Canadian Franchise Association Announces 2020 Awards of Excellence in Franchising Winners

MaidPro and Restoration 1 receive top honours at the CFA's inaugural video awards

TORONTO, May 26, 2020 /CNW/ - The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) is pleased to announce that the Traditional and Non-Traditional Grand Prize winners of the 2020 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising are MaidPro and Restoration 1, respectively. The CFA recognizes two separate Grand Prize winners to reflect the range of franchise opportunities in the market.

"Franchising in Canada is very diverse, ranging from residential cleaning franchises like MaidPro to mobile home restoration service franchises such as Restoration 1," says Sherry McNeil, CFA President & Chief Executive Officer. To reflect this diversity, and to ensure participating franchise systems are being rated against their peers, the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising program includes seven categories and two Grand Prize awards.

Considered the pinnacle of franchise achievement in Canada, the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising are given annually to franchise systems that have demonstrated superior franchise relations, leadership, training, and communications. The Grand Prize winners were recognized and had the opportunity to provide speeches via video online for the first time ever. The new video format is the result of physical distancing regulations in place throughout Canada as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

"The CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising celebrates the best of Growing Together™ and how our community of franchisors and franchisees is Stronger Together," McNeil continues. "Regardless of the size or concept, a strong relationship between the franchisor and franchisees is vital to franchise success, and this relationship has been pivotal in propelling Canadian franchising through the current crisis. We congratulate MaidPro and Restoration 1 for their achievements – they've demonstrated they deserve top honours in the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising program."

This year, more than 70 CFA-member franchise brands participated in the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising program. Sponsored by the CFA and administered by the Portage Group, a third-party research firm, the winning franchise systems were determined based on the results of a survey completed by participating brands' franchisees about their experiences and levels of satisfaction with the system.

Entries were separated into Traditional Franchises (those with brick and mortar locations) and Non-Traditional Franchises (those that are mobile or home-based businesses). Within these categories, entrants were grouped based on their number of franchise locations.

The CFA also presented the Franchisee of the Year Award, recognizing top-performing franchisees for their unique accomplishments and excellence in business performance, community service, and brand involvement. Oxford Learning Centre franchisee Seema Ahluwalia from Richmond and Kitsilano, British Columbia won gold in the Traditional category and PropertyGuys.com franchisees Simon and Stephanie Jones from Central and West Kootenays, British Columbia were gold winners in the Non-Traditional category.

"Franchisees are small business owners who are strengthening our Canadian franchise community by building connections and making positive contributions to their own communities," says McNeil. "It's important to celebrate the franchisees who are making Canadian franchising stronger. We congratulate Seema Ahluwalia and Simon and Stephanie Jones on their accomplishments."

Separated into Traditional and Non-Traditional Franchises, winners for the Franchisee of the Year Award were determined based on the strength of the participating entrants' award submissions.

The 2020 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising winners are:

The 2020 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising Grand Prize

Traditional Franchises: MaidPro | Non-Traditional Franchises: Restoration 1

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

6-15 Franchises
Gold: MaidPro Franchise Corporation
Silver: Inspiration Learning Center – Tutoring and Private School
Bronze: Megamind Abacus Academy

16-29 Franchises
Gold: Symposium Cafe Restaurant & Lounge
Silver: MaxWell Realty Inc.
Bronze: White Spot Restaurants

30-99 Franchises
Gold: FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
Silver: Triple O's
Bronze: Scholars Education Centre

100+ Franchises
Gold: Quesada Burritos & Tacos
Silver: A&W Food Service of Canada
Bronze: Pizza Nova Take Out Ltd.

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

6-15 Franchises
Gold: Restoration 1
Silver: Stagecoach Theatre Arts CANADA Ltd
Bronze: Metropolitan Movers

16-29 Franchises
Gold: Right at Home Canada
Silver: TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Canada
Bronze: Driverseat Inc.

30+ Franchises
Gold: Paul Davis Restoration Canada
Silver: Home Instead Senior Care
Bronze: WP Creations

The 2020 CFA Franchisee of the Year Award Winners are:

Non-Traditional Franchises

Gold: Simon and Stephanie Jones – PropertyGuys.com (Central and West Kootenays, BC)
Silver: Michael Murphy Brown – LeakPro (Vancouver, BC)
Bronze: Chetan and Roshni Bahl – Heart to Home Meals (Edmonton, AB)

Traditional Franchises

Gold: Seema Ahluwalia – Oxford Learning Centres (Richmond and Kitsilano, BC)
Silver: Susan Allison – Wendy's Restaurants of Canada (Western Ontario)
Bronze: Tahir Siddique – Pizza Pizza (Brampton, ON)

The CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising video presentation will be shared through social media in June. For more information about the awards, visit www.awardsprogram.ca.

About the Canadian Franchise Association

The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) helps everyday Canadians realize the dream of building their own business through the power of franchising. The CFA advocates on issues that impact this dream on behalf of more than 700 corporate members and over 40,000 franchisees from many of Canada's best-known and emerging franchise brands. Beyond its role as the voice of the franchise industry, the CFA strengthens and develops franchising by delivering best-practice education and creating rewarding connections between Canadians and the opportunities in franchising. Founded in 1967, the CFA consistently advances and supports the franchise community, and is the essential resource for information, insight, and expertise through its award-winning education, events, services, and websites: cfa.ca and LookforaFranchise.ca.

SOURCE Canadian Franchise Association

CFA Media Contact: Laura D'Angelo, Fishman Canada Inc., Tel: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]