GIOA’s Initiative
to Support
Education Benefits

Our mission is to change 5000 lives by providing accessible education benefits that empower our teams and positively influence our communities.

Jonathan Hollis

GIOA President, Operator 20 Years

“Everyone wants to make an impact. That’s often easier said than done. GIOA is here to help with that. The 5000 Futures Initiative is going to make the inaccessible, accessible. The impossible, possible. To bring the power of education to those who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity.”

Justin Mize

GIOA Vice President, Operator 10 Years

“The 5000 Futures Initiative provides that unique opportunity for our Team Members to accomplish something incredible, without the financial risk that they would’ve faced otherwise. This has the potential to be one of the best investments you make in your Team Members. We are excited about our partnership with universities, present and future, that are helping make this initiative happen.”

Alex Vann

GIOA Vice President, Operator 21 Years

“We have anincredible opportunity to invest in the lives of our Team Members. We have been uniquely positioned to invest the resources we’ve been entrusted with to make an exponential impact on the lives of those we steward and see them step into their potential.
This isn’t just a program. It’s a force multiplier. This opportunity has the power to change lives and change the future trajectory of our Team Members. Join me and hundreds of others as we impact 5000 Futures. Let’s take Truett’s encouragement and do together what we could never do alone.”

Randy Smith

GIOA Executive Director

“We know how much you, as an Operator,appreciate and care for your Team Members. We know you want to continue to have a positive influence on your customers and your community. This opportunity makes that possible. We are excited to share that the 5000 Futures Initiative is partnering to give the opportunity for everyone on your Team to pursue a debt-free pathway to a college degree. Thank you in advance for what y’all do every day in so many different ways that makes a difference, and for your interest in this new life-changing 5000 Futures Initiative by GIOA.”

Josh Malone

GIOA Board Member, Operator 19 Years

“College is not an option for several of our Team Members. That door has not been opened for them, or it comes with a lot of debt. Now we have the opportunity to open that door for so many Team Members that didn’t have access. It starts to change their future. It changes their lives and their kids’ lives if they can enter into adulthood without debt and with an education to take the next step in their career.”

Michael Edmonds

GIOA Board Member, Operator 31 Years

“I don’t want to just use a Team Member to help me accomplish the business goals. I want to pour in, educate, train, develop, and equip – teaching them skills that they’ll use for the rest of their lives.”

Zach Thomas

Education Envoy, Operator 15 Years

“One of the things that I have always felt really called to do is invest in my Team Members… [It] is very important, not only for my business but primarily for them and to help them become the best versions of themselves. I believe that long term, if I invest in them then they, in turn, will continue to invest in me and our business. “

GIOA

The Guardian Independent Operator Association exists to glorify God by protecting, promoting, and preserving the role of the Operator in all 50 states for the next 50 years.

We do this by providing our members world-class Health Benefits, Membership Perks, Business Solutions, impactful Initiatives, and the highest level of customer service to ensure Operators have the tools they need to lead their stores with excellence.

From its humble start as a produce cooperation to now serving over 1,300 Operators nationwide, GIOA is the largest independent Operator association created by Operators for the benefit of Operators. We believe we’re better and stronger together and remain committed to faithfully upholding the principles of our shared past while forging a shared path into the future.

GIOA started as a group of Operators in Atlanta, GA in cooperation to acquire, purchase, and deliver produce. Jonathan Hollis, now President of GIOA, started and spearheaded this program. Operators quickly saw the value and power of working together through a unified process to meet specific needs that affected all Operators.

In 2020, another small group of Operators came together to meet a new need: health insurance. An even greater organization was needed and Guardian Independent Operator Association was formed under the leadership of Jonathan Hollis, Alex Vann, Randy Smith, and Justin Mize. A group of established Operators became the Board of Trustees and a trust was also formed.

As the association has grown, GIOA has continued to develop programs, benefits, and services that are of real value to the Operator, their Administrator, and their Team Members.

FOR OPERATORS

FOR TEAM MEMBERS

A healthcare program that includes:

Comprehensive Medical for full-time Team Members
Limited Medical options (MEC) for part-time Team Members
Dental & Vision for full-time and part-time Team Members
Voluntary Life Insurance for Team Members
Short-term Disability Insurance
Supplemental coverages such as Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospitalization

***Benefits administration, COBRA, and ACA compliance services are included

MEMBERSHIP PERKS

GIOA members have access to a suite of perks:

HR Support through our Compliance Library and HR Expert Support
HR Compliance Law Alert Updates for State and Federal Compliance
Employee Handbook Builder
Training Course Creation & Library
Leadership Development Resources
Subject Matter Content
Operator Networking
Private Community Forums
Employee Discounts with access to a discount network of over 30,000 vendors nationwide for Team Member support and incentives

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

Visit GIOA.INFO

The GIOA Board and 5000 Futures:
Honoring Truett’s Legacy

Initiative

The 5000 Futures Initiative began with a simple desire - to make the inaccessible accessible for our Team Members.

We believe that education is the door to opportunity. A passion arose within GIOA to make an accessible pathway for Operators and Team Members to pursue education.

We developed the dream of changing 5000 lives by providing accessible education benefits that empower our teams and positively influence our communities. And so became the 5000 Futures Initiative.

In driving this initiative, we seek to honor Truett Cathy’s legacy of investing in the lives of young men and women. One of the Biblical principles evident in Truett’s life was stewardship and the desire to be debt-free. The vision of 5000 Futures is to eliminate the ever-increasing and crippling debt that students incur when pursuing higher education.

Why Education Benefits

Education Benefits

Though one of the greatest doors to opportunity, higher education also comes with some of the most obstacles. The largest of these obstacles is financial. This is a barrier Operators can help their Team overcome.

Providing accessible education benefits is one of the best investments you can make in your Team Members, your business, and your community.

92% of Team Members enrolled in this program are still working at the same restaurant location one year later.

In a study of more than 22,000 employees participating in an employer’s tuition assistance program, Bright Horizons Family Solutions found that:

93% of respondents say that using their employer’s tuition assistance program helped them develop the skills they needed to grow within their company
85% say the program has made them a more effective employee
84% say access to a tuition assistance program was important in their decision to join the company
71% of respondents rate tuition assistance as the best or among the best benefits offered by their employer (excluding health care benefits)
56% of respondents would not have pursued additional education without this support from their employer

Education benefits come in multiple forms.

The two prominent types of tuition benefits are tuition reimbursement and tuition assistance.

Tuition Reimbursement means employees can pursue certain degrees or certificates, and employers will reimburse their tuition costs.

Tuition Assistance can include upfront payment by the employer or tuition deferment by the learning institution. Many companies and corporations also have options for scholarships.

Tuition Reimbursement plans are popular but can be prohibitive to Employers and Employees.

Tuition Reimbursement plans allow employees to pursue specific degrees and certificates with the company repaying a set amount of money for tuition and education costs.

These programs are typically geared towards Fortune 500 Companies with deep budgets for educational reimbursement
Require Section 127 plans at each level
Opens employer up to “non-capped expense” for those who seek reimbursement
Require the students to have the upfront cost to pay for tuition
Limits students to $5,250 per year in costs before having to pay taxes

Our subscription model for Employer-Sponsored Higher Education makes education benefits accessible for Operators and Team Members.

The Employer-Sponsor Higher Education subscription model includes a flat-rate fee paid upfront by the Operator that gives Team Members access to a debt-free pathway to a college degree.

It will allow Operators to provide affordable and accessible education benefits at a set cost for the Operator and at no tuition cost for the Team Member.

This model is geared towards smaller and mid-market companies (50-2000 employees)
Section 127 Program services provided
Limits financial exposure for the employer – unlimited employees can take advantage of the program under one Operator subscription fee
Students have no upfront cost for tuition and no limit to tuition costs
True tuition-free model – the only cost for students includes books and supplies

How it Works

The Importance of Graduating from College: A Pathway to Success

by 5000 Futures Initiative

The Student Debt Crisis: How Employer-Sponsored Education Benefits Offer a Lifeline

by 5000 Futures Initiative

Stewardship in Action: Beyond the Bottom Line

by 5000 Futures Initiative

The Win-Win of Education Benefits

by 5000 Futures Initiative

GIOA’s Initiative
to Support
Education Benefits

Jonathan Hollis

Justin Mize

Alex Vann

Randy Smith

Josh Malone

Michael Edmonds

Zach Thomas

GIOA

The Guardian Independent Operator Association exists to glorify God by protecting, promoting, and preserving the role of the Operator in all 50 states for the next 50 years.

As the association has grown, GIOA has continued to develop programs, benefits, and services that are of real value to the Operator, their Administrator, and their Team Members.

FOR OPERATORS

FOR TEAM MEMBERS

MEMBERSHIP PERKS

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

The GIOA Board and 5000 Futures:
Honoring Truett’s Legacy

Initiative

The 5000 Futures Initiative began with a simple desire - to make the inaccessible accessible for our Team Members.

We believe that education is the door to opportunity. A passion arose within GIOA to make an accessible pathway for Operators and Team Members to pursue education.

Education Benefits

Though one of the greatest doors to opportunity, higher education also comes with some of the most obstacles. The largest of these obstacles is financial. This is a barrier Operators can help their Team overcome.

Providing accessible education benefits is one of the best investments you can make in your Team Members, your business, and your community.

Education benefits come in multiple forms.

Tuition Reimbursement plans are popular but can be prohibitive to Employers and Employees.

Our subscription model for Employer-Sponsored Higher Education makes education benefits accessible for Operators and Team Members.

The Importance of Graduating from College: A Pathway to Success

The Student Debt Crisis: How Employer-Sponsored Education Benefits Offer a Lifeline

Stewardship in Action: Beyond the Bottom Line

The Win-Win of Education Benefits

Let’s Change the Future Together

Site Navigation

GIOA

GIOA’s Initiativeto SupportEducation Benefits

Jonathan Hollis

Justin Mize

Alex Vann

Randy Smith

Josh Malone

Michael Edmonds

Zach Thomas

GIOA

The Guardian Independent Operator Association exists to glorify God by protecting, promoting, and preserving the role of the Operator in all 50 states for the next 50 years.

As the association has grown, GIOA has continued to develop programs, benefits, and services that are of real value to the Operator, their Administrator, and their Team Members.

FOR OPERATORS

FOR TEAM MEMBERS

MEMBERSHIP PERKS

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

The GIOA Board and 5000 Futures: Honoring Truett’s Legacy

Initiative

The 5000 Futures Initiative began with a simple desire - to make the inaccessible accessible for our Team Members.

We believe that education is the door to opportunity. A passion arose within GIOA to make an accessible pathway for Operators and Team Members to pursue education.

Education Benefits

Though one of the greatest doors to opportunity, higher education also comes with some of the most obstacles. The largest of these obstacles is financial. This is a barrier Operators can help their Team overcome.

Providing accessible education benefits is one of the best investments you can make in your Team Members, your business, and your community.

Education benefits come in multiple forms.

Tuition Reimbursement plans are popular but can be prohibitive to Employers and Employees.

Our subscription model for Employer-Sponsored Higher Education makes education benefits accessible for Operators and Team Members.

The Importance of Graduating from College: A Pathway to Success

The Student Debt Crisis: How Employer-Sponsored Education Benefits Offer a Lifeline

Stewardship in Action: Beyond the Bottom Line

The Win-Win of Education Benefits

GIOA’s Initiative
to Support
Education Benefits

The GIOA Board and 5000 Futures:
Honoring Truett’s Legacy