Honorees Will Be Recognized at IFA’s Annual Convention in Vegas
The International Franchise Association has announced recipients of its five highest awards for 2024. The awards will be officially conferred during the 65th IFA Annual Convention being held Feb. 10-13 in Las Vegas. Following is a list of awards and honorees.
Top IFA Franchising Awards
1. Hall of Fame Award
Patrick Doyle, executive chairman of the board of Restaurant Brands International since late 2022, spent almost a decade as Domino’s Pizza CEO. He also held leadership positions overseeing domestic and international operations for more than 14 years. Doyle previously had served as an executive partner at Carlyle Group and as board chairman at Best Buy Co. Inc., where he was a director for almost 10 years.
The Hall of Fame Award is the oldest, most prestigious IFA recognition. It goes to a franchisor or franchisee who has contributed significantly to both the advancement of both the franchise business model and the IFA’s mission. Honorees are longtime leaders who are often considered icons of franchising.
2. Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Richard Weissman, co-founder, CEO and chairman of The Learning Experience, learned the ropes of business starting as a teenager who mopped floors at his parents’ childcare center. He and his father acquired an international childcare franchise, retired from it and then launched The Learning Experience in 2002. The next year, they began franchising the early-education brand that aids children cognitively, intellectually and socially. The franchise has 400-plus locations in 33 states.
The Entrepreneur of the Year Award honors a successful founder or franchising executive who exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit of franchising. Recipients are known for inspiring other entrepreneurs.
3. Bonny LeVine Award
Dawn Kane is co-founder and CEO of Hot Dish Advertising, a marketing and advertising agency that has served the franchise community for more than two decades. As Kane and her team nurtured 500-plus franchise brands, the firm has consistently been honored as a Top Franchise Supplier in Marketing by Entrepreneur magazine. Kane is a longtime supporter of the Women’s Franchise Network in the Twin Cities and is its co-chair. She has served as chair of the IFA’s Supplier Forum Advisory Board as well on IFA committees.
The Bonny LeVine Award recognizes female franchising leaders who have excelled as mentors. The recipient is a franchisor, franchisee or supplier who has been a role model giving back to the franchising community, creates opportunities for others, and uses IFA and independent platforms and programs to connect and inspire others.
4. Ronald E. Harrison Award
Javier Solis wears many hats, but most notably founded the Toro Taxes franchise, the largest Latino franchise in any industry. He’s also a certified franchise executive and business motivator-coach who educates Hispanic entrepreneurs on scaling their businesses. After moving to the U.S. from Ecuador as a 22-year-old, he saw the need for a Latino tax preparation business. In 2019, Solis and two partners founded Toro Taxes, which has grown to more than 250 offices in 23 states. Solis is active in Maryland Hispanic business organizations and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. Solis chairs the IFA’s Hispanic Latino Franchise Leadership Council, which he co-founded in 2021, and is a member of the IFA Foundation’s Diversity Institute Board.
The Ronald E. Harrison Award recognizes an organization or individual who has proved a commitment to diversity within franchising. The Harrison honoree is a franchisor, franchisee or supplier with active programs to educate, engage or recruit members of traditionally underserved communities into the franchising community.
5. William Rosenberg Foundation Leadership Award
Serial entrepreneur Dan Monaghan founded Clear Summit Group, a business accelerator and investment company helping early-stage franchise and technology companies that have strong growth potential. Monaghan started in franchising as a 19-year-old franchisee for Dickie Dee ice cream. In 1995, he started WSI, a digital marketing franchise organization. In 2006, he started Clear Summit Group, which has grown to more than 1,000 franchise locations worldwide. Monaghan helped create the IFA’s Franchise Ascension Initiative and its Open for Opportunity campaign.
The Rosenberg Award’s namesake is a visionary instrumental to the establishing the IFA and its foundation. Rosenberg honorees are individuals who have strongly supported franchise education and outreach.
IFA Kudos for Honorees
The above awards are “given each year to individuals who stand out above and beyond in the franchise sector,” IFA President and CEO Matt Haller stated in a news release. “Their leadership, both in business and in service to others, has made a profound impact on the future of franchising and all the good it will continue to do for generations to come.” To see the names of past IFA award recipients, click here. Franchising is a significant player within the U.S. economy. Brands using the business model were on track to add about 221,000 jobs to the U.S. economy during 2024, according to the IFA’s 2024 Economic Outlook report. The number of employees within franchising was expected to grow 3% last year, to a total of 8.9 million workers.
