Eric Danver, owner and CEO of FGG Spa, LLC, has been named a 2026 Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association
Last week, the International Franchise Association (IFA) announced the names of 89 franchise owners taking home Franchisee of the Year Awards for 2026. According to the IFA, winners represent the very best of the franchise industry, exemplify community engagement, build strong teams and cultures, and serve as resources to other franchisees when needed.
One familiar name on the IFA’s roll call of honor was Eric Danver of Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa. Through his company FGG Spa, LLC, Eric owns a network of over 75 spas that are currently open or in development, making him Hand & Stone’s biggest franchisee.
We spoke with Eric back in July to uncover the strategies and techniques he’s used to scale with Hand & Stone, and he shared a key piece of wisdom with us: “It’s all about the people.”
Now that Eric is officially a Franchisee of the Year, we wanted to follow up with him to offer congratulations and learn more about what he’s doing to continue growing the Hand & Stone franchise system while providing best-in-class leadership.
How does it feel to be recognized as an IFA Franchisee of the Year and know it was the leadership team at Hand & Stone that nominated you?
It means a lot and it’s great to get the recognition, but this isn’t an award you can earn all by yourself. Knowing the leadership team at Hand & Stone put my name forward means a great deal to me and I’ve really appreciated the partnership we’ve built over the years. I’ve been with this brand a long time, first as a client, then as a franchisee, and having that relationship recognized this way is humbling. This award really belongs to my team, my family, and everyone who’s put in the work across our spas.
What do you see as your superpowers as a franchisee? What about your approach, experience, or style do you believe brought you to this point where you’re being recognized as one of the top operators in this space?
It’s the discipline around people and the financials. A lot of operators are strong in one or the other. My 25 years in QSR taught me how to run tight operations, but that same business also taught me that none of it works if you don’t take care of your people. I’ve never let go of either side of that. I still believe in starting hands-on. I worked the front desk myself when we opened our first spas, and I still believe in promoting from within, as well as paying people what they’re worth.
I’ve always said gratitude is an action word – you must show people they’re valued. As an example, when we struggled to fill assistant manager roles, we started calling the position “manager in training” instead, and the response changed completely. People want to see a path to growth, not just a job. Our VP of Training and Education started as an assistant manager at 19 years old, and my daughter started as a spa associate at 17 and is now our VP of Operations. Those aren’t exceptions either – that’s how we try to build every role in this company. Running a tight business while genuinely investing in people is what’s let us scale responsibly, and it’s also what gives our team the confidence to build a career with us.
These awards don’t just celebrate operators who do big business; they’re meant to recognize franchisees who are true leaders and mentors within their systems. What does it mean to you to be a go-to resource for other franchisees, and what’s your approach to supporting or enabling other Hand & Stone operators?
That part might mean more to me than the business itself. I sit on Hand & Stone’s Franchise Advisory Council and Finance Committee, and I’m regularly talking to newer or prospective franchisees about what’s worked for us and what hasn’t. My approach is simple, as I try to be as open as possible. People were generous with me when I was starting out, so I try to pay that forward, whether it’s about staffing, development or the mistakes I’ve made along the way.
Mentoring goes both ways too. I learn something from almost every conversation I have with other operators. Part of what I try to get across is that this isn’t about copying what I’ve built, but about showing people what’s possible with this brand. Hand & Stone has strong unit economics, is scaling and has growing demand for the services we offer. The corporate team is also genuinely invested in helping franchisees grow. I wouldn’t have gone from one spa to where we are now if I didn’t believe in that vision. Franchising with Hand & Stone has been transformative for me and my family, and it’s given us the chance to build something together and give back in ways I never expected. It takes dedication and discipline, but that same opportunity is there for a lot of people, and if this award helps even one person see that, it means more to me than the recognition itself.
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Congratulations to Eric and all the other 2026 IFA Franchisees of the Year! The awards will be officially distributed on September 15 at the IFA’s upcoming Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C.
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