Media Center

Mary Kennedy Thompson, vice chair of the International Franchise Association (IFA) and Chief Operating Officer of Neighborly, today appeared before Congress to discuss the impact of alternative areas of financing on small businesses, especially franchisors, franchisees, and their employees. Testifying before the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations, Thompson discussed her more than three decades in franchising as both a franchisee and franchisor.

Today, Matt Haller, President and CEO of the International Franchise Association (IFA), praised the outcome of a coalition-led lawsuit striking down the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) expanded joint employer rule, while also urging Congress to pass a bipartisan Congressional Review Act to provide further stability to the business community.

Today, the International Franchise Association (IFA) joined 69 prominent Washington D.C.-based trade associations urging D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the City Council to take swift action to reduce crime and enhance the overall safety of the nation’s capital, which has become a national outlier in rising crime.

The International Franchise Association (IFA) today endorsed a bipartisan slate of twelve candidates ahead of next week’s primary elections, applauding their leadership on pro-business policies supporting America’s locally owned franchise small businesses. Named a “Friend of Franchising,” IFA endorsed candidates in California, North Carolina, and Texas ahead of their primary on March 5, 2024.

Michael Layman, International Franchise Association (IFA) senior vice president of government relations and public affairs, issued the following statement ahead of the Tuesday, February 27, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee meeting to consider the nomination of Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su to lead the department:

Today, Michael Layman, International Franchise Association (IFA) senior vice president of government relations and public affairs, issued the following statement after the effective date of the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) expanded joint employer rule was further extended to March 11, 2024, by the judge presiding over the lawsuit pending in the Eastern District of Texas: