Chick N’Cone

Mike and Chelena Vaz changed my life forever. You may be wondering how two people and a chicken franchise could make such a lasting impact. Well, I was working for a commercial general contractor when I met Mike and Chelena Vaz. The COVID-19 pandemic was ravaging business owners across the country when Mike showed up in my office in desperate need of help.

For over a decade, the couple has poured their heart and soul into helping young boys in the juvenile justice system and at-risk youth in New York City. The pandemic hit and everything changed. Mike came in to see how the firm I worked for could help his family start their own Chick’n Cone franchise. They needed a fresh start and a way to continue to raise money to pour into the causes that matter most to them.

The only problem was, he couldn’t afford to pay the high costs the company was charging. For someone who has poured so much into others, I decided to lend him any expertise I had on developing and managing his own project for free.

Today, their franchise has developed into a multi-location business in the heart of Orlando. In return, Mike and Chelena have been able to help thousands of teens in the community. I believe the work they do has not only a current but eternal impact. It inspired me to find ways to help other people like Mike bring their dreams to reality without all of the high costs of commercial development firms. Stories like his are why we do what we do.