One on One with Ross Franklin, CEO of Pure Green Juice + Smoothies

By Carolina Rodriguez

CEO Ross Franklin of Pure Green from Westchester, New York, speaks to MSM Online about his professional background, challenges and his vision to establish Pure Green to help millions of people get into a healthy lifestyle.

Can you reveal to us a childhood experience which influenced your business career, especially your relation with nutrition?

I grew up in a Kosher household in Westchester, New York with two younger brothers. From not eating pork products or shellfish, discipline in regards to food selection has been ingrained in me since childhood. However, many of the kosher foods we ate growing up were processed foods including sugar cereals like captain crunch and fruity pebbles. I have certainly come a long way since then.

It didn’t occur to me until high school when I was captain of the wrestling team how food impacted athletic performance and mental focus. While on the wrestling team at Hastings High School in New York, the goal was to drop weight to get into the lighter weight class to gain a competitive advantage. This was the start of me realizing how eating clean foods improve performance and improve my cognitive ability with academics.

Which person has inspired you throughout your career? Why?

I have been fortunate to have had many mentors throughout my professional career. Straight out of college, I was hired as the Fitness Manager at The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers , managing over 50 personal trainers. The General Manager at the time Bill Abramson, took me under his wing and taught me the difference between leadership and management. He showed me the art of managing multiple department heads and how to report performance metrics to the owners.

While working as a General Manager at Equinox Fitness, I met Mark Wood, a seasoned entrepreneur who sold his restaurant group for millions. Mark was a master of executing systems and process at a high level and he exposed me to Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, took me to Tony Robbin’s live events and had me read dozens of books on leadership. Mark taught be how to build teams, develop people and the science of flawless execution.

 How did your initial process to establish Pure Green originate? Could you provide us with a business insight?

After starting my own consulting company specializing in opening new gyms, spas and fitness centers all throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Liquiteria, a juice and smoothie bar in New York City hired me when they only had one location. A new owner bought the company and brought me on to grow the brand. I expanded Liquiteria to 4 locations with each new location more successful than the previous one. I became obsessed with the juice and smoothie business as it allowed me to stay true to my passion for health and wellness and I learned how a single 600 square foot location can make as much revenue as a 30,000 square foot fitness center. I became hooked on the juice and smoothie business and decided to start my own company, Pure Green.

What is a recent chief achievement with Pure Green? What are your challenges?

My vision is for Pure Green to help millions of people get into a healthy lifestyle which is quite the undertaking. We now have 3 retail locations and we recently launched Pure Green wholesale. The challenge now for Pure Green is how to get into big box retail like Wholefoods, Costco and high traffic malls within every major city in the US.

Can you please tell us about a personal good experience with your business?

Helping people transition into a healthier lifestyle is what brings me the greatest happiness. When I walk around New York City and see people on the street carrying the lime green canvas Pure Green bags, drinking Pure Green super food smoothies and hearing people rave about Pure Green even when they don’t know I am the owner makes me feel great!

How do you divide your time among family, business and Pure Green?

It can be difficult to give family and friends the attention they deserve especially when I am so focused on bringing Pure Green to the world. I am blessed to have such supportive family and friends who believe in me and my mission for Pure Green. I have an amazing girlfriend who is totally understanding and knows that all the late nights I spend focused on growing Pure Green will help to make the world healthier… or at least I would like to think so 😉

What is a ‘normal’ day in the life of Ross Franklin?

A “normal” day in the life of Ross Franklin includes many supplements, super foods, green juice, bulletproof coffee, brainstorming, strategizing, meetings with Pure Green General Managers, checking on Pure Green retail locations, Pure Green wholesale meetings, meetings with vendors to reduce COGS, researching new products and menu items, looking at new locations, talking with Pure Green guests, keeping the Pure Green team focused on hospitality and making sure everyone is having fun.

Would you describe yourself as a spiritual person? If so can you share with us one of your more profound spiritual experiences?

Although I rarely discuss this with people, I would consider myself a spiritual person. I find it interesting that many people who start to eat clean, get into cold pressed juice, super food smoothies and make a shift toward a healthier lifestyle become more spiritual.

I have delved into Kabbalah, meditation, Qi Gong and a variety of other spiritual practices. I believe in balance and have discovered certain elements from different spiritual practices resonate with me but none that I embrace 100%. Too often, I find people often look to external stimuli to deal with their problems and seek answers from outside sources. After a long personal journey, I have full-circled and have come to learn that by looking inward and relying on your gut, your intuition and taking 100% accountability for your actions, you can learn to “own” yourself and be of greater service to the world and more focused on helping others.

How would you like to be remembered?

I would like to be remembered as a visionary, a leader, a mentor, a loving husband, a great father and someone who has enhanced people’s lives in wellness for generations to come.

Are you satisfied with all of your achievements until now? When are you happiest?

I enjoy celebrating the small victories each day. I am the happiest when I live in alignment of my vision in making people’s lives healthier.

What is your greatest hope for the future?

My greatest hope for the future is for people across the world to embrace a healthier lifestyle. I believe this shift would not only lead to people living longer but help them to live happier lives. When you think about it, if you eat poorly, don’t take care of yourself, don’t exercise, you generally tend to be more irritable and it becomes difficult to feel good. When you feel good you tend to be more pleasant to be around. As simple and cliché as it sounds, if people were happier, wouldn’t the world be a better place?

What is next for Ross Franklin?

Pure Green keeps me pretty busy; I think I’ll take it one juice at a time…

Photos courtesy Pure Green Instagram