Tamra Kennedy owns and operates seven restaurants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and she believes owning a business is about the opportunity to make an impact on her community and the people who live there. Tamra is a local business owner, and she is Open for Opportunity.

Damon Dunn says that his own background – growing up poor and without access to meaningful mentorship – is his motivation to go back into low-income and underrepresented communities today and uplift students by providing mentorship and resources. Damon is a local business owner, and he is Open for Opportunity.

When Chris McCuiston does his job, he doesn’t only give a child the opportunity to enjoy backyard pool parties, sailboat cruises, and rope swings over the creek, but he gives them the chance to potentially save their own life. Chris is a local business owner, and he is Open for Opportunity.

Steven and Peggy Johns went from serving their nation to serving the veterans in their community. While in the Navy, Steven and Peggy learned what it meant to be an effective leader, to be honest and reliable, and how to serve others – all lessons they have applied to owning and operating Tropical Smoothie Cafe – and traits they admire in the veterans they hire. Steven and Peggy are local business owners, and they are Open for Opportunity.

As her family started to grow, Ruth Agbaji wanted to find a role that was more flexible when it came to work and life balance. It was her interest in the coding field, mentorship, and wanting to pay it forward that led to the creation of the Code Wiz franchise brand, a top-rated online coding and robotics school for kids ages 7 – 17. Ruth is a local business owner, and she is Open for Opportunity.

In 1996, Jyoti Sarolia was able to buy her own hotel. Now, she is a Principal at Ellis Hospitality, a third-generation hotelier franchise. But none of this would be possible without the franchise business model. Jyoti is a local business owner, and she is Open for Opportunity.

Being a part of the franchise community is deeply personal for Azim Saju. His family came to the United States from Kenya in 1972, and within ten years of moving to the United States, they were local business owners. Azim is a local business owner, and he is Open for Opportunity.

Jason Madden enlisted in the United States Marine Corps straight out of high school and spent the next 16 years in the military. Today, Jason applies his skills from the military to his present-day-success as the owner of The Entrepreneur’s Source in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jason is a local business owner, and he is Open for Opportunity.

A veteran of the United States Navy, Brian Thompson spent nine years working in the nuclear power program in the submarine service. After retiring from service, he spent more than two decades working in corporate America before an opportunity to own his own business came up. Brian is a local business owner, and he is Open for Opportunity.

To stay updated on all IFA initiatives, visit community.franchise.org for resources and education the IFA continues to provide its members.