The opportunity
Minimize environmental impact, reduce operational energy and water consumption, improve indoor environmental quality for occupants, and enhance long-term asset value.
From “The future of retail franchise operations!” (May 2011)
There are all kinds of other areas of fast change that present opportunity. Consider the issue fo ‘green buildings’ and sustainability. The West Australian newspaper recently noted that ” with the rapid increase in knowledge, skills and availability of materials, costs have fallen. The industry now understands how to build green and building a 5-star Green Star building is now generally cost neutral .”
Some franchisees are taking this to heart, with aggressive plans involving eco-friendly buildings. Chick-fil-A has a LEED initiative in building a test model restaurant that has water usage down by 40% through rainwater collection; an electricity reduction of 14% through the use of skylights & energy efficient appliances; 20% of the building content is from recycled material; and 30% more fresh air than regular buildings. While the structure is 15% more expensive to build, they expect a fairly quick payback — and will manage to get a branding image to their customer base that they don’t just talk sustainability - they do it!
From this perspective, innovation is keeping ahead of and planning for hyper-innovation with IT, energy, environmental and other infrastructure trends that impact facilities or the nature of the customer interaction.
From “Daily Inspiration: 24 Strategies for 2024 #5 - “Elevate your enthusiasm!”” (December 2023)
Renewable Energy: Massive acceleration of the technologies behind solar, wind, and other sustainable sources.
Green Economy: Growth in environmentally sustainable jobs, companies, and opportunities
Green Architecture: Sustainable and energy-efficient building designs.
From “Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #17 Micro-Autonomous Systems: “Individually small, collectively revolutionary. Micro-swarms are silently building the intelligent and automated world of tomorrow.”” (July 2025)
This ” per-plant farming” approach promises to significantly increase crop yields, reduce environmental impact, and enhance food security.
2025: Industrial Inspection. Drone swarms become a standard tool for the inspection of energy infrastructure, transportation networks, and large-scale construction projects.
2027: Logistics Revolution. Swarms of autonomous mobile robots become commonplace in large distribution centers, optimizing inventory management and order fulfillment.
Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:
The future of retail franchise operations!
Daily Inspiration: 24 Strategies for 2024 #5 - “Elevate your enthusiasm!”
Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #17 Micro-Autonomous Systems: “Individually small, collectively revolutionary. Micro-swarms are silently building the intelligent and automated world of tomorrow.”