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Garcia was presented with the award during the chain’s recent national conference in Orlando, Florida, where more than 1,000 franchise owners, managers and others gathered to celebrate Jersey Mike’s Subs 60th anniversary.

Garcia is a Los Angeles resident who owns nearly three-dozen Jersey Mike’s locations, mostly in Southern California. He opened the Clovis location last year, and has already opened a total of four stores in the Fresno-Clovis area, with plans to open up to five more as part of a multi-year plan.

A native of Nicaragua, Garcia moved to the U.S. at age 16 and began his foodservice career in 1991 as a Domino’s delivery driver.

“Receiving the President’s Award means a lot,” Garcia said in a statement. “It raises for me the bar of personal expectations. First, I feel the need to recognize and appreciate the hard work of every person who works along with me — my business partners (John, Victor, Jorge), my supervisors, the store management, the employees, the store construction and maintenance team, to name only a few. This is definitely a team accomplishment. Second, I feel a big responsibility towards my team to improve and grow our company.”