2010 CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising: Call for Entries

(Toronto, ON) December 12, 2009… The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA), the National Voice for Franchising in Canada is calling on CFA Franchise System Members to enter their systems in the 2010 CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising. Interested and eligible CFA Franchise System Members can enter the competition online at www.cfa.ca. The closing date for franchisor entries is February 19, 2010.

Open exclusively to CFA Franchise System Members who have been franchising for three (3) years or more, the CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising recognizes excellence in franchise operations and celebrates the mutually-supportive relationship between a franchise system and its franchisees. The CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising is an exclusive benefits of CFA.

"This award is the largest achievement a franchise system can aspire to win," says Darryl Sangster, President and COO of Sangster's Health Centres and 2009 Grand Prize Winner of the Award of Excellence in Franchising. "It is truly amazing to be recognized as a leading franchise system in Canada."

Award entries are categorized giving a total matrix of four (4) possible category winners, all scored on even playing fields. The highest overall numeric score is awarded the CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising Grand Prize. The four categories are:

Traditional Franchises (i.e. bricks and mortar locations)

New / Emerging (franchising 3 - 10 years)
Mature / Established (franchising 11+ years)

Non-Traditional (i.e. mobile, home-based, etc.)

New / Emerging (franchising 3 - 10 years)
Mature / Established (franchising 11+ years)

Participating in the CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising gives franchise system’s third-party insight into the strength of the relationships within their system. Sponsored by CFA and administered by a third-party research firm, franchisor participants in the CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising are asked to complete an online survey that explores areas such as training and support, the franchisee selection process, leadership, business planning, marketing and operations.

Once the franchisor starts the process, the same survey questions are sent to all of the franchisees for that brand within the franchise system (multi-brand franchisors may enter separately for each brand). Their responses are aggregated and compared to the franchisor's self-rating in the same areas. While a high score is important, the goal is a strong alignment between the franchisor's perspective and the franchisees' perspective. This is highly valuable information for any franchisor as it is an ideal way to take the temperature of franchisees, to determine what areas may need attention, and to validate all the things they are doing right.

There is no cost to enter and possibly win the competition for the CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising and for only $250 the franchisor will receive a report showing how your system scored on each question (franchisor's perspective, franchisees' aggregated perspective, and the difference) along with benchmark data with the combined average score from all participants overall.

"The award is more than a good-looking statuette," says Cheryl Kostopoulos, President, Pak Mail Centers Canada and Chair of the CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising Committee. "It's about education, the CFA's Code of Ethics, good public relations for franchising, and highlighting the fact that, when the franchisor and the franchisees work together, there is no better way to do business. This is what CFA is all about. It reflects our core values: how to do franchising right. This award is an educational tool. Emerging franchisors and anyone in franchising can get great information. There's no reason not to participate; how can you lose?"

The 2010 CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising winners will be announced at the CFA National Convention, May 2-4 in Mont Tremblant, QC.

For more information about the CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising, visit www.cfa.ca.

About the Canadian Franchise Association
With almost 500 corporate members nation-wide, representing many of Canada’s best-known brands, the Canadian Franchise Association is the National Voice for Canadian Franchising and works with all levels of government to ensure the development of industry-made solutions. CFA promotes ethical franchising and educates Canadians about franchising, specific franchise opportunities and proper due diligence through its many events, programs and publications. For more information, visit www.cfa.ca.

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Media Contacts:

John Sacke
President
Sacke & Associates
E-mail: johns@sackepr.com
Tel: 416-493-5723

Kenny Chan
Assistant Manager, Communications
E-mail: kchan@cfa.ca
Tel: 800-665-4232 ext. 232