Franchise Congress 2008: Getting Your Lawmakers To Work For You

Franchising World:

This fall, franchise-business owners will have the unique ability to play a key role in shaping public policy in Washington. In addition to the general election on Nov. 4, mark your calendars for the International Franchise Association’s Franchise Appreciation Day: IFA’s Public Affairs Conference Sept. 15-16 in Washington, DC. For two days, more than 500 franchise business leaders will gather on Capitol Hill to tell lawmakers the story of franchising and its impact on our economy. Armed with personal stories and real-world examples of how policies in Washington ultimately affect franchising, attendees will be ready with one more piece of important ammo: the IFA Educational Foundation’s study on the Economic Impact of Franchised Businesses.

Released in March, and prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Volume 2 of the study shows that from 2001-2005, franchise businesses have outpaced the economy as a whole in terms of the rate of growth of jobs, payroll and output. In fact, the rate of growth in employment was three times higher for franchise businesses than for the economy as a whole. During this annual grassroots event, participants will be able to share this information and bring its impact home for lawmakers, as franchised businesses operate in every state and congressional district in the country.

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