Franchising Pride Council Gets To Work in DC

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Franchise Pride Council

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Those in the franchise community who attended FAN 2019 will no doubt know that the IFA Foundation’s Diversity Institute was proud to launch a brand new initiative – the Franchising Pride Council. This historic first that shines the spotlight on the LGBTQ community in franchising saw an overwhelming attendance at the inaugural reception, that made LGBTQ franchisees, franchisors and allies feel incredibly welcome among their peers. Building on that success and that momentum, the Franchising Pride Council (FPC) has set its sights on 2020 and beyond.

Chaired by FASTSIGNS Executive Vice President Mark Jameson and Wild Birds Unlimited Chief Development Officer Paul Pickett, the FPC aims to highlight and celebrate the diversity of the franchise community, while connecting IFA members to research, best practices and outside resources for becoming leaders in LGBTQ inclusion. As the size and visibility of our community grows, we also hope to make our members ambassadors for franchising so that our community has a voice in broader LGBTQ debates and contributes to the progress of this important segment of the business world. 

That work kicked off this week, as members of the Council met with LGBTQ leaders in Washington, D.C. Following a morning with IFA CEO, Robert Cresanti who has been a strong ally to the Council, we headed to the headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s leading LGBTQ advocacy organization. HRC was heartened to hear that franchising aims to be a leader in LGBTQ inclusion efforts, and hopes to collaborate with us in the future. 

Mark and Paul then headed up to Capitol Hill, accompanied by IFA’s Vice President of Government Affairs Suzanne Beall and myself, to meet with the Executive Director of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus, Shawn Gaylord. The Caucus has already shown us a lot of support, with Congressman Chris Pappas keynoting the September reception and Congressman David Cicilline celebrating the launch of the Council in an October op-ed.

The day concluded with a great meeting at the headquarters of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), a programatic partner of the IFA, where we discussed a range of opportunities and collaborations for 2020. The NGLCC’s certification program for those businesses (franchise locations) that are 51% owned by a member of the LGBTQ community is of especial interest, and we hope to raise awareness of this opportunity throughout 2020 and beyond. 

Propelled by a lot of energy, broad-based support across our community and a commitment to making the Franchising Pride Council a core component of our diversity and inclusion mission, the Council is off to a great start. If you’d like to join our efforts or just stay in the loop, you can email Radim Dragomaca, the Director of the Diversity Institute. 

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