Donna Ditriani and Jason Mock (High Touch Software) won first place. Mock also bowled a whopping 287 to take high game.

Donna Ditrani and Jason Mock won the ColorTyme bowling tournament Sunday with an average score of 247.75. Jason bowled the nights high game with a whopping 287.

ColorTyme franchisees, store managers, vendors and executives descended on Strikz in Frisco, Texas Sunday to celebrate the opening of the 2008 ColorTyme National Convention with a bowling tournament.

Donna Ditrani and Jason Mock (High Touch Software) won first place. Mock also bowled a whopping 287 to take high game. See a complete photo gallery of the bowling tournament here.

ColorTyme will recognize the franchise's top performing store managers tomorrow and the top franchisees Tuesday.

Mark Shaw, store manager of the Waipahu, Hawaii ColorTyme, is an early favorite among store managers. Shaw has earned the Double Diamond award, ColorTyme's highest award for store performance, for three consecutive years (See all of last year's award winners here). Rumor has it Shaw may have company in the elite category this year.

Karim Youseff, store manager of the Manassas, Virginia ColorTyme.

Spend any time with ColorTyme store managers and you'll quickly recognize a trend - a sincere desire to grow their stores by helping customers acquire ownership. Karim Youseff, store manager of the Manassas, Virginia ColorTyme, was enticed to leave the retail furniture business by franchise owner Eddie Edwards. Youseff has come to love the rent-to-own business - or more accurately, his customers. He told RTO Online, "I don't win until the customer wins. And when a customer pays out and re-rents, that's my home-run."

Eddie Edwards became a ColorTyme franchisee in 2004 and one year later was named ColorTyme’s New Franchisee of the Year (see story). Edwards is also a member of ColorTyme's Franchisee Advisory Council (FAC), a group of 10 franchisees elected by their peers. The FAC and ColorTyme corporate collaborate on the annual War Room contest where ColorTyme stores across the country compete to produce the most deliveries in a single day. During the 2007 contest, franchisees Dave Timmons and Larry Hill averaged nearly 100 agreements for each of their four Oklahoma stores (see story).

Maria Cracium, store manager of the Hanover, Pennsylvania ColorTyme.

Maria Cracium, who came to ColorTyme from Rent-A-Center, manages the Hanover, Pennsylvania store for franchise partners Tom and Duane Smith. Cracium believes independent operators have a distinct advantage over large chains in meeting each customer's unique needs. "We can be a lot more flexible," Cracium said. "I can work out individual plans that help customers reach their goals."

RTO Online will publish photos from tomorrows award ceremony. Please check www.rtoonline.com for updates.