International Franchise Association: Pride Council Aids Inclusion and Understanding

Each June, we celebrate Pride Month to show support for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies. This year the Pride Council, created in 2019 by the International Franchise Association Foundation, hosted a webinar discussing how different franchises approach their Pride Month. By Rikki Amos

Each June, we celebrate Pride Month to show support for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies. This year the Pride Council, created in 2019 by the International Franchise Association Foundation, hosted a webinar discussing how different franchises approach their Pride Month.

Co-chairs of the Pride Council, Paul Pickett, chief development officer, Wild Birds Unlimited and Mark Jameson, CFE, chief support and development officer, Propelled Brands led the conversation, and were joined by members of the Pride Council.

Sometimes, just being open to conversations within the company can be a place to start. Brett Larimer, executive director of brand development with Skyhawks Sports Academy, gathered a small group to discuss challenging issues in a safe space. From there, their evolution was intentional and Larimer stressed the importance of doing the work internally and getting leadership buy-in. Larimer said: “It’s our responsibility to find ways to make sure that each of these business buckets are getting the time and attention they deserve so that at every level people are comfortable and included.”

Patti Rother of Frios Gourmet Pops said it’s important for internal and external audiences to know where the brand stands year-round. She’s currently undertaking an employee survey to better understand how they can support their workers. One way that Wild Birds Unlimited showed support was by updating their franchise agreement language to “partner” instead of “spouse”. Pickett and Rother said that these types of changes go a long way to helping LGBTQ+ employees feel supported.

While none of these changes happened overnight, Larimer summed it up: “This stuff is hard and it takes time, but one of the biggest things I’ve seen is it just starts with a couple people who are passionate, and you start bringing other people in.”

And, we hope to bring you in. If you have questions about joining the Pride Council, please contact Rikki Amos at ramos@franchise.org. For the full webinar recording, please visit the IFA YouTube page: youtube.com/c/FranchiseOrg411.

Rikki Amos

As executive director of the IFA Foundation, Rikki Amos leads the IFA’s organizational strategic planning and implementation; board management and governance; finance/budgeting/P&L; and fundraising while being an ambassador on behalf of the Foundation, the IFA, and the franchising sector. The IFA Foundation works to build the future of franchising and seeks to raise awareness of the opportunities available to all through franchising.