International Franchise Association Joins Forces with Wild Birds Unlimited To Launch the Franchising Pride Council

The International Franchise Association recently launched a landmark council within its organization—the Franchising Pride Council. The Franchising Pride Council will provide opportunities for mentorship and create a network for LGBTQ small business owners and employees within the franchising industry.

The IFA is the world's oldest and largest organization representing franchising globally.

The Pride Council will live within the IFA Foundation Diversity Institute jurisdiction and will function to promote LGBTQ inclusion within the franchise community. The council will also fund research on the LGBTQ community’s impact on franchising and how to foster continued growth of that impact.

Lgbtq inclusion efforts

"The IFA and its Foundation are incredibly proud of how our community has embraced this LGBTQ initiative,” said Radim Dragomaca, Director of the Diversity Institute of the IFA Foundation. “LGBTQ entrepreneurs have always been an important part of our community, and we now have a forum for them to connect, be heard and help franchising continue to grow as a leader in the diversity and inclusion space. Our hope is that the Pride Council builds bridges between franchising and the wider LGBTQ community, bringing best practices, visibility and research back to our brands, while being an active voice in the broader conversations that will shape this space for years to come."

The Franchising Pride Council is co-chaired by Wild Birds Unlimited Chief Development Officer Paul Pickett and FASTSIGNS Executive Vice President Mark Jameson, and was developed in conjunction with Suzanne Beall, VP of Government Relations and Public Policy for the IFA. The newly formed Pride Council was launched at the September 2019 IFA meeting. “Diversity is a key part of franchising, and I believe this Council is such a big step towards expanding that hallmark of our business model to the LGBTQ community,” said Jameson.

With two decades of experience in franchising, Pickett has long been an asset to the franchising community, bolstering his colleagues and franchisees through sincere leadership, business savvy and a true love for what he does. “One of the Wild Birds Unlimited values is to ‘Embrace Diversity in our Community,’” said Pickett. “In order to help support that important value, we are pleased to have worked closely with the IFA on the creation of the Pride Council.”

Wild birds unlimited leadership

The formation of the Franchising Pride Council is in many ways an extension of the culture that Pickett has cultivated for over 30 years at Wild Birds Unlimited. On every rung of the leadership ladder, Wild Birds Unlimited has been a trailblazer in developing not only exceptional customer service, but a philosophy founded on the principles of integrity, honesty and respect. One of Wild Birds Unlimited core values is: We embrace Diversity in our Community.

New Hampshire representative of the IFA, Chris Pappas, also spoke about the importance of this council and initiative. Attendance greatly surpassed expectations, as over 80 franchise professionals came to show their support of this event and Pride Council itself.

Diversity in franchising is now more important than ever, and after a successful launch the Franchising Pride Council has already set its sights on new horizons for 2020. The council hopes that as the community grows, LGBTQ leaders can become ambassadors for franchising and amplify LGBTQ presence in the franchising segment.

The Franchising Pride Council has already traveled to and met with LGBTQ leaders in Washington D.C. and visited the headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s foremost LGBTQ advocacy group. The Pride Council is a subgroup of the IFA’s Diversity Institute. According to the Institute’s website, “the Diversity Institute realizes that the rapid pace of demographic changes and population growth combine to create unique opportunities for franchising. Diversity and inclusion has the power to accelerate the mission of franchising.”