Corey Bell measures cookie dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015, at Great American Cookies in the Broadway Square Mall in Tyler. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph

Jeremy Roy wouldn’t ask his employees to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. That’s because Roy has performed every duty possible at Great American Cookies in the 22 years he has been a part of the company.

Roy started out as an assistant manager and worked his way up to regional manager. His work ethic impressed Bryan Selden, who owned the Longview and Tyler franchises.

Selden would make Roy an offer that changed his life. He wanted to expand, but he needed someone to handle the business side of the operation. In 2003 Selden, Roy and Chuck Schrick formed Dough Rollers, Ltd. and bought five franchises. Roy has taken a faith-based approach to his managing style in the years since.

“Over the last 12 years, we’ve developed a culture that empowers our employees,” Roy said. “I can point things out and I’m not telling them to do something they haven’t seen me do. I don’t mind getting in there and decorating cakes or helping customers. A big part of our culture is leading by example.”

Roy and his partners will soon open their fourteenth store. The new location sits only feet away from where Great American Cookie has been for 33 years in Broadway Square Mall.

Dough Rollers had been looking into a move to Cumberland Village, but the timing didn’t feel right. When their lease came up for renewal, they found out that a jewelry store wanted their old location in the mall and was willing to pay considerably more for it.

The bad news was made easier when the mall offered them two locations at a great rate. Great American Cookies will now occupy a kiosk near the entrance and a full store by J.C. Penney, enabling them to offer fast pickup and curbside services.

“It was important for us to get that (kiosk) because our store has been there for 33 years,” Roy said. “When we close in 2 weeks, we don’t want people to think we’re gone.”

The Tyler locations will be adding 15 to 20 more employees to staff both locations. Recently Roy implemented a unique plan to give back to his employees as they help make their communities a better place. He credits C12 as the inspiration for these programs. C12 is a faith-based group that works with CEOs and executives,

“When I found C12, I was looking for a group of business men and women that I could connect with. I wanted to grow in my faith and business,” Roy said. “Just last year we put in two programs that were birthed out of C12.”

Employees of the Dough Rollers GAC franchises are eligible for a vacation program that lets all employees earn an hour of vacation time for every hour they volunteer their time to community service projects or their church. The employees can earn up to 40 hours per year, in addition to vacation time they might otherwise be eligible for.

“C12 challenged me to look at my business totally different,” Roy said. “Not just as a business, but also as my ministry.”

The second program offers to pay vacation time to any managerial staff who participate in mission trips.

“That’s not to say that we won’t help sponsor them or support them on their mission trip, but the deal is, they will not have to use their vacation time,” he said. “We’ll pay their time off for that week to go on a mission trip.”

Roy credits the success of their franchises to the culture he and his partners have developed over the past decade. He believes the best way to minister to people is to live by example and show them the love of Christ.

“I found this group coming to Texas … and it has tremendously helped me,” he said. “It’s so great to have a group of Christian business men and women where you can confidentially share all of your struggles. C12 really focuses on the spiritual aspect and the ministry aspect.”

Roy plans to continue giving back. During their grand opening on Sept. 12, his crew will bake an oversized “super cookie cake” to sell in order to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

“We feel like we’re changing the world one person at a time,” Roy said. “Hopefully we’ll inspire them to be a better person, to go out and make their community better by working at this little cookie store in the mall.”

For more information, visit doughrollersltd.com

Twitter: @TMT_Cory