“As a high schooler in the ‘90s, I would love to spend a day with Britney Spears.”
— Stacy Eley, president, Suite Management Franchising
In her monthly “Grab Bag” column, Editor in Chief Laura Michaels asks the tough questions—What superhero power would you most like to have? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?—to show a side of franchising execs you don’t normally see.
Who would play you in the biopic about your life?
I would have Jennifer Garner. She’s your girl next door: smart, funny, and I think she’s just really genuine.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
There’s so many! I’d say the biggest is when actions don’t match people’s words—when people don’t do what they say. I think accountability is so important.
If you could be a member of any TV show family, which would it be?
‘Modern Family.’ I love that as adult children they still hang out with their parents, and the kids with their grandparents. And even though they’re all incredibly different, there’s so much respect and love. I would also consider the family from ‘The Middle.’
What’s something you would seriously stockpile if you found out it wasn’t going to be sold anymore?
I would stockpile my Revlon ColorStay lipstick. I love it—005 Muse is my color. I would also definitely stockpile iced coffee. It’s my favorite and I have to have it.
What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
I hate the laundry. Laundry in my house, I end up leaving it in the washer and it mildews and I have to wash it all over again. Or I leave it in the dryer and it wrinkles and I have to do that over again. I’ve delegated this chore to my husband. He’s like a drill sergeant when it comes to laundry.
What’s the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
Is chorizo strange? Growing up in Southern California and then Colorado, we have a strong Tex-Mex influence. I cook with it, everything from breakfast burritos to tacos. It’s just so good, even if it’s not good for you. So chorizo is really common to me, but then I went to school in Massachusetts and people there didn’t get it.
Which celebrity do you think would be most interesting to meet in real life?
As a high schooler in the ‘90s, I would love to spend a day with Britney Spears. People have their opinions about her, or even someone like Kim Kardashian, but you talk about women who’ve built empires … it’s astonishing. Or take Jessica Simpson. After everything, she’s probably best known now for her shoe brand. I would just love to learn more. There’s truly so much coolness with all these women.
Which time period in history would you want to visit?
I wouldn’t want to go too far back, so maybe the time frame of the Titanic, 1912, early 1900s. There was just this dream and these hopes of America. I feel like at that time there was this whole sense of discovery and aspiration.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Of them all, the most guilty is my obsession with sweets, especially ice cream. Mint chocolate chip, rocky road. I love a cookie dough mix, like mixing half cookie dough and half Reese’s Pieces in a Dairy Queen Blizzard.
Who or what did you have posters of on your bedroom wall as a teenager?
It was definitely NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. And the cast of ‘90210,’ probably. I was probably more of an NSYNC fan, and Justin Timberlake for sure. Which is probably why I’m still obsessed with Britney Spears.
What’s the most useless talent you have?
I am extremely great at being bossy in a house that just does not care. There’s my husband, and I have two boys, 11 and 13, and an English bulldog who is extremely stubborn and looks at me like, ‘Whatever, lady.’