Philip Schram

Philip Schram

Philip Schram is an entrepreneur. He is recognized for his expertise in vintage cars, especially the Le Zebre. He has also been recognized for his creative integration of social and web-based business solutions. He holds a MS in chemistry from the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG) and an MBA from INSEAD/CEDEP, Paris. He is one of the owners of Buffalo Wings & Rings, a restaurant franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Background

Philip Schram was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris to a family recognized as business leaders in France. He served a tour of duty with the prestigious Liautey Cavalery Military Corp, France’s equivalent to the U.S. Marine Corps from 1987 to 1988. He quickly distinguished himself in IT and became an instructor.

After his time of service, he worked in the French automobile industry with Renault Vehicules Industriels (RVI) before its acquisition by Volvo Trucks. As a hobby, he joined the Amateur des Automobiles Anciennes (Amateur of Vintage Cars Society) in 1989 and would soon distinguish himself as an expert in vintage cars.

Schram immigrated to the United States in 1999 to participate in the newly formed joint venture between German transmission manufacturer ZF Batavia and Ford Motors. In 2005, Schram acquired the restaurant franchise Buffalo Wings & Rings.

Le Zebre

Vintage Car Promoter and Expert

Within one year of joining the Club des Amateur d'Automobiles Anciennes, Schram was elected treasurer, a position he held for six years. In this time, he helped grow the vintage car society’s annual Epoqu’Auto from a regional car show to the second most important vintage car show in France. His expertise as a controller and business developer helped bring large exhibitors, such as La Fondation de l’Automobile Berliet to the annual event.

He was once again involved with Amateur des Automobiles Anciennes in 2009 for the 100th anniversary of the Le Zebre. With two other members of the organization, he helped organize a rally which was attended by owners of vintage Le Zebres.^[1][2]

In 1997, Schram published the first book ever written about the Le Zebre, a French make built between 1909 and 1931 in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, near Paris. The book has been recognized in multiple publications.^[3][4][5] It is currently in its fifth printing. In 2012, a German version was co-authored with Marek Hötzelt & Schram de:Le Zèbre.

Internet Entrepreneur

In 2004, Schram recognized the value of integrating websites, social media, YouTube and ecommerce. This led to the development of AdvanceLinks and the acquisition of Paljunction, two web-based business solutions which he expanded further in their applications. AdvanceLinks introduced a platform where depth of content from multiple perspectives could be supported and social contribution could be encouraged. The results may be seen on lezebre.eu, where one of the most comprehensive knowledge bases for this vintage automobile may be found. Users of the site are able to learn or contribute to the knowledge-base.

When Schram acquired Paljunction in 2004, it was one of many social networks contending for recognition in the marketplace. Schram chose to develop the platform as a closed network solution for professionals, societies, churches and businesses. An early business user was Secretary of State John Kerry.

Schram integrated a number of tools into Paljunction, including a bulletin board, document management, eLearning, ecommerce and ERP. Its value as a business management tool would be recognized by Franchise Developer.^[6]

Author

His initial success with Le Zebre, and his experience developing AdvanceLinks, led Schram to explore a new model of eBook. He worked with Fleurette Morel, the daughter of race driver André Morel, on telling her father’s story through a multi-dimensional concept not seen previously in the market. When the André Morel e-Book was published in 2008, it allowed the reader to navigate in multiple directions—chronology, people, cars, themes, etc. Each section reflected extensive research and documentation so that readers could have a positive experience no matter which approach they chose to the subject matter.^[7]

Schram collaborated on Les Ornais Celebres (The Orne Celebrities) in 2010 as a key contributor of photographs and knowledge about Joseph Lamy, a famous resident of France's Orne region and key executive at Le Zebre and Amilcar.^[8]

He has since published similar eBooks about auto industry designers Chenard Senechal and Jules Salomon. Schram’s next automobile project will be released in 2014. Delage: La Voiture Chic provides a complete catalog of the production years between 1905 to 1953. The book will be the definitive work on all three periods of production of this French luxury car, from the frame outward. An extensive album of photographs will provide detailed information for accurate restoration and enjoyment of these vintage cars.

As an avid locomotive enthusiast, Schram has also written many articles about trains. He is a regular contributor to the On-Line Magazine of Rideable Model Railroading Discover Live Stream.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Business Owner

In 2005, Schram was looking for an investment. He found an opportunity in a failing restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio. By 2008, the restaurant franchise, Buffalo Wings and Rings attained ranking as the fastest growing restaurant chain in the country.^[13] By 2013, the chain included more than 60 restaurant locations worldwide.

Schram’s success as a businessman earned him a coveted nomination for the 2008 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

ARCA Auto Racing Supporter

In 2008, Schram reached an agreement with the Sheltra Motorsports team. Buffalo Wings & Rings would sponsor Patrick Sheltra. After Sheltra's promising results that racing season, Schram committed BW&R as Sheltra's primary sponsor. BW&R was the primary sponsor supporting Sheltra's win of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season championship.

References