AAFD announces 2022 TQF Lifetime Achievement Award to Ron Gardner and the Robert L. Purvin Legacy Award to Keith Miller
American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD), a national trade association advocating for franchisees and independent dealers, today announced the recipients of the AAFD Total Quality Franchising® (TQF) Lifetime Achievement Award and Robert L. Purvin Legacy Award recipients for 2022. Attorney Ron Gardner will be recognized with the TQF Lifetime Achievement Award. Keith Miller will be presented with the Robert Purvin TQF Legacy Award. The honors will be presented at the AAFD's Total Quality Franchising® Awards ceremony on September 12th during the AAFD's annual Franchisee Leadership Summit, September 10-13, in Mesa, Arizona.
PALM DESERT, Calif., July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD), a national trade association advocating for franchisees and independent dealers, today announced the recipients of the AAFD Total Quality Franchising® (TQF) Lifetime Achievement Award and Robert L. Purvin Legacy Award recipients for 2022. Attorney Ron Gardner will be recognized with the TQF Lifetime Achievement Award. Keith Miller will be presented with the Robert Purvin TQF Legacy Award. The honors will be presented at the AAFD's Total Quality Franchising® Awards ceremony on September 12th during the AAFD's annual Franchisee Leadership Summit, September 10-13, in Mesa, Arizona.
The AAFD TQF Award for Lifetime Achievement has long been the AAFD's pinnacle recognition of an individual's body of work in the furtherance of the AAFD's vision of Total Quality Franchising®. Ron Gardner, founding partner of Dady & Gardner, P.A., has pioneered a reputation as an effective, efficient, and perhaps most importantly, collegial franchise attorney through over a quarter century of resolving conflicts between franchisees their franchisors. Ron's ability to recover millions on behalf of his clients and leading over 35 franchisee associations in both collaborative and confrontational times, while still being widely respected, admired and liked by franchisor and franchisee lawyers alike is one of the many things that make him unique. This rare combination of talents resulted in Ron being elected to be the Chair of the American Bar Association's Forum on Franchising and being selected to participate on the NASAA Franchise Project Group Advisory Group, the latter allowing him to be a key player in developing regulatory commentaries that have protected thousands of franchisees, including commentaries related to Item 19, multi-Unit disclosures, and the current commentary under consideration related to disclaimers.
"The AAFD is honored to present Attorney Ron Gardner with the Total Quality Franchising® Lifetime Achievement Award," said Robert Purvin, AAFD chief executive officer and chairman. "The AAFD, and I personally, am honored and privileged to recognize Ron Gardner with the AAFD's TQF Award for Lifetime Achievement. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of our recognition of a lifetime of advancing the cause of collaborative franchising cultures and the promotion of truly win-win franchising practices. Ron Gardner has truly lived the TQF vision and his resume is filled with working across many aisles to empower franchisees and franchisee associations, but with a view to making franchising work as promised."
In 2018, the AAFD leadership created the Robert Purvin Legacy Award in the name of the AAFD founder to recognize individuals whose contributions to fair franchising have left a legacy of service and support deserving of the recognition and appreciation of the entire franchising community.
Keith Miller has become a notable force in the franchise industry. The 'sandwich guy,' as he refers himself as, is the ear and eyes for legislators on Capitol Hill to draft, pass, and exercise fair franchising policies that have been ignored for decades. In 2021, he was instrumental in working with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) to introduce the SBA Franchise Loan Transparency Act and the SBA Franchise Loan Default Disclosure Act. Both of these bills would provide prospective franchise owners with additional transparency. In 2022, he worked with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) to introduce the Franchisee Freedom Act, which would give franchisees a private right of action on violations of the Federal Trade Commission's Franchise Rule. In addition, Miller has been engaged with the Federal Trade Commission to strengthen the Franchise Rule and its enforcement and has worked on fair franchising legislation in California and New Jersey.
"We are honored to present the TQF Legacy Award to Keith Miller who is an AAFD family member and a friend to many in the industry," said Purvin. "When we told Keith about his recognition with the AAFD's Total Quality Franchising Legacy Award selection, his response was 'I'm just getting started.' That may be the case, but in my almost 50 years of advocating for franchisee rights and interests, there is literally no one who has matched Keith's ability and facility for initiating reforms in the legislative and regulatory arena. If we adopt a Harry Houdini Award for magic, I'll nominate Keith for that one as well."
The AAFD Franchisee Leadership Summit will be held on September 10th – 13th. It will offer franchisees with industry-related seminars, keynote speaking listening sessions, network opportunities, and a fun and exciting franchising awards gala.
Media Contact
Lucila Garcia, AAFD, 1 3236462150, [email protected]
SOURCE AAFD
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