Franchise Leaders Deliver “Fight for Franchising” Message to Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 16, 2014) — Assisting Hands Home Care Miami co-owners Armando Morales and Adrian Nuñez of Miami, Florida were honored today by the International Franchise Association with its annual Franchisee of the Year Award. Franchise owner-operators representing 53 franchise systems were recognized today during the IFA’s 15th Annual Public Affairs Conference for their outstanding performance and the contributions they have made to enhance the growth and development of franchising.
Armando Morales
“The strength of the U.S. economy significantly relies on the hard work of franchisees,” said IFA President & CEO Steve Caldeira, CFE. “IFA is proud to recognize the outstanding efforts of Morales and Nuñez with the Franchisee of the Year Award and thank them for their work in the promotion of franchising as well as for their daily contributions that not only showcase how local business owners propel the economy, but also foster community ties throughout the U.S.”
The Franchisee of the Year Award is a major component of the IFA’s Public Affairs Conference, which brings more than 300 franchise business leaders together in Washington, D.C. to carry the key messages of franchising to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. During the two-day event, which began Sept. 15 and continues through Sept. 17, franchise industry leaders will meet at over 200 congressional offices about issues important to the future of franchising, including labor and workforce issues, tax certainty, healthcare reform, immigration and access to credit. The Public Affairs Conference is a powerful way to help forward IFA’s advocacy efforts and further increase awareness about how franchising can contribute to economic recovery and job growth. The event is supported by founding sponsor ADP Small Business Services.
Adrian NuñezDuring their visit to Washington, IFA members are highlighting the economic impact of franchising. There are currently more than 770,000 franchise businesses that operate in more than 100 different business categories, such as restaurants, hotels, business services, retail stores, real estate agencies and automotive centers. Franchise businesses employ more than 8 million workers and contribute more than $494 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, or 3.1 percent of total private sector GDP. As multi-unit owners in Florida, Morales’ and Nuñez’ business directly provides an estimated 80 jobs for the local economy.
Despite these concrete numbers, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Division of Advice announced in July of this year that a franchisor could be designated as a joint employer of its franchisee employees. This will significantly hamper the growth potential of the franchising business model and deliberately ignores decades of regulatory, legal and legislative precedent, which clearly separates businesses from their franchisors. IFA members will bring this message to Capitol Hill to educate lawmakers about the dangers of the NLRB’s recommendation and the negative impact it will create on job growth, the economy and locally-owned, franchised small businesses in every state.
“Lawmakers in Washington would do well to remember the increasing clout that the franchise industry is gaining, as they work to revitalize the economy. With sound regulatory policies, franchise businesses can create the jobs necessary for sustained economic recovery and job growth,” Caldeira said.
About Assisting Hands Home Care – Miami
Assisting Hands Miami offers skilled, personal and non-medical care services that fill the gap between living at home with dignity and the need for institutionalized medical care for residents in Miami and the surrounding areas. Armando Morales and Adrian Nuñez each have more than 20 years experience in health care. Visit https://www.assistinghands.com/miami/ to learn more about Assisting Hands Miami. Franchising is available across the United States and in Canada. To learn more, visit http://www.assistinghandsfranchise.com/ or call 866-924-2442 (AHHC).
About the International Franchise Association
The International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Celebrating 50 years of excellence, education and advocacy, IFA protects, enhances and promotes franchising through government relations, public relations and educational programs. Through its awareness campaign highlighting the theme, Franchising: Building Local Businesses, One Opportunity at a Time, IFA promotes the nearly 18 million jobs and $2.1 trillion of economic activity generated by franchising. IFA members include franchise companies in over 90 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.
