January 13, 2009: "Best Practices for a Successful Franchise System" Presented by Joe Mathews,
Franchise Performance Group

January 15, 2008: "Ideas, Tactics, and Tips to Grow your Company"
Peter Birkeland, Ph.D. Peter Birkeland Consulting Chicago, Illinois

March 18, 2008: Leonard Swartz, iFranchise Group Homeward, IL
Sponsored by: CIT Small Business Lending 

May 20, 2008: Darrell Johnson, President & CEO, FRANdata Arlington, VA
Sponsored by: Bankers One Capital

Sept 16, 2008: NEFA Presents: “Identifying and Selecting High Performance Franchisees”, a panel discussion on awarding your franchise to the best candidates.
Panelist: Fred Berni, Dynamic Performance Systems Ontario, Canada
Craig Slavin, Franchise Navigator Chicago, Illinois
Moderated by: Jim Coen
Sponsored by: IRA Rollover Solutions

Nov 18, 2008: NEFA Presents: Franchise Financing: Keys to Success in the Current Economic Climate
Panelist: Anne Rice Hunt, Finance Chief, U.S Small Business Administration;
Barbara Arena, CIT Small Business Lending, Senior Regional Account Manager;
Tom McDonald, IRA Rollover Solutions;
Moderated by: Constantine (Dean) Fournaris, Partner, Wiggin and Dana,
Sponsored by: Wiggin and Dana

May 15, 2007: George Naddaff, CEO Know Fat Lifestyle Grill, Sponsored by WhizSpark

George Naddaff, CEO, Know Fat, considered by many to be the Guru of Franchising in America, specializes in the development and marketing of franchise concepts. As a man frequently featured in leading business publications like Forbes, Inc., Success, Entrepreneur, The Wall Street Journal, and in numerous trade publications, he is a recognized franchise visionary.

March 13, 2007: Eric Stites, President, Franchise Business Review , Sponsored by Constant Contact

“Satisfaction is Everything! How Franchisee Satisfaction Drives the Bottom Line” Eric believes, franchisee satisfaction, or what he calls “The Happy Factor” is the most important thing to consider before buying any franchise. Franchise Business Review is a national franchise market research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction and franchise buyer experiences.

January 23,2007: Kevin Brough, Chairman, North American Association of Subway Franchisees (NAASF) Sponsored by CIT Small Business Lending

November 2006: Mary Tomzack President, FranchiseHelp, Inc.

Mary E. Tomzack is the President and Founder of FranchiseHelp, Inc. FranchiseHelp is unique in franchising because it services the entire franchise marketplace:  potential and current franchisees and franchisors, suppliers to franchises, and investors. Mary is a noted franchise expert and the author of Tips & Traps When Buying a Franchise, first published in 1994, revised in 1999, Source Book Publications. Everyone attending the NEFA Meeting will receive a complimentary copy of her book. Ms. Tomzack is often interviewed for franchise articles in publications such as The New York Times, "Franchise World" and "Entrepreneur Magazine." In addition, she was a part-owner in two franchised businesses.

September 2006: Panel Discussion on Mediation & Arbitration, Panelist Featured:
Nancy Connelly; Mediation Works Incorporated
Susan Hanmer Farina; Mediator-Arbitrator
Arthur Pressman; Nixon Peabody LLP

Sponsored by: National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show Boston

Susan H. Farina, Esq. mediates and arbitrates franchise and commercial disputes and formerly represented franchisors and franchisees in litigation, arbitration and mediation.

May 2006: Nancy Weingartner Managing Editor, Franchise Times, Sponsored by PR Works

Franchise Times is a highly regarded, business-trade publication known for its extensive editorial coverage of both franchisor and franchisee issues. Franchise Times Corp. inherited Nancy in 1998 when it bought Franchise Times from Crain Communications and Continental Franchise Review, a Denver-based newsletter Nancy edited. She became Franchise Times’ managing editor in 2002.In addition to the 10-times a year magazine, the company produces Franchise Times Online, geared exclusively for the potential franchise buyer to become better informed about the process of purchasing a franchise and what it takes to successfully run a small business. Nancy will talk about what’s hot in franchising, what the future holds and lessons learned from franchising’s past. She’ll also address ways companies and individuals can tap into the media’s short-little attention span, and how to generate positive press and handle negative press.

March 2006: Joe Matthews President, Franchise Performance Group

The Franchise Performance Group (formerly the Franchise Coaching Company) is a cutting-edge franchise consulting firm dedicated to helping franchisors win by improving the performance levels of both franchisors and franchisees. Joe Mathews, founder of the Franchise Performance Group, is a highly rated speaker on topics relating to franchising and performance. The topic will be: “Building Peak Performing Franchisees”

January 2006: Robert L. Purvin, Jr. AAFD Chairman/CEO

The AAFD is a national non-profit trade association representing the rights and interests of franchisees and independent dealers throughout the United States. The AAFD was formed by Declaration of Trust in May of 1992 with the original mission of "Bringing Fairness to Franchising." As the AAFD has expanded and evolved, and as many fine franchising companies have stepped forward to contractually embrace the promise of Win-Win Franchising, the AAFD's mission has expanded, but can be succinctly stated as follows: To define, identify and to use marketplace solutions to promote Total Quality Franchising.