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108 109 MISTER SOFTEE “THE CREAMIEST, DREAMIEST SOFT ICE CREAM” “I think, one of the things that makes our company unique within the franchise world, is that we are going to be a third gener- ation family-owned business, and we have a lot of multi-generational franchisees,” explains Jim Conway, Jr., Vice President and second-generation, co-owner of the nota- ble and nostalgic Mister Softee Ice Cream brand. Founded in 1956 by two brothers, William and Jim Conway, the business began as Dairy Van, a manufacturer of ice cream trucks. It soon grew into a multi-mil- lion dollar company with over 350 franchise deal- ers and 600 trucks in 15 states. “When they started, they still hadn’t gotten the engineering right.” Conway explains, adding that the broth- ers were overwhelmed handling issues with the vans, the machinery, and recommendations on ingredients. So, they decided, “If we’re going to do all this hand-holding, we should create the busi- AT A GLANCE // MISTER SOFTEE WHAT: An ice cream truck franchisor WHERE: Runnemede, New Jersey WEBSITE: www.mistersoftee.com