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Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766

jweisbord@franchise.org


IFA NAMES ASLAM KHAN AS 2014 ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR


WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2014 – The International Franchise Association has named Aslam Khan, CEO of Falcon Holdings and multi-unit franchisee of brands such as Church’s Chicken, Long John Silver’s and A&W as the 2014 IFA Entrepreneur of the Year. The formal presentation of the award is scheduled during the association’s 55 thAnnual Convention, Feb. 15-18, 2015 in Las Vegas.


The Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes visionaries who see what might be and are willing to take the risks that traditionally accompany any new endeavor and possess the management skills to create a successful business enterprise through franchising.


Khan’s work to consistently develop not only his entrepreneurial business efforts but also those of others, demonstrates his role as a model of leadership within the franchise industry. His community involvement, which includes guest lecturing at various venues as well as providing personal and financial support to local education and environmental causes, illustrates the positive impact of the franchise business model and its leaders on communities.


As CEO of Falcon Holdings, Khan is the largest franchisee in the Church’s Chicken system .He arrived in America in 1987 from rural Pakistan and started as a dishwasher. By 1999, he was CEO and owner of a 97-restaurant enterprise, which has now grown to more than 225 stores in 13 states. Khan’s efforts highlight his entrepreneurial spirit and dedicated hard work within the franchise industry.


Over the last three years Khan has continued his entrepreneurial leadership and philosophy by creating that vision and dream for 15 individuals who have become entrepreneurs thru Khan’s efforts. This has been a success that is unmatched in the system and he continues to work towards placing more individuals in this program.


Under his leadership, Falcon Holdings has made improvements in human resources, financial status and growth. He credits his exceptional track record of building business and developing effective teams to his “People First” philosophy.


In 2002, he became active in the Illinois Restaurant Association as a board member and served on the Political Affairs and Membership Committees. Khan served on Church’s Marketing Committee and was chairman of the company’s purchasing co-op group. He also served many years as a member of Church’s Independent Franchise Association board of directors and was a board member of Supply Management Services of AFC. Currently, he is a permanent member of the Purchasing Committee. In 2008, he was awarded Church’s Hall of Fame membership while still in business and actively growing. In 2009, Khan moved his company headquarters to Dallas.


Khan was an active member of the IFA Board of Directors from 2001 to 2010, as well as the 2011 FranPAC President’s Council. Khan serves currently on the IFA Educational Foundation’s Diversity Institute Board of Directors and is a member of the International Interest Group of the IFA International Committee. In addition to being named IFA’s 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year, he was also named as the recipient of IFA’s 2012 Ronald E. Harrison diversity award.


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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.


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