For Immediate Release
LAS VEGAS (February 27, 2001) - Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) President and CEO James H. Amos, Jr. was today officially installed as the 2001 chair of the International Franchise Association (IFA) during the organization's 41st annual convention. Known as the "Voice of Franchising," IFA is the world's oldest and largest organization representing the rapidly growing business concept.
"In recent years, the IFA has been particularly effective in bringing franchisors, franchisees and suppliers together for the benefit of the entire industry," Amos, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) said, accepting the gavel of leadership. "My goal is to maintain this momentum and to assist in creating a worldwide forum where all the supporters of business-format franchising can share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns in a safe, honest and fair environment."
Amos also noted, "Franchising’s appeal lies at the heart of the increasingly universal dream of owning your own business and being your own boss. It's personally rewarding and gratifying for me to work in an industry that provides the opportunity for people to realize this dream."
Amos, active in the franchising sector for more than 25 years, was chief executive officer of the Brice Group in Dallas before being chosen to lead MBE. He is the author of two books, "Focus or Failure: America at the Crossroads" and "The Memorial." The latter was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the best books of the year in 1990. It will be reprinted later this year. Amos is currently working on a third book.
A graduate of the Univ. of Missouri and a decorated Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, Amos serves on the boards of directors of Mail Boxes Etc., the San Diego Opera, the MBE We Deliver Dreams Foundation, which he established in 1998, and the Univ. of Missouri's board of advisors.
For more than 20 years, Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) has been the world's largest franchisor of retail postal and business services. There are over 4,300 MBE locations worldwide, with master license agreements in place in more than 70 countries. MBE is ranked second in the 2001 Entrepreneur "Franchise 500" and first in the postal and business services category for the eleventh straight year. In the United States, MBE locations are owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., USA, Inc. Outside the United States, MBE locations are owned and operated by MBE master licensees or their franchisees. MBE maintains a Web site at http://www.mbe.com.
IFA, the only organization that represents both franchisees and franchisors, today includes more than 30,000 individual and association members whose concepts span 75 different industries and operate in more than 100 countries. Founded in 1960, the group was established to enhance and safeguard the business environment for the concept worldwide. Its leadership over the years has included entrepreneurs from such household-name brands as Dunkin' Donuts, Holiday Inns, Midas Mufflers, Pizza Hut and Southland Corp. (7-Eleven).
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