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Following on from posts last week about both Dina Dwyer-Owens on Capitol Hill and Barack Obama’s small business initiatives, we thought we’d stay inside the Beltway for one more post.

Matthew Shay, head of the IFA, was recently in Washington himself, discussing the state of the Small Business sector with members of the House Small Business Committee.

There’s a lot of information to mull over in this video and we recommend you take a look at it.

EDIT: After posting yesterday, we found this interesting article on the Blue MauMau site, which details the various lobbying of the IFA in Washington over the last 12 months.  It’s quite extensive:

• Oct 14, 2009: IFA’s CEO and President Matt Shay gives testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives, Small Business Committee on the need to free up capital for franchising systems
• Sep 30, 2009: Dina Dwyer Owens, CEO of franchising firm The Dwyer Group and this year’s chairwoman of the IFA, gives testimony (see video) to the U.S. House of Representatives, Small Business Committee asking for the perpetual extension of expiring tax reductions such as the death tax. She also asked for a tax credit for veterans buying franchises.
• Sep 10, 2009: IFA advertises on the impact of the credit crunch. The ad was placed during public affairs conference
• Jul 23, 2009: IFA leaders meet with the Treasury, Federal Bank and Small Business Administration
• July 16, 2009: Matt Shay appears on Fox Business News
• A leader of the Great American Cookie Independent Franchisee Association and a franchisee, Lawrence “Doc” Cohen testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee that the SBA needed to improve its small business financing programs
• Jan 28, 2009: IFA sends a letter to the SBA on the need to not cap lenders ability to finance “goodwill” at $250,000
• Jan 22, 2009: IFA attends the U.S. Conference of Mayors and pitches the importance of franchising to the economic development of their municipalities
• Jan 14, 2009: IFA urges Congress to take steps to increase small business access to credit
• Dec 23, 2008: The IFA urges Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to use the Troubled Assets Relief Program to improve small business loans

It’s clear that those in the corridors of power are beginning to take notice of concerns of small business owners.  The IFA are partly to thank for this shift. Thanks to Blue MauMau for their top reporting here.