Georgetown University’s franchising and entrepreneurship expert Dr. Benjamin C. Litalien is returning to the country this month to facilitate the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) Program at the Asian Institute of Management on March 25 and 26, which is one of the four main events of the Franchise Asia Philippines (FAPHL) 2019 Conference and Expo.
The CFE Program, brought to the Philippines by Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) chairman emeritus and the universally acknowledged Father of Philippine Franchising Samie Lim and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Bing Limjoco in 2001, is a career development program offered by the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives (ICFE) of the International Franchise Association (IFA) Education Foundation. It offers franchise professionals the opportunity to learn, grow professionally and reach a recognized standard of excellence in the franchise community.
Litalien first facilitated the CFE program at the 2018 edition of the FAPHL last July 16 and 17.
Litalien, CFE, is the founder and principal of FranchiseWell, LCC. He is also the president and director of the Social Franchise Institute, an association dedicated to providing education on franchising to the non-profit sector. Dr. Litalien is also an Academic Advisor for Entrepreneurship and Franchise Programs at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Education.
“Attendees to this year’s CFE program are thrilled to learn first-hand from Dr. Litalien again, especially with the immense knowledge he has in the field of franchising, culled through decades of experience in the industry and the academe,” Lim, chairman emeritus of the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), said.
Franchise executives from the Philippines and other Asian countries attend the CFE program regularly.
Litalien also teaches the Franchise Management Certificate program each semester for franchise and nonprofit professionals from across the country and around the world. He is also an Assistant Adjunct Professor at University of Maryland University College in Adelphi, MD and Southern New Hampshire University where he teaches Franchising, Entrepreneurship Venture Planning and Consulting.
Prior to forming FranchiseWell, Litalien was the Director of U.S. Dealer Sales for Newbury, Ohio based Kinetico Incorporated. Kinetico manufactures high-quality water filtration systems for commercial, retail and personal use. He was responsible for assembling and managing a team of regional managers to oversee more than 250 licensed dealerships in the U.S. generating $50M in annual revenue.
He invested over four years with the ExxonMobil Fuels Marketing Company as the U.S. Franchise Development Manager, based in Fairfax, Virginia. He oversaw the Company’s On the Run convenience store franchise for Exxon and Mobil branded distributors in the U.S., creating a unique Regional Franchise Developer program that was responsible for almost 1,000 franchise units. Due to the innovative work by Ben, Exxon Mobil was able to sell the developer franchise program to a competitor.
Litalien is a recognized speaker on “Franchise Development” and “Franchising for Good”. He has been referenced as a franchising expert in feature articles of Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chain Leader, Entrepreneur Magazine, QSR Magazine, Supermarket News, Successful Franchising, Convenience Store Decision, and Restaurant Hospitality. He has also authored articles that appeared in industry periodicals such as Franchising World, Franchise Asia and Successful Franchising.
He completed his doctoral program at the University of Maryland University College focused on the concept of Social Franchise. He was presented with the Karp Research Foundation Award in 2011 for the ‘best paper in franchising’. He holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston in Houston, Texas.
He received his CFE (“Certified Franchise Executive”) designation from the International Franchise Association in 2003 and was appointed to the ICFE Board of Governors for the IFA in 2013. Ben is a member of the Academy of Management and the Social Enterprise Association. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Stafford Junction, a nonprofit organization in his community that serves children and their families. Ben has been married for 29 years and has three grown children and two grandsons. He is an avid fly fisherman and classic car restorer.
Asia’s biggest 4-in-1 franchise show, Franchise Asia Philippines (FAPHL) 2019 Conference and Expo will be presented with two themes, “Growing Businesses, Building Legacies” for the Conference and “Be the Boss” for the Expo. The week-long event will open with the Certified Franchise Executive Program from March 25-26, International Conference from March 27-28, International Expo from March 29-31, and Learning and Networking Sessions for prospective franchisors and franchisees.
Franchise Asia Philippines 2019 is organized by the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) and is co-presented by Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and PLDT Enterprise. For details, interested parties may visit www.pfa.org.ph, www.franchiseasiaph.com or www.facebook.com/franchiseasiaph.