What you should know about the Diversity Institute: a primer.

The International Franchise Association's Educational Foundation's Board of Trustees approved plans for the establishment of the Diversity Institute in February 2005 during the IFA annual convention in Hollywood, Fla. The purpose of the Diversity Institute is to expand the diversity initiatives of IFA and the Educational Foundation. The mission is two-fold: promote and foster diversity and inclusion within IFA and the franchising community and build awareness of franchising within minority communities and to increase the number of minority franchisees, franchisors and suppliers.

The institute is the home for all minority-diversity programming which includes the MinorityFran program, education, research and relationship cultivation with other national organizations.

MinorityFran Celebrates Two Years

In February, the institute's board voted to restructure the MinorityFran program as it celebrated its second anniversary. The MinorityFran program now includes minimum standards for participation. These changes will strengthen the program and put it more in line with IFA's Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative. Current members will be given an opportunity to renew their MinorityFran membership by completing a re-enrollment form and complying with the criteria. After the established deadline, those who have not re-enrolled will be dropped from the MinorityFran membership roster. New IFA members wishing to participate in MinorityFran will be invited to join the program by completing the enrollment form.

To be approved to participate in MinorityFran, all members must agree to the minimum standards outlined below, showing evidence of such and meet four out of the six standards:

* Provide special incentives and or special financial assistance programs to qualified minority candidates. Members are encouraged to speak with their legal counsel to amend their Uniform Franchise Offering Circular-Franchise Disclosure Document to reflect participation.

* Participate in at least two "Franchise Opportunities for Women, Minorities and Veterans Seminars" held in major cities across the country.

* Develop special internal programs to recruit women and minorities to show evidence of a program and provide brief description, for example, name an internal staff coordinator for MinorityFran/diversity-related efforts.

* Provide IFA with minority franchisees in their systems that they would recommend to profile in the media.

* Join the Speakers Bureau and recruit minorities from within their systems to serve as speakers.

* Advertise in the Special Minorities in Franchising Guide.

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Members must also submit quarterly reports on MinorityFran efforts.

IFA in return will provide members with:

* Opportunities to participate in "Franchise Opportunities for Women, Minorities and Veterans Seminar" Series in major cities across the country as presenters or exhibitors.

* Invitations to speak or exhibit at select events hosted by minority organizations.

* Regular exposure to minority franchisee prospects through press releases and advertising.

* Information and tools to help increase the numbers of minority franchisees, employees and suppliers in your franchise system.

* A listing in a special MinorityFran section on IFA's Web site.

* MinorityFran logo to display on their companies Web sites and in other recruitment materials.

* Opportunity to participate in the new Minorities in Franchising Guide and the Minorities in Franchising special edition of Franchising World published annually in June.

Research

In September, the Educational Foundation, through the Diversity Institute, released the first of its kind "Franchised Business Ownership: By Minority and Gender Groups" Report. This report presents statistics in two ways: first, the proportion of franchised businesses that are owned by each minority group and gender group; and second, the proportion of all businesses owned by each minority and gender group that are franchised. This report gives IFA the first comprehensive look at the composition of the franchising industry by minority and gender groups.

Education

The Diversity Institute hosted its Third Annual Diversity Summit during the 2008 IFA annual convention. This half-day program was attended by franchise systems of varying sizes and from across the country.

Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance Pres. Gerry Fernandez and recent recipient of the Ronald E. Harrison award for significant contributions to minorities in franchising presented the keynote address which focused on understanding and embracing diversity. Fernandez spoke to the subject not only from a global society, butt as a business imperative. FOCUS Brands Pres. and CEO Steve Romaniello, CFE, Chick-Fil-A Talent Acquisition Consultant LaShawn Cartwright and ExxonMobil Dealer Recruiting-U.S. Retail Support David "Corky" Calhoun presented "Achieving Growth through Diversity: Lessons Learned from the Real World," sharing best practices from their respective organizations.

To highlight the model used in the one-day franchise opportunities seminars, IFA was joined by two members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, who spoke about bringing business opportunities into minority communities using public-private partnerships to create economic development in urban America. The speakers were Buffalo. N.Y. Mayor Byron Brown and Trenton, N.J. Mayor Douglas Palmer, who serves as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The summit was concluded with a presentation, "What You Should Know about the Diversity Institute." This presentation began with a historical account of the institute through its current programs and mission.

Who are the members of the Diversity institute Board?

The Diversity Institute Board bade farewell to one member and added a new member to its roll. Recognized for serving with distinction, longtime Diversity Institute member, ExxonMobil Downstream Issues Management, U.S. Fuels Marketing Michael J. Roman concluded his service on the board.

In September, the board welcomed three new members: David "Corky" Calhoun, Clyde Jones and Phil Wilkins. The Entrepreneur's Source CEO and founder Terry Powell, CFE, was welcomed to the board during the February meeting.

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Calhoun is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance and Commerce. He played in the National Basketball Association and was a member of the 1977 World Champion Portland Trailblazers. In his current role, he is responsible tot recruiting qualified dealers and distributors to operate Exxon and Mobil service stations in the United States.

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Phil Wilkins

Jones is vice president, chief diversity officer for ADP, one of the world's largest providers of business outsourcing solutions. He has more than 25 years of experience promoting diversity and strategic human resources issues for companies including KPMG, LLP and Hoechst Celanese (now Aventis-Sanofi). At ADP, he is responsible for driving a corporate-wide diversity strategy that fosters an inclusive work environment, aiming to leverage the diverse dimensions of each employee to support the company's long-term growth objectives. Jones also serves on the corporate advisory board of Catalyst and the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting.

Wilkins owns four McDonald's restaurants in Lexington, Ky. and is the author of "Own Your Business, Own Your Life!" In addition to operating his restaurants, he is a speaker and consultant on diversity and economic empowerment, and has earned his certification as a Diversity Professional from Cornell University.

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Powell is the founder and CEO of The Entrepreneur's Source. The company provides support and guidance to people seeking to make their business ownership dreams come true through coaching and advisory services. The company acquired Business Advisers International in 2005 and in 2007 acquired Business Partner One Stop Marketing Services and launched FranchisEsource Brands International. He has served as a senior executive, franchisee and franchisor. Powell earned his Certified Franchise Executive certification in 2004.

A complete list of the members of the Diversity Institute is available on the IFA Web site, www.franchise.org, under the About IFA tab and then selecting, Programs and Services, Diversity Institute.

Eric McCarthey is president of the 7-11 Business Division of The Coca-Cola Company and serves as chairman of IFA's Diversity Institute. He can be reached at emccarthey@na.ko.com