel, after-school childcare, auto repair, fast food, real estate, personal fitness, computer training, and many others. During his many engagements, he has validated business concepts, guided the creation of legal documents, and designed the strategic framework for the growth of each of his clients, among other assignments.

Prior to starting his own firm in 1993, Bob was president and CEO of General Business Services, Inc., a 700-unit U.S. franchise organization, where he delivered profits for the first time in five years and oversaw the company’s first initial public offering. He also served as president and managing director of ai ANSA International Rent a Car, SA, a major domestic and international rental and leasing firm. Bob's earlier career in franchising included the position of vice president and managing director of The Hertz Corporation, responsible for recruiting, training, and supporting 2,500 franchisees in over 150 countries.

Bob brings a passion for teaching to every client engagement. His goal is not just to help clients grow, but also to expand their ability to sustain profitable growth for years to come. In addition to training clients, Bob educates business executives through his articles and seminars on franchising, licensing, and other methods of distribution—and the next generation of business leaders through his college courses in strategic management, organizational analysis and change, and international management.

Bob earned his B.A. degree in business administration from the University of Texas and his M.S. in education from the University of Bridgeport. He is a graduate of Stanford University’s Executive Development Program and of the mediation program at the University of Houston.

Bob loves to read and to travel. He is a UT fan and although he considers himself of the world his heart is still in Texas.