IFA Board Provides $2 million Grant as seed for a $10 million Capital Campaign

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Contact:

Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770

Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766

mhaller@franchise.org

jweisbord@franchise.org


IFA BOARD PROVIDES $2 MILLION GRANT AS SEED FOR A $10 MILLION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN


NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 25, 2014 —The International Franchise Association Board of Directors announced the gift of $2 million over the next five years to the IFA Educational Foundation in support of a major capital campaign launched this week during IFA’s Annual Convention in New Orleans to raise $10 million for franchise industry initiatives.


“The $2 million gift is a significant launching pad for this historic endeavor, and the vision, commitment and support of the IFA Board of Directors and the IFA Educational Foundation Board is a true testament of their passion for franchising,” said IFA President & CEO Steve Caldeira, CFE. “When fully funded, this capital campaign will ensure that the industry has the needed resources to invest in critical areas such as research and continuing education to build a stronger and more unified industry.”


The initiative will be led by a Capital Campaign Committee lead by IFA Past Chairman Doc Cohen, CFE, a multi-unit franchisee and IFA Educational Foundation Board Chairman Jerry Crawford, CFE, president, Jani-King International, Inc. Other members of the committee include: 2013 IFA Chairman Steve Romaniello, CFE, Roark Capital Group, 2014 IFA Chairman Steve Joyce, Choice Hotels International, Melanie Bergeron, CFE, chairwoman of Two Men and a Truck International and incoming IFA vice chairman, Aziz Hashim, CEO, NRD Holding, LLC and incoming IFA secretary, Mike Isakson, IFA past chairman, Jon Luther, IFA past chairman, Sid Feltenstein, IFA past chairman, Joe Bourdow, CFE, senior advisor to Valpak and IFA Board Member, Ron Feldman, CFE, CEO Franchise American Finance, Bret Lowell, CFE, partner, DLA Piper, Steve Caldeira, CFE, IFA president & CEO and John Reynolds, CFE, president, IFA Educational Foundation.


“Looking to the future, the threats to our industry and the opportunities to make franchising even better will not go away. Funds raised through this campaign will be used to support existing and new program development and nearly half of the funds will go to support critical industry research,” said Doc Cohen, CFE, campaign co-chair.


“As longtime members of IFA, we are excited to be a part of this campaign and join with many other IFA members to ensure that we have sufficient resources now and in the future to protect, promote and enhance this great industry,” said Jerry Crawford, CFE, campaign co-chair and chairman, IFA Educational Foundation Board of Trustees.


“Our fundraising consultant found overwhelming support among industry leaders for the work the Foundation is doing in partnership with IFA,” said John Reynolds, CFE, president of the IFA Educational Foundation. The Foundation has engaged Averill Fundraising Solutions to assist campaign committee volunteers with the fundraising campaign, he added.


In addition to the IFA’s lead gift of $2 million announced during the IFA convention, IFA volunteer leaders have donated an additional $3.1 million bringing the total to $5.1 million towards the $10 million dollar goal. They include Doc Cohen, president DOC & Associates, Ltd., Jerry Crawford, president Jani-King International, Inc., Steve Romaniello, managing director, Roark Capital Group, Stephen Joyce, president & CEO Choice Hotels International, Jon Luther, chairman of the board Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., Tabbassum Mumtaz, president & owner Apex Restaurant Management, Inc., Shelly Sun, CEO & co-founder BrightStar Franchising, LLC, Gordon Logan, founder & CEO Sport Clips, Inc., Dina Dwyer-Owens, executive chairwoman The Dwyer Group, Mike Bidwell, president & CEO The Dwyer Group, and Aziz Hashim, president & CEO NRD Holdings, LLC.


The capital campaign will provide more funds for critical industry research, to increase outreach efforts through VetFran and the Diversity Institute, expand Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) programs and upgrade the ifa-university.com online education platform, among other initiatives.


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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.


About the Educational Foundation

The IFA Educational Foundation, founded in 1983 increases the knowledge and professional standards of all members of the franchising community and educates the next generation of franchising practitioners. The Foundation provides comprehensive information and research about important developments and trends in franchising. The Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization and is supported through the generous contributions of IFA members and others.


 


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