Canadian Franchise Association Announces Winners of the 2019 Awards of Excellence in Franchising

Inspiration Learning Center and Driverseat Inc. receive Top Honours at the CFA Awards Gala

TORONTO, April 9, 2019 /CNW/ - The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) is pleased to announce the Traditional (those with bricks and mortar locations) and Non-Traditional Grand Prize (those that are mobile or home-based) winners of the 2019 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising are Inspiration Learning Center and Driverseat Inc., respectively. CFA awards two separate Grand Prizes to reflect the range of franchise opportunities on the market.

"Franchising in Canada is very diverse, ranging from children's education franchises like Inspiration Learning Center to home-based service franchises like Driverseat Inc.," says Sherry McNeil, CFA President & CEO. 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 Prizes.

Considered the pinnacle of franchise achievement in Canada, CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising are given annually to franchise systems having demonstrated superior franchise relations, leadership, training and communications. The Grand Prizes were presented at the Awards Gala dinner during the 2019 CFA National Convention in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

"The CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising celebrates the best of Growing Together™ and the symbiotic partnership between franchisor and franchisees," McNeil continues. "Regardless of the size or concept, a strong relationship between the franchisor and franchisees is vital to a franchise system's success. We congratulate Inspiration Learning Center and Driverseat Inc. for their achievements – they've demonstrated they are the very best in Canadian franchising in 2019."

This year, over 70 CFA-member franchise brands participated in the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising program. Sponsored by 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 and Non-Traditional Franchises. Within these categories, entrants were grouped based on their number of franchisees.

These categories reflect the diversity of franchising and the spectrum of franchise opportunities available in today's market.

New this year, CFA introduced the Franchisee of the Year Award recognizing top-performing franchisees for their unique accomplishments and excellence in business performance, community service, and brand involvement. Subway Restaurants' multi-unit franchisee, Kelly-Anne Pelley from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador received the gold in the Traditional category and TWO MEN AND A TRUCK's franchisees, Paul Bimm & Lyne Vincent from Ottawa, Ontario were gold winners in the Non-Traditional category.

"This is a monumental moment for CFA and its members because we're celebrating the successes of franchisees for the first time," says Sherry McNeil, CFA President & Chief Executive Officer. "We congratulate Kelly-Anne Pelly, Paul Bimm and Lyne Vincent."

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

The 2019 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising winners are:

The 2019 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising Grand Prize

Traditional Franchises: Inspiration Learning Center | Non-Traditional Franchises: Driverseat Inc.

Traditional Franchises

6-15 Franchises
Gold: Inspiration Learning Center – Tutoring and Private School
Silver: Lice Squad.com
Bronze: Sweet Jesus

16-29 Franchises
Gold: Symposium Café
Silver: White Spot Restaurants
Bronze: THE TEN SPOT Beauty Bar

30-99 Franchises
Gold: Triple O's
Silver: FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
Bronze: UCMAS Mental Math Schools

100+ Franchises
Gold: Pizza Nova Take Out Ltd.
Silver: A&W Canada
Bronze: Oxford Learning Centres

Non-Traditional Franchises

6-15 Franchises
Gold: Driverseat Inc.
Silver: Pop-A-Lock
Bronze: Metropolitan Movers

16-29 Franchises
Gold: Restoration 1 Canada
Silver: TWO MEN AND A TRUCK
Bronze: Right at Home Canada

30+ Franchises
Gold: Paul Davis Restoration Canada
Silver: PuroClean
Bronze: WP Creations

The 2019 CFA Franchisee of the Year Award Winners are:

Non-Traditional Franchises

Gold: Paul Bimm & Lyne Vincent – Ottawa, Ontario, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK
Silver: Spencer Janke – Edmonton, Alberta, Elite Trade Painting
Silver: Kelsi Ashley & Erin Levesque – Sudbury, Ontario, MOLLY MAID Canada

Traditional Franchises

Gold: Kelly-Anne Pelley – Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Subway Restaurants
Silver: Mark Mebs – Victoria, British Columbia, BeaverTails
Bronze: John Lockyer – Orangeville, Ontario, Dairy Queen

For more information about the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising, 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. CFA advocates on issues that impact this dream on behalf of more than 750 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, CFA strengthens and develops franchising by delivering best-practice education and creating rewarding connections between Canadians and the opportunities in franchising. Canadian franchises contribute over $100 billion per year to the Canadian economy and create jobs for more than 1.9 million Canadians. Learn more at www.cfa.ca or www.FranchiseCanada.online.

SOURCE Canadian Franchise Association

Media Contact: Lisa Raffaele, Fishman Canada, [email protected] | [phone]