Anyone who doubts the economic pull of the franchising community should consult the invite list at President Obama's jobs address last week.
Front and center at the President's address in Washington DC were Jack Earle, chairman of the IFA and head of Earle Enterprises and Gordon Logan of Sport Clips, who was invited by the Republican party Small business is seen as a driving vehicle for the resurgence of the US economy and franchising would have a big part to play.
Interestingly, Logan was critical of the President's job solutions thus far, saying that the growth of his franchise has been impeded in the last few years
According to the Austin American-Statesman, Logan "estimated that Sport Clips could have opened more than 100 additional stores in the past three years if access to capital was readily available and if small-business owners weren't faced with the costs associated with the new health care law."
Franchisees were also mentioned in an introductory press release sent by Speaker of the House John Boehner who used McDonald's franchisee John Earle to sum up the problems daunting the economy at the moment:
"Excessive regulations imposed by the health care law and Dodd-Frank, the ongoing threat of tax hikes, and regulatory overreach by agencies like NLRB, have hamstrung Earle and other franchisers with uncertainty and stifled their ability to create new jobs."
It seems that franchising is at the front line of the current jobs crisis. Let's just hope that both parties can put their heads together to work out solution that spurs franchising and the economy as a whole.