GENERAL SESSION SPEAKERS & DESCRIPTIONS State of Franchising Matt Haller, President & CEO, IFA; & Steve Hockett, CEO, Great Clips, Inc. Matt Haller President & CEO at IFA, along with Steve Hockett, IFA’s Incoming Chair of the Board and CEO of Great Clips, will provide the “State of Franchising” in the Opening Session. Together, they will present new IFA economic research exclusively to attendees before it goes public.
A Conversation with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, US Senator (D-WV) Sen. Manchin is a key voice for the industry and has proven his leadership skills and courage to work across the aisle and find common ground in Washington, D.C. — and has become a key vote on most major pieces of legislation for franchising. Sen. Manchin says it is time to push back on partisan extremism and get things done. The conversation at IFA as will include his work in Washington protecting the franchise business model and the framework of Americans Together, a new organization that is creating a platform for the middle to connect and empower moderate voices around the country.
21 Ways to Win On and Off the Field Deion Sanders, Head Football Coach at the University of Colorado Interviewed by: Wanda Williams, Head of Global Franchising, YUM! Brands Hear directly from Coach Prime on his formula to ELEVATE and DOMINATE in life. From choosing your team to setting your own thermostat, to the importance of uniforms, Coach Prime will share his formula to leading teams to success. Coach Prime opens #IFA2024 to talk about his meaningful role in coaching, leading, and leaving an impact — lessons you can translate to your business. Super Bowl Champion Deion Sanders had a remarkable career in the NFL, but his real impact came with his next act: coaching. In the suburbs of Texas, Sanders took a job as a high school football coach. He turned raw talent into a team of champions — the same thing you try to do in your business every day. When he moved on to college coaching, his work at Jackson State was about on-field success, education, personal development, and community engagement. Hear about his obsession with time, focus, discipline, hard work, and character development.
Leadership Lessons and Inspiration: Empowering Strategies for Transformational Leadership Hear from three franchise executives who led their brand to success through acquisition and growth, a changing customer demographic, resilience, and grit. Kelli Valade, CEO, Denny’s
Leadership Lesson: Servant Leadership & Catering to a Diverse Customer Base. Learn how Denny’s is fostering a culture of empathy. For 70 years, Denny’s has been an icon in the casual dining industry, building on its proud position as “America’s Diner.” To live up to its reputation of being a place where everyone is welcome, the company had to make diversity, equity, inclusion, and well-being a top priority. Rob Price, CEO School of Rock Leadership Lesson: Turnaround Story & Preparing for Platform Company. Hear School of Rock CEO Rob Price in Leadership Lessons and Inspiration with his turnaround story through shared values and creating value across the brand. Rob’s go-to question, “What if they're Right?” recognizes the different stakeholders within franchising and the unique role each person brings to overall success.
Justin Hoeveler, CEO Youth Enrichment Brands Leadership Lesson: Platform Company Strategies that go Beyond the Business Operations Playbook. Youth Enrichment Brands CEO on operating on a platform. Platform company strategies that go beyond the playbook the operations of a business. Justin will discuss finding synergies YEB looks for when deciding which companies fit well with their company culture.
How PE is Changing the Landscape of Franchising Franchising offers predictable value creation levers. Private equity firms often find comfort in the established and proven success of the franchise model. The scalability and replicability of the model make it easier to predict and manage, reducing some of the uncertainties associated with more complex business structures.
Mary Kennedy Thompson, CFE, COO Neighborly Hear from Neighborly COO Mary Kennedy Thompson, CFE on how private equity (PE) is changing the landscape. She will share the history of Neighborly through PE and what it has done for them as a company. She will explain it is not for everyone. She will also share what her PE company looks for, why PE might not be for everyone, and how it can touch everyone — even franchisees. This is the kind of insider intel IFA is known for.
Great Teams Understand Their “Why” Don Yaegar, Award-Winning Leadership Speaker, Executive Coach & New York Times Best-Selling Author In this captivating keynote, Don Yaeger shares his findings from firsthand experiences & interviews with Olympic Gold Medal winners like former USA Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K), 2-time NBA Champion Kevin Durant, and USA Basketball CEO Jerry Colangelo, as well as 6-time NFL Super Bowl Champion quarterback Tom Brady, thought-leader Simon Sinek, and longtime Medtronic CEO Bill George. Learn how to apply Don’s action items into current areas of your personal and professional lives, which will undeniably spark a deeper connection to your work, and more meaningful effort toward their daily, weekly, and monthly results.
More Than an Economic Forecast Joe Brusuelas, Chief Economist, RSM US LLP Get a competitive edge in this session with advice from RSM's renowned Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas. Make decisions based on the realities of the market - not just wishful thinking. Discover strategic perspectives for franchisors in today's economic landscape. Hear straight from one of the most influential economists of our time.
Disciplined Execution and a Visionary Mindset Paved the Way for Multi-Unit Franchisee Greatness Gain valuable insights from the experiences of successful multi-unit franchisees and explore their strategies for achieving success.
Greg Flynn, CEO Flynn Group Why would a successful franchisee pivot from restaurants to fitness? Multi-unit franchisee Greg Flynn explains his decisions to diversify, plus the keys to his own success story, and why he subscribes to a rare combination of disciplined execution and a steadfast commitment to the long-term vision.
Jesse Keyser, Owner, Keyser Enterprise 1, LP Once you own a few franchise units, where do you decide to invest? Multi-brand mogul Jesse Keyser explains how he keeps his focus, even when his attention is on 50 units of multiple brands.
Moderated by: David Humphrey, Vice Chair Ignite Fitness Holdings Ignite Fitness Holding's David Humphrey takes the stage with multi-unit franchisee pros Greg Flynn and Jesse Keyser to ask some tough questions.