IFA head has meeting at White House

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Franchise Gator Admin

The new head of the International Franchise Association recently met with officials from the Obama administration in order to voice concerns over the freezing of lending markets.

In an interview with QRS magazine, IFA president Steve Caldeira said that his meeting at the White House was successful and addressed the concerns of the franchising industry. The IFA represents 85,000 franchises, which generated $868.3 billion in 2009 alone, according to the news source. And while that may seem like a considerable amount of money, it was a 0.7 percent decline from 2008.

"Our biggest challenge - and our biggest opportunity - is to educate our elected leaders so that they will see it," said Caldeira in an interview with the magazine. "Our message is compelling, and it’s an urgent one in light of the economy here at home and around the world: Give us the policies that help franchise businesses open their doors, and we will do the rest."

The IFA made headlines recently after coming out in support of the Restoring American Financial Stability Act. The group said that if passed, the legislation would benefit franchisees across the country.