Palm Coast, Fla. – (January 18, 2023) Robin Gagnon, CEO & Co-Founder of We Sell Restaurants, the nation’s leading and only business broker franchise focused on restaurants, enters the upcoming 2023 International Franchise Association (IFA) conference as Chair of the Women’s Franchise Committee (WFC) with an aggressive start to her two-year term. The IFA convention takes place Feb. 26-March 1 in Las Vegas, NV.

“We enjoyed a year of milestones and growth for the WFC through supporting members of our 20 active chapters with new content and information highlighting the role of women in franchising across multiple venues and formats,” said Robin Gagnon, CEO & Co-Founder of We Sell Restaurants. “By staying true to the committee’s mission of bringing increased resources to women in franchising, our members welcomed new ways to collaborate and build comradery. Through our efforts, we also attracted a record 15 additional cities expressing interest in forming local groups to facilitate networking among women in franchising in this year alone.”  

As Chair of the WFC, Gagnon expanded the committee’s mission through her travel and communication throughout this past year by:

  • Launching a weekly Clubhouse learning initiative titled, “Women in Franchising” that aired live on the app. each Wednesday at noon EST. She serves as the weekly host and fosters a welcoming environment for industry experts to come together and discuss relevant trends and topics in the franchise industry. This valuable content and the information shared by its speakers is available as a Clubhouse replay, and there are plans to turn this into a podcast format to extend the distribution.
  • Leading a powerhouse panel at the IFA Annual Leadership Summit (FAN meeting) in Washington D.C. with Claudia San Pedro, President of SONIC Drive-in and Heidi Ganahl, founder of Camp Bow Wow, featuring Gagnon’s research on the number of women reaching the executive suite in franchising compared to Fortune 500 firms. Her research was highlighted in the presentation titled, “She’s In Charge. How Franchising brings out the Best in Women, while Women Deliver the Best in Franchising.”
  • Developing and presenting content on the topic, “How Women Can Be Successful in Today’s Franchise Marketplace” in New York at the International Franchise Expo, as well as at Franchise Expo South.

“Last year was a momentous year for the WFC with more interest than ever before, as we had two openings on the committee in 2022 and more than two dozen applications for those spots,” said Gagnon. “The theme of this year is ‘Leadership Evolution: Adopting a state of mind to rethink, reinvent and stay relevant’ so we plan to continue expanding upon our mission by producing even more content for all women in franchising to meet objectives and achieve greatness.”

In another milestone for the group, the IFA unanimously voted to add Gagnon, as Chair of the WFC, to the Board of Directors in June of 2022 where she will serve until her term ends.    

“As the Chair of the IFA’s Women’s Franchise Committee, Robin is exactly the type of volunteer leader that helps IFA succeed,” said Matthew Haller, President & CEO for the International Franchise Association. “She serves as force multiplier for the IFA’s mission to protect, enhance and promote franchising, and is dedicated to using her platform for the advancement of the organization’s goals. As result, we have more women engaged in IFA’s programs from government relations and advocacy, to events and education.”  

The WFC launched in 1996 with a small group of women and a big vision to provide “resources for women seeking career growth opportunities in franchising.” In its inaugural year, the committee developed content for its first ever Annual Leadership Conference. Twenty-seven conferences later, two dozen committee members still develop and deliver lessons in leadership.

About We Sell Restaurants

We Sell Restaurants is the nation’s largest business broker franchise focused exclusively on the sale of restaurants, with 20 years of experience in helping buy, sell and lease hospitality locations. We Sell Restaurants and its franchisees have sold thousands of restaurants across the country and maintain a listing inventory of more than $200 million online at their powerhouse restaurant for sale marketplace, including independent and restaurant franchises for sale. We Sell Restaurants is offering franchise opportunities for their brand in select market areas.   For more information, visit www.wesellrestaurants.com.

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