Meet Evan Hackel

Evan Hackel, the creator of the Ingaged Leadership concept and brand, is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success.

Evan is founder and principal of Ingage Consulting, a consulting firm focused on improving the performance of franchises by improving the relationship between franchisees and the franchisor.

By creating a culture of partnership and common purpose, Ingage Consulting is able to help franchises dramatically improve their performance. He has helped hundreds of franchise organizations make major systemwide changes and build franchisee "ingagement," teamwork, and focused growth, resulting in increased profitability and achieved success.

Evan’s Professional Timeline

1980

  • Received MBA from Boston College in finance in general management

  • Launched first franchise concept – a video rental store

  • Grew family business from $3 million to $25 million in four years

  • Joined CCA Global Partners as its 5th employee

1990

  • Founded two new franchise concepts (both successfully operating today)

  • Acquired Design Supply Guild and converted it to International Design Guild from its original 17 locations to over 100 locations in five years

  • Made acting CEO of StarNet, a cooperative of commercial floor covering stores in deep trouble due to exodus of entire senior management team; grew from 70 locations 130 location in two years

  • Launched CCA Global Partners University; grew department to over 24 training professionals

  • Assisted Mohawk Industries in the development of their elite dealer program

2000

  • Oversaw the acquisition of Flooring America out of bankruptcy and managed turnaround; grew from $700 million systemwide sales to over $2 billion in four years

  • Helped launch the Lenders One cooperative, which grew to having over 160 members and over $65 billion worth of mortgage origination

  • Oversaw the development of The Biking Solution

  • Oversaw the management of the conversion of the Tuxedo of America group and converted it into Savvi Formalwear

  • Took over the management of CCA Global Partners’ largest division, Carpet One; increased growth rate at 2x the industry

  • Started Flooring One in the UK

  • Launched BizUnite/Saving4Members Buying Group

2008

  • Left CCA Global Partners after helping the company grow at an amazing 29% growth rate for 20 years and achieving systemwide sales of over $10 billion

  • Earned CFE (Certified Franchise Executive) status

  • Started Ingage Consulting; have worked with more than 50 different franchise organizations

  • Launched the Franchise Operations Summit

  • Started angel investing, having since invested in 14 companies

  • Selected as keynote speaker at the National Cooperative Business Association

2013

  • Acquired Tortal Training, franchising industry’s largest training company, with Cordell Riley; grew by 4x in four years

  • Published the first edition of Ingaging Leadership

  • Co-Founded Delta Payment Solutions

  • Co-Founded Empowery Internet Seller Cooperative

  • Co-Founded Techfly

2018

  • Became a regular contributor to Franchise Update Magazine and Franchise USA magazine

  • Joined the International Franchise Association’s Membership and Franchise Relationship committees

2022

  • Sold Tortal Training to Pluribus Technology

  • Became President of the New England Franchise Association

  • Joined the board of Small Software, an employee relationship software company

  • Became an advisor to Band, a purchasing group software company

Before founding Ingage Consulting, Evan worked at CCA Global Partners for twenty years. At CCA, he was responsible for four business divisions with over 2,000 units and over $5 billion in sales operating in five countries. He also founded CCA’s departments in marketing, national programs, and training. He led the company's effort to buy and turn around a troubled franchise organization from bankruptcy. In four years he was able to grow the troubled franchise from $700 million in systemwide sales to a very successful company with over $2 billion in sales.

In total, Evan has helped launch and found three franchise businesses during his career. Two of those were at CCA—which are still successfully operating now—and one, which he founded prior to CCA, developed and sold. Evan is a Certified Franchise Executive, a member of the IFA’s franchise relationship committee, co-chairman of the IFA Knowledge Share committee, and a board member of the New England Franchise Association.

Evan received an MBA from Boston College and a BA from Colorado College.

Evan resides in Reading, Massachusetts with his wife, Laura, and his three children.

We help our clients succeed by building strong, ingaging organizations.

Who We Are

We are ingagement champions acknowledged for being the thought leader in business engagement.

We are life-long learners, and are committed to constantly evolving and getting better at what we do. We believe our organization needs to exemplify everything we help our customers achieve. As such, we hire people who share our values and strategic direction, and offer them a great place to work.

We publish and openly share best practices. We are educators, not just consultants of the industry.

We grow our business organically, through acquisition and by aligning with like-minded companies.

What We Value

Collaboration: we involve as many stakeholders as we can from your organization to identify the problem and brainstorm solutions. Similarly, we involve the right people from our team.

Openness: we value honesty and truthfulness, and as such we are known for telling it as it is.

Listening: the only way you can fully appreciate a person’s perspective is by listening to them.

Understanding: we strive to know the big picture; to put the puzzle together before deconstructing it to make it better.

Innovation: we anticipate what people need, and always look for new and different solutions to problems.

Results focused: we are driven to improve the performance of your business and achieve your business goals.

Find out how Ingaging Leadership Can Spark Your Organization’s Potential

"Amazing read! So much wisdom and an easy read. I highly recommend."

Innovative strategies to Ingage your next generation of employees.

Evan Hackel's Ingaging Leadership The Ultimate Edition offers a refreshing new approach to motivating and leading employees in the modern workplace. Hackel makes a compelling case that "Ingagement"—a philosophy of active partnership and alignment between leadership and staff—can yield tremendous dividends.

The book promises major benefits for leaders who embrace Ingagement:

  • Boost innovation and new ideas by empowering and actively engaging all employees

  • Motivate your workforce and increase loyalty and commitment by embracing the Ingagement philosophy to align your team and create an environment where everyone works together in partnership