You're Hired!

You're Hired! Local resident is Dairy Queen’s® first-ever Blizzard® apprentice

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. (Sunday, January 01, 2006) - Jackie Preston, a resident of Eden Prairie, now personally has heard the famous Donald Trump phrase, "You’re hired!" She has been voted the first-ever Dairy Queen® Blizzard® apprentice.
As the new Blizzard apprentice, Preston receives a $50,000 cash signing bonus, an appearance in a national Dairy Queen television commercial, trips to Hawaii and Los Angeles and a chance to help create new DQ® Blizzard flavors.

Blizzard Fan Club members throughout North America, now totaling more than 600,000, voted for Preston through an online apprentice search. Dairy Queen’s search to find a real-life apprentice was part of the promotion for its first-ever appearance on NBC’s "The Apprentice" in October. The episode featured its signature Blizzard Flavor Treat.

To win, Preston completed a series of tasks, just like they do on the show. First, Preston submitted a 100-word essay describing her passion for the Blizzard and an accompanying photo displaying interaction with the Blizzard brand. As a top-five finalist, she produced a three-minute video, "My Life Belongs to Blizzards."

"It took a great deal of creativity and forward thinking to become the first-ever Blizzard apprentice," said Michael Keller, chief brand officer for International Dairy Queen. "Jackie had a Trump-esque entry that obviously captured the attention of North America."

In addition to the $50,000 signing bonus and a year’s worth of free Blizzards, Preston and three guests will travel to Los Angeles where she will appear in a Dairy Queen Blizzard commercial airing nationally next year. In January, she will be honored at Dairy Queen’s franchisee exposition in Hawaii. Finally, she will visit Dairy Queen headquarters in Minneapolis to help develop new Blizzard flavors.

As part of the promotion, Dairy Queen is featured in one of four online games in "The Apprentice" arcade collection. The Dairy Queen game is unique from the other three in that it is an online flash game and available for free. The rest of the games, all developed by Legacy Interactive, are downloadable for a fee. Access to the Dairy Queen game is via www.blizzardfanclub.com and top gaming sites available on Yahoo and AOL.

Dairy Queen’s appearance on "The Apprentice" and the subsequent Blizzard apprentice contest culminates a yearlong 20th birthday celebration of the Blizzard. One of the most imitated ice cream innovations since the ice cream cone, the Blizzard Flavor Treat was introduced in 1985. More than 175 million Blizzards were sold in that first year. Today, the Blizzard is one of the most successful and widely recognized treats and is well on its way to becoming a billion-dollar brand.


About IDQ
International Dairy Queen (IDQ), which is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., develops licenses and services a system of more than 5,600 Dairy Queen® restaurants in the United States, Canada and other foreign countries, offering dairy desserts, hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages. IDQ is part of the Berkshire Hathaway family, a company owned by Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.Following the successful roll out of DQ® Grill & Chill®, Dairy Queen’s quick-service food concept that features an all new expanded menu and newly designed restaurant interiors, Dairy Queen began testing the DQ Orange Julius® concept in August 2005. DQ Orange Julius blends a sleek, new look with the feel of a traditional ice cream treat shop and offers an expanded treat menu that includes traditional DQ favorites, the Orange Julius line of smoothies and fruit drinks, and new signature desserts and sundaes.


Contacts
Dean Peters
Director of Communications
International Dairy Queen, Inc.
7505 Metro Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55439
Phone: +1 (952) 830-0204

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