Congressional Leaders Recognize World Franchise Day

In Star Wars: A New Hope, Obi Wan Kenobi feels a disturbance in the Force. Last week, franchisees and franchisors might've felt positive vibes moving through the air.

That's when a bicameral and bipartisan group of legislators set aside June 11 as the first-ever World Franchise Day to honor the franchise business model's impact on job creation, entrepreneurship, and economic development across the U.S. and the world.

The resolution was led in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla, and Chris Coons, D-Del, and in the U.S. House by Representatives by U.S. Reps. Kevin Hern, R-Okla, Troy Carter, D-La, Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., and Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas. The House resolution has 12 bipartisan original co-sponsors.

"World Franchise Day is a powerful reminder of the franchise model's unparalleled ability to create opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and walks of life," said Matt Haller, IFA president and CEO. "We're grateful to the bipartisan and bicameral group of leaders for recognizing the incredible impact franchising has on the American economy and the opportunity and upward mobility it provides. From this point forward, each June 11 will be a moment to not only take stock and celebrate all that franchising does, but also ensure that we are doing everything in our power to preserve, protect, and enhance the model for future generations."

The resolution was introduced ahead of the global celebration organized by the World Franchise Council, a nonpolitical association made up of more than 40 national franchise associations from around the world.

In the U.S., franchising consists of more than 830,000 establishments, supporting nearly 8.8 million direct jobs and generating $897 billion in economic output.