CARROLLTON, Texas - FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS^®, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, announced today that it is the Bronze winner of the 2017 Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) Awards of Excellence in Franchising in the Category of Traditional – Mature/Established franchise systems category. The award was presented to FASTSIGNS on April 3, 2017 during a Gala Awards Presentation at the 26^th annual CFA National Convention in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Considered the pinnacle of franchise achievement in Canada, the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising are given annually to franchise systems that have demonstrated the strongest, most mutually-rewarding relationships with their franchisees, based on the results of a comprehensive survey of franchisors and their franchisees administered by third-party firm Portage Group. 

“FASTSIGNS International, Inc. was honored to accept this award and to be recognized amongst the hundreds franchise concepts operating in Canada,” said Catherine Monson, CEO and President of FASTSIGNS International, Inc., “Our presence in Canada is highly valued and we are focused on growing our brand in Canada. It was truly a pleasure to be the keynote speaker for the Canadian Franchise Association convention.  In addition, I had the opportunity to meet with fellow CEO’s in the ‘Closed-Door CEO Only Session’ to share personal insight and answer their questions to help guide their future endeavors. Overall, the entire convention was thriving with dedicated entrepreneurs focused on franchising best practices. I look forward to the flourishing success of franchising in Canada.”

This year, more than 60 CFA member franchise systems participated in the survey. Participating franchise systems were assessed on their performance in key areas, including franchisee relations, leadership, business planning, marketing, training and support, ongoing operations and communications.

“The CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising truly set a benchmark for franchises throughout Canada and we are pleased to recognize FASTSIGNS for their commitment to excellence in franchising,” says Lorraine McLachlan, CFA President and CEO. “A solid relationship between franchisor and franchisee is vital to the system’s success and FASTSIGNS’s results show that they offer outstanding support to their franchisees.”

Open exclusively to CFA franchise system members who have been franchising for three years or more, the CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising competition includes seven categories to enable franchise systems to be rated against their peers. Entries are separated into Traditional Franchises (i.e. those with bricks and mortar locations) and Non-Traditional Franchises (i.e. mobile, home-based, etc.), then grouped based on number of franchisees.

Systems with the highest scores in each category are recognized with Bronze, Silver and Gold CFA Awards of Excellence. The prestigious CFA Award of Excellence in Franchising Grand Prize is given to a Gold winner in the Traditional category and a Gold winner in the Non-Traditional category.