AAFD to Honor Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Franchisee Growth Strategist April Porter for Service to the Franchising Community
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) Chairman's Awards for Distinguished Service to the Franchising Community. Honorees include United Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and April Porter, an award-winning, former multi-unit franchisee, attorney, franchisee growth strategist, and author.
PALM DESERT, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The tributes will be presented at the AAFD's TQF Awards ceremony on September 13th during the AAFD's annual Franchisee Leadership Summit.
United States Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky is the elected U.S. Representative from Illinois's 9th congressional district, first sworn into office in 1999. She serves as Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which among other things, has jurisdictional oversight of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In that role, she has been an active advocate for franchisees, fighting to give franchisees a voice with the power imbalance found in franchising. In the past couple of years, she has taken action to protect franchisees by sending letters to the FTC questioning their lack of oversight of the industry and requesting the Government Accountability Office to report on the inadequacies of the Franchise Rule and lack of enforcement of the Rule by the FTC. On February 1, 2022, she introduced the Franchise Freedom Act, H.R.6551 which would give franchisees a private right of action against franchisor violations of the FTC Franchise Rule. This would simply give franchisees the critical opportunity to have their day in court and recover damages as deemed appropriate.
"The AAFD is honored to recognize Congresswoman Schakowsky for her past and ongoing support of franchisees," said Robert Purvin, AAFD chief executive officer and chairman. "Her efforts will help ensure that franchising will be mutually beneficial to both the franchisee and franchisor."
The AAFD is also excited to recognize April Porter who is prominent in the franchising community, not only with her experience and knowledge of the law, but through her work as a business owner, coach, and mentor. April is a former multi-unit franchisee who has helped franchisees improve their day-to-day revenues, team development, and scalability. To fill the gap between the franchise model and strategies for success, she created the 'Infinite Franchisee Show' podcast.
"We are honored to present the AAFD Chairman's Award to April Porter. For decades, she has worked hard to bring solutions to franchisees that empower them to reach the level of success they envisioned when making their investment into their brand through business education," said Purvin. "She understands the difficulties that franchisees face through unfair practices which makes it difficult to achieve the profitability and quality of life they expect."
The AAFD Franchisee Leadership Summit will be held in Mesa, Arizona from September 10th to 13th and will offer franchisees industry-related seminars, keynote sessions, network opportunities, and a fun and exciting franchising awards gala.
Media Contact
Lucila Garcia, AAFD, 1 3236462150, [email protected]
SOURCE AAFD
Share this article