Seminar Schedule:
Friday, September 25, 2026
Theater 1
11:00 AM–11:30 AM
Raise the Bar: Building Brands That Drive Reactions, Revenue and Franchise Growth — Jon Taffer — Taffer’s Tavern
11:45 AM–12:15 PM
Considerations for Prospective Franchisees When Purchasing a Franchise — Victoria Diaz and Sabrina Zarco — Zarco Einhorn Salkowski, P.A.
12:30 PM–1:00 PM
No Shortcuts: The Unfiltered Truth About Scaling a Franchise Brand — Sean Oatney, CFE — Planet Fitness
1:15 PM–1:45 PM
Run It Like You Own It: The Owner-Operator Mindset Every Franchisor Needs to Scale — Bradford Reynolds — Gold’s Gym / RSG Group
2:00 PM–2:30 PM
From Drive-By to Deal: How In-Person Site Visits Fuel Franchise Growth — Tara Fry Vigil — American Dairy Queen Corporation
Theater 2
11:15 AM–11:45 AM
Canada’s Deck Franchise Leader Expands into the U.S. — Charleigh Roberts and Greg Potticary — Hickory Dickory Decks
12:00 PM–12:30 PM
Go Canada: The Best Next Step for Your Business — Richard Davies and Shivam Sharma — Canadian Franchise Association
12:45 PM–1:15 PM
Single Unit to Franchise Empire: What Building, Losing and Rebuilding Taught Me About Franchising Scale — Suhail Rehman — SUR Group
1:30 PM–2:00 PM
Beyond Unit Ownership: The Benefits of Becoming a Regional Developer — Monica Harrigill and Ray Harrigill — The Sunray Companies
3:00 PM–3:30 PM
We’re Actually Not That Different, Eh? Right! — Paul Dean — CEFA Early Years School
Theater 3
11:15 AM–12:00 PM
How to Choose the Best Franchise for You — Aicha Bascaro — American Franchise Academy
1:00 PM–1:45 PM
Franchising for All: Your Roadmap to Ownership and Growth — John Lancaster, M. Denise Simmons, Shania Seibles and David Smith
2:00 PM–2:45 PM
Mission to Main Street: Veterans Leading in Franchising — Wendy Kunz, Celeste Guajardo, Christine Roselli and James O’Brien
3:00 PM–3:30 PM
What You Get With a Franchise — And What You Don’t — Aicha Bascaro — American Franchise Academy
Theater 4 — Day in the Life / Multi-Unit
11:00 AM–11:30 AM
Preparation Meets Opportunity: Building a Multi Unit Franchise Business — Bill Mathis — ICW Management LLC
11:45 AM–12:15 PM
My Real Life Journey at Sonny’s BBQ — Shannon Snell — Sonny’s BBQ
12:30 PM–1:00 PM
From Real Estate Investor and Banker to Multi-Unit Franchisee — Alex Bello — Phenix Salon Suites
1:15 PM–1:45 PM
From Idea to Movement: The Power of Not Going It Alone — Britt Riley — Haven
2:00 PM–3:00 PM
Multi-Unit Franchisee Panel — Charles Keyser, Jesse Keyser, Tamra Kennedy and Steve Wazny
3:15 PM–3:45 PM
Should You Franchise Your Business — Steve Beagelman — SMB Franchise Advisors
Theater 5
11:15 AM–11:45 AM
Navigating the Road to Automotive Franchise Ownership with Grease Monkey and SpeeDee — Kelly Tope — FullSpeed Automotive
12:00 PM–12:30 PM
From K-Culture to K-Food: The Rise of Korean Flavors — Tony Chung — bb.q Chicken
12:45 PM–1:15 PM
Taking Wellness Global: The WellBiz Franchise Opportunity — Amanda Millikan — WellBiz Brands
1:30 PM–2:00 PM
Every Location, One Solution: How H&R Block Cracked Multi-Location Advertising with Simpli.Hub — Susan Rothwell — Simpli.fi — Roxane Harris — H&R Block
2:15 PM–2:45 PM
More than BBQ: The Sonny’s Story — Matt Zeiger — Sonny’s BBQ
3:00 PM–3:30 PM
Building the Future of Golf: Redefining Player Development — Preston Unck — Tee Box Golf
Theater 6 — Expert Panels
11:00 AM–12:00 PM
The Ultimate Franchise Buying Guide: From A to Z — Jeff Walter and Barry Falcon
1:30 PM–1:00 PM
Women in Franchising — Ashley Clark, Amanda Millikan, Cheyanne Thurston and Stephanie Cartin
Theater 7
11:00 AM–11:30 AM
How Do I Know This Franchise Is Right for Me? — Anthony Padulo — Arthur Murray International
11:45 AM–12:15 PM
The Silver Tsunami: Building Businesses That Matter — Eric Redden — Touching Hearts at Home
12:30 PM–1:00 PM
Scaling with Purpose: Building High-Growth Franchise Brands in a Changing Market — Todd Houghton — FranDevCo / iFranchise Group
1:15 PM–1:45 PM
The Next Evolution of Salon Suites: Why Beauty, Wellness, and Real Estate Are Converging — Brian Kelley — Phenix Salon Suites
2:00 PM–2:30 PM
Building a Best in Class Franchise Organization — Scott Taylor — R&R Brands
2:45 PM–4:00 PM
Is Your Business Ready to Franchise — Andrew Seid — MSA Worldwide
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Theater 1
11:00 AM–11:30 AM
Franchise Success from Day One: Essential Steps for New Franchisees! — Jerry Akers, CFE — Great Clips, The Joint Chiropractic and Zdynamix
11:45 AM–12:15 PM
The Right Fit: What Franchise Brands Really Look for in Their Next Great Franchisee — Steve White, CFE — PuroClean
12:30 PM–1:00 PM
Going into Business with Family — Jesse Keyser and Charles Keyser — Keyser Enterprises
1:15 PM–1:45 PM
Burgers, Brand and Bold Moves — Randy Sharpe — Wahlburgers
2:00 PM–2:30 PM
Fund Your Future: How to Finance the Business of Your Dreams — Rocco Fiorentino — Benetrends Financial
2:45 PM–3:15 PM
The Human-Powered Franchise: Winning When Everyone Has the Same AI — Ali Shabdar — Zoho Corp
Theater 2
11:15 AM–11:45 AM
I Made Every Franchise Mistake So You Don’t Have To — Tom Scarda — The Franchise Academy
12:00 PM–12:30 PM
Global Franchising: The New Geography of Growth — Fernando López de Castilla, CFE and Emiliano Jöcker — GNF Worldwide
12:45 PM–1:15 PM
AI & GEO: The New Playbook for Franchise Growth — Giselle Campos and Ric Militi — InnoVision Marketing Group
1:30 PM–2:00 PM
Staying in Control of Your Franchise Selection Process — Patrick Sanchez — Franchise FastLane
2:15 PM–2:45 PM
Unlocking Franchise Growth: The Strategic Power of HR Outsourcing — Alicia Costoya — Key HR
3:00 PM–3:30 PM
How to Make AI Work for You — Jeremy Arthur — Adminify AI
Theater 3
11:15 AM–12:00 PM
Women in Franchising: Building Success Through Community & Leadership — Tamra Kennedy, Amy Elder, Agnes Mauro and Danielle Wright
1:00 PM–1:45 PM
What You Get With a Franchise — And What You Don’t — Aicha Bascaro — American Franchise Academy
2:00 PM–2:45 PM
Empowering Latino Entrepreneurs Through Franchising: From Dream to Ownership — Patti Rother and Aurelio Salas — ShowHomes Franchise Corporation
3:00 PM–3:45 PM
How to Choose the Best Franchise for You — Aicha Bascaro — American Franchise Academy
Theater 4 — Day in the Life / Multi-Unit
11:00 AM–11:30 AM
Scaling to Multi-Unit Success — Charles Keyser and Jesse Keyser — Keyser Enterprises
11:45 AM–12:15 PM
Before You Enter the Multi-Unit Agreement, Are You Ready? — Financial Resources, People Resources and Timing — Mitch Cohen — Performax Franchisee Advisors
1:15 PM–1:45 PM
Is Your Business Ready to Franchise — Andrew Seid — MSA Worldwide
2:00 PM–2:30 PM
Is Your Business Ready to Franchise — Andrew Seid — MSA Worldwide
2:45 PM–3:15 PM
From Employee to Entrepreneur: Building Your Own Business — Christina C. Broccoli — prosperIV
Theater 5
11:15 AM–11:45 AM
From Recruiter to Business Owner: Building a Scalable Staffing Business in Today’s Economy — Vince Vigneri — Cordova
12:00 PM–12:30 PM
How to Scale Quickly Without Losing Consistency, Culture, or Client Experience — Cheyanne Thurston — FACE FOUNDRIÉ
12:45 PM–3:15 PM
The Key to Finding the Right Franchise for You — Andrew Hawes — HTeaO
1:30 PM–2:00 PM
Building a Thriving Franchise Culture: The 7 Secrets Behind the World’s Most Successful Service Franchises — Don Allen — Zoom Room Franchising
2:15 PM–2:45 PM
From Studio to System: Lessons from a Growing Franchise — Matt Fowers — Cordovan Art School
Theater 6 — Expert Panels
11:00 AM–12:30 PM
The Ultimate Franchise Buying Guide: From A to Z — Tipton Shonkwiler, William Forester and John Hayes
1:30 PM–3:00 PM
Franchise Your Brand — Eric Keller — Purpose Brands
Theater 7
11:00 AM–11:00 AM
Scaling Multi-Unit Franchises — Garret Steed — Rio Acai
11:45 AM–12:15 PM
Choose the Right Franchise — Shawn Saraga — The Franchise Academy
12:30 PM–3:00 PM
How Do I Know This Franchise Is Right for Me? — Anthony Padulo — Arthur Murray International
1:15 PM–1:45 PM
Stop Selling Franchises. Start Recruiting Owners. — Onyi Odunukwe — Glo Tanning
2:00 PM–2:30 PM
Should You Franchise Your Business — Steve Beagelman — SMB Franchise Advisors
2:45 PM–3:15 PM
Franchising vs. Alternative Growth Strategies — Mark Siebert — iFranchise Group
In Business For Yourself Not By Yourself
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Be in business for yourself, not by yourself.
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