Mayor Johnson, Franchise Impact Ambassador provide Mayor’s Franchise Initiative one-year progress update
DALLAS — On Thursday, Mayor Eric L. Johnson and Franchise Impact Ambassador Carlos White provided an update on the achievements of the Mayor’s Franchise Initiative since its launch.
In August 2022, Mayor Johnson appointed White, a Dallas attorney who specializes in franchise law, to serve as the city of Dallas’ Franchise Impact Ambassador and to chair the Mayor’s Franchise Initiative. Mayor Johnson, who has made workforce development a top priority, said the initiative was created to increase business franchising in Dallas, particularly in historically underserved and overlooked communities.
“I am extremely proud that this first-of-its-kind initiative has solidified Dallas as the world’s preeminent hub for franchising,” Mayor Johnson said. “In just one year, Franchise Impact Ambassador Carlos White and an esteemed advisory board comprised of top private-sector and community leaders have created a platform to help small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs leverage a proven business model to systematize and scale their businesses.”
White provided an overview of the impact of the Mayor’s Franchise Initiative during its first year of operation. He said that through the initiative, he and the advisory board have:
- Provided opportunities for entrepreneurs to learn successful operational, marketing, and legal strategies from vetted and verifiable executives and entrepreneurs;
- Educated entrepreneurs about the Employee Retention Tax Credits program, facilitating connections with tax professionals to support them in accessing over $1.5 million in previously overlooked tax credits;
- Partnered with AltCap, a community development financial institution, to create signature lending and alternative options for entrepreneurs seeking up to $250,000 in debt financing and up to $1 million in revenue or equity-based financing; and
- Enlisted a supply chain management specialist to develop a “snap-on” supply chain option to help small restaurateurs minimize their operating and inventory expenses.
“This is, without exception, one of the best initiatives in the country created to empower and equip entrepreneurs with the requisite informational, social, and financial capital necessary to help them grow their businesses,” White said. “Mayor Johnson believes in practical solutions to address local challenges, and I greatly appreciate his leadership, commitment, and vision. Our work is just beginning and will continue to produce tangible value for the Dallas community.”
Following remarks provided by the Mayor and White, White led a working session titled “Building & Maintaining the Franchising Ecosystem.” This interactive session brought together entrepreneurs, startups, franchise organizations, business accelerators, and prominent private-sector and community leaders, including Robert Mong, President of the University of North Texas at Dallas, Lynn McBee, Workforce Czar, and Tim Williams, Chief Franchise Officer of Williams Chicken. The participants discussed programming and marketing strategies to accelerate and sustain the impact of the Mayor’s Franchise Initiative on emerging Dallas businesses.
“With partners like all of you, I am confident that we will continue to bolster our city’s franchise ecosystem,” Mayor Johnson said. “The Mayor’s Franchise Initiative will serve as a catalyst to launch more successful Dallas-centric concepts and help more entrepreneurs create job and economic development opportunities in the great city of Dallas.”
