SUBWAY® Restaurant Chain And Young & Successful Media Team Up To Launch Documentary And The Ultimate 100 Country Entrepreneurial Challenge

MILFORD, Conn., Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- To inspire young, would-be entrepreneurs from around the world, the largest and most successful restaurant chain in the world is launching a global initiative to impact the next generation of emerging talent by opening up its vast network to the winners of the Build Your Own Virtual SUBWAY Challenge, which takes place from January 29 through March 12.

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The Build Your Own Virtual SUBWAY® Challenge is a business simulation game that will enable players to learn about business and compete globally. It is also the first 100-plus country online competition. To register for the Build Your Own Virtual SUBWAY® Challenge go to the following link: http://www.ysn.com/subway.

The Build Your Own Virtual SUBWAY® Challenge coincides with the release of an educational documentary, "SUBWAY® Restaurants: How a 17-year-old Built the #1 Restaurant Chain in the World through Franchising" by Young & Successful Media. The SUBWAY® story, which started at a backyard picnic in 1965 when Dr. Peter Buck gave 17-year-old Fred DeLuca a check for $1,000 to open a submarine sandwich shop, is being shared with students through 10,000 business and entrepreneurship professors located at colleges and universities in 100 countries throughout the world. To see a preview of the documentary, please go to http://bit.ly/SubwayStory.

"Subway is one of the greatest business success stories in history and we're so excited to share it on this massive scale with young people eager to figure out their own employment and entrepreneurial options," said Jennifer Kushell, Founder and President of the Young & Successful Media and author of the New York Times best-seller Secrets of the Young & Successful. "It is an incredible example of not only how fascinating business and franchising are, but what really is possible when you're young and ambitious. The inspiration of this story, which we captured in both the documentary and online challenge, is really a call to action for young people throughout the world struggling in today's tough economy. We are particularly excited about the challenge because it is all about providing job, career and networking opportunities – not just winning prizes."

The five top winners will win a VIP, all-expense paid trip to the United States to visit SUBWAY® headquarters, meet with SUBWAY® co-founder and President Fred DeLuca and the senior management team and attend a special training session. From there, they'll visit New York City and Washington DC.

100 semi- finalists, one from each country where SUBWAY® restaurants are located, along with the 5 winners, will be introduced to the global management team for the brand. The SUBWAY® management team is committed to working with the top performers and to introduce them to opportunities to be part of the global franchising team. Possible opportunities for qualified individuals could range from supporting regional restaurants as field consultants, working with a regional development team to help grow the brand, joining the corporate management team, working with multi-unit franchisees, store level employment or even get the chance to own a SUBWAY® franchise.

"We have more than 400,000 team members in the 100 countries where we are open," said Don Fertman, Director of Global Development. "This is a wonderful chance for us to offer opportunities to some very deserving and ambitious young people."

"For 47 years we have provided both entrepreneurs and staff members with business opportunities and support systems to help them become more successful," said Fred, co-founder and President of the SUBWAY® chain, and a member of the International Franchise Association Hall of Fame. "We want to take that a step further with the Build Your Own Virtual SUBWAY® Challenge by identifying young people globally who would be a great fit for our business. We know that as SUBWAY® continues to grow, it will be the young entrepreneurs throughout the world that will keep our brand relevant and vibrant."

The mission of the Young & Successful Media is to ensure that young, driven people have access to opportunities to realize their full potential. As experts in the field of global youth employment and entrepreneurship, Young & Successful Media specializes in high impact and engagement campaigns that inspire next generation leaders.  Ten years ago they produced an earlier version of this case study on the SUBWAY® brand (on VHS tape) and sent it to 2,000 schools in North America, providing entrepreneurs with the insights on how to own and operate their own business. That case study is one of the most popular among teachers and students in the US and is still requested to this day, which prompted the partnership between SUBWAY® and Young & Successful Media to launch this global on and offline campaign celebrating the brand opening a restaurant in its 100th country.

The online game – The Virtual Build Your Own SUBWAY® Challenge - is expected to attract players from every corner of the world who will set up their own store, choose their location, learn the business, answer quiz questions, and drive traffic to their restaurant via social media. Participants will gain points as customers visit their virtual restaurants, as well as through a series of challenges, which includes creating a promotional video to pitch themselves and their restaurant. Global and country-specific leaderboards will track the highest scoring contestants throughout the four week challenge and will determine, along with a comprehensive review by a panel of judges, who the winners and finalists are. The winners will be notified from April 15 through April 19.

About SUBWAY® Restaurants
Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, and with regional offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami and Singapore, the SUBWAY® brand was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. Their partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey – one that has made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business.  With more than 38,000 locations in 100 countries, the SUBWAY® brand – mostly through its franchisees – provides more than 400,000 job opportunities worldwide.

In 2012, SUBWAY® restaurants became the first restaurant to meet the American Heart Association's Heart-Check Meal Certification Program nutritional criteria.  This year, for the fourth straight year, the SUBWAY® brand was ranked "number one" by consumers in the Zagat® Fast Food Survey in the "Healthy Options," "Most Popular" and "Top Service" categories for food brands with 5,000 or more locations. For more information about the SUBWAY® chain, visit http://www.subway.com. Find us on Facebook: Facebook.com/subway. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/subway. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor's Associates Inc.

About The Young & Successful Media
Specializing in the next generation workforce, with an emphasis on youth empowerment, engagement, employment and entrepreneurship, Young & Successful Media works with a wide range of organizations in launching programs, content and campaigns that inspire individuals to shake up their status quo and spring into action. Young & Successful Media networks individuals directly through the YSN.com site, and works with organizations and companies of all sizes through strategic consulting, special projects, and public-private partnerships.  YSN.com is constructing the first Global Opportunity Marketplace to offer the emerging global workforce unprecedented access to create and build their careers anywhere in the world. The Marketplace is collaboration among corporate, philanthropic, public sector, and academic organizations to provide unparalleled access to young people around the globe, an intimate understanding of what motivates them, and pathways for innovative solutions to make youth -targeted campaigns more influential, emotionally charged and compelling. Aside from its strategic consulting practice, the company's flagship digital platform and website attracts and supports young leaders, entrepreneurs and students from over 160 countries to have economic and social impact through their creative, innovative, entrepreneurial, and societal interests and energies.

SOURCE SUBWAY Restaurants