FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Alisa Harrison, 202-628-8000
Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
aharrison@franchise.org
mhaller@franchise.org
@franchising411
MULTI-UNIT, MULTI-BRAND FRANCHISEE ELECTED TO LEADERSHIP POST AT THE IFA
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2012 – Aziz Hashim, President & CEO of National Restaurant Development (NRD) Inc., based in Atlanta, Ga, has been elected Secretary of the International Franchise Association, placing him in the leadership chairs of the Association.
“Aziz Hashim brings tremendous franchising and leadership experience to his new position that will help to ensure that IFA continues its mission to protect, promote and enhance franchising,” said IFA Chairman Jon Luther, chairman of Dunkin’ Brands and Arby’s Restaurants. “Aziz’s passion for franchising and his desire to keep the industry on a path of economic growth and job creation in our country will serve all IFA members well.”
The International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.
Hashim will assume his position Feb. 20, 2013 at the conclusion of IFA’s 53rd Annual Convention in Las Vegas. He has been active in the association for many years in a variety of roles, including serving on the Board of Directors, the Franchisee Forum, the strategic planning Blue Sky Group, and the Credit Access Taskforce. He most recently assumed the chairmanship of the franchisee working group of the IFA Franchise Relations Best Practices Taskforce. In his new position, upon approval of the IFA Board of Directors, Hashim will have the opportunity to move through the leadership chairs and become IFA Chairman in 2016.
“I am very honored to have been elected to this leadership position at the IFA and I am excited to work with IFA members to further expand the franchise industry’s importance to the U.S. economy,” Hashim said. “The franchise industry continues to make progress, albeit it slow, in recovering from the recession, and I’m confident that by advocating for pro-growth policies out of Washington and creating new tools for members, we will get back to economic stability at a faster pace.”
Aziz Hashim is a highly regarded franchisee and executive in the U.S. restaurant and international retail space. As President and Chief Executive Officer of NRD, a U.S. company , and Dandle, Inc., a Canadian pet-supply company , he has used his expert risk identification and management experience and unique portfolio management and execution strategies to become a leading multi-state, multi-brand and most recently, multi-national franchisee.
Hashim founded NRD in 1996 with one QSR location and has grown the company to over 60 restaurants, including several high-profile brands: Popeyes®, Domino’s Pizza, and Checkers/Rally’s Drive-In Restaurants, Inc®. Hashim expanded his portfolio with his international retail company, Dandle, Inc., in 2010 as a franchisee of PetValu, a major pet-supply franchisor in Canada.
Previously honored as Nation’s Restaurant News Franchisee of the Year and recognized by several franchisors as setting the standard for multi-unit franchisees, Hashim has been featured, published and quoted in several prestigious industry publications and news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail, and Fox Business News and guest lectured at Emory Law School and Harvard Law School.
Aziz Hashim also serves on several boards including the Popeyes Foundation and the Multi-Unit Franchise Conference and the BB&T Bank regional advisory board. He is deeply involved in community service and frequently contributes to the industry at large, sharing his knowledge and experience at major restaurant and franchise conferences. His dynamic leadership and strategy for success is reflected both in his compelling message to the industry and in NRD’s significant and consistent growth. Hashim attended the University of California at Irvine, graduating with honors from its prestigious electrical engineering program.
Hashim was elected to his IFA leadership position during the Sept. 11, 2012, IFA Board of Directors meeting along with the full slate of 2013 officers: including Steve Romaniello, managing director of Roark Capital Group, who will assume the IFA Chair in February 2013; Steve Joyce, president and CEO of Choice Hotels International, who will serve as IFA Vice Chair; and Melanie Bergeron Chairwoman of the Board of Two Men and a Truck who becomes IFA Treasurer.
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About the International Franchise Association
The International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, education and advocacy, IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising. Through its media awareness campaign highlighting the theme, Franchising: Building Local Businesses, One Opportunity at a Time, IFA promotes the economic impact of the more than 825,000 franchise establishments, which support nearly 18 million jobs and $2.1 trillion of economic output for the U.S. economy. IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.