By Brenden Curry

Maria O’Connell, owner of the Express Employment Professionals franchise in Malvern, was named the Northeast Zone Representative for her company, and as such, she was a part of a group that recently visited Washington, D.C., to address Congress on potential legislation that would impact franchising.

“I’m so proud to be an American and to be a part of Express Employment Professionals,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell was among many franchise owners who shared their insights on the possible passage of the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. O’Connell and other franchise owners met with bipartisan representatives to share the impact she and many other owners could face based on the language included in the bill.

She shared how the power of the franchise’s brand helped her be efficient in her ownership. She met with U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey and U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and Scott Perry during her visit and pointed out to them how, if the bill is passed, opportunities for others to follow in her footsteps as franchise owners will fade away.

“It was all of us sharing our stories as franchisees, franchisors, and business owners,” O’Connell said.

The PRO Act would impose a test that determines an employee’s status as an independent contractor. Therefore, the proposed legislation may eradicate the franchise business model and may change the relationship between the employee and the employer.

Her personal story of how franchising positively contributed to the Chester County and Delaware County communities culminated in her advocating for Congress to vote against the PRO Act.

O’Connell was selected by the Vice President of the Northeast Zone of Express Employment Professionals. She was asked to share why she decided to own a franchise. She then explained why the Express Employment Professionals brand matters in her community by explaining the impact of her expenditure.

“It was an amazing experience having face-to-face meetings on Capitol Hill to represent my colleagues at Express Employment Professionals and discuss business and community impacts with Congress.” O’Connell said.

Compared to the “corporate headquarters” business model, the money generated by the franchise stays local, where it is shared and invested. According to the International Franchising Association, franchise brands create 17.6 million American jobs and produce $675 billion in economic output. Also, 90 percent of money generated at the franchise level goes back to local communities.

O’Connell’s franchise is one of 30 percent that are women-owned. (Another 30 percent of franchises are owned by minorities.)

“I thought the statistics were pretty staggering, if you think about it,” she said. “If you drive down the street, you pass by many franchised operations along the way that represent many small business owners.”

Franchising allowed O’Connell to realize her dream of developing a business that fulfilled her passion for working business-to-business (B2B) while impacting people’s lives in her community.

“The work we do is very impactful,” she said. “We connect great people with great companies. Being part of a franchise system like Express Employment Professionals affords me the opportunity to hit the ground running and focus on the implementation of our staffing model and processes in the community. I have appreciated the ability to make progress much quicker than developing everything from the ground up.”

Click here to learn more about Express Employment Professionals.

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