Latest news with #FASTSIGNS
Cision Canada
29-04-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
FASTSIGNS® Receives Franchisees' Choice Designation and Silver Award of Excellence From the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA)
, April 29, 2025 /CNW/ -- FASTSIGNS®, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, was named as a recipient of the Franchisees' Choice designation this month during the Awards Gala at the 2025 CFA National Convention in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This is the 15 th year for the Franchisees' Choice Designation Program, and the 13th time FASTSIGNS was honored for its accomplishment in receiving this designation. Additionally, FASTSIGNS was awarded Silver in the Traditional Franchises (30–99 franchisees) category of the CFA's Awards of Excellence in Franchising, further underscoring the brand's continued excellence in franchise support and satisfaction. "Earning these double recognitions speaks volumes about the strength of our system, the depth of our support and the trust our franchisees place in us," said Mark Jameson, chief development officer of Propelled Brands. "We're committed to helping entrepreneurs build successful businesses and are honored to see that commitment recognized across Canada as we continue to grow our footprint." Both the Franchisees' Choice Designation and the CFA Awards of Excellence are based on direct feedback from franchisees through independently administered surveys. Franchisees evaluate their franchisor on critical aspects of the franchise relationship, including leadership, training, communication, marketing, support and overall satisfaction. While the Franchisees' Choice Designation reflects consistent satisfaction year-over-year, the Awards of Excellence recognize top-performing brands in a competitive, category-based format. FASTSIGNS' dual recognition in 2025 signals a strong endorsement from its Canadian franchisees and reinforces the brand's commitment to supporting small business owners in Canada. "Before we bought our FASTSIGNS, we had no business background–just a passion for creativity, service and a drive to work for ourselves," said Donna Bilodeau, FASTSIGNS franchisee of Windsor, Ontario. "From the day we took a leap of faith into small business ownership, FASTSIGNS gave us the tools, training and ongoing support to build something meaningful. With FASTSIGNS behind us, we haven't just bought a business; we've joined a family of franchisees and a corporate team that truly has our back." FASTSIGNS currently boasts 40 centers throughout Canada in markets such as Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver. The brand is currently targeting further expansion in Canada, with a focus on its co-brand and conversion programs, which help existing business owners add a FASTSIGNS to their portfolio or fully convert their business to a FASTSIGNS franchise. FASTSIGNS has helped countless owners of print shops, photography studios, camera stores, embroidery shops, and more, diversify their product lines and services to meet the growing demand for signs, graphics and visual communication solutions. For more information about FASTSIGNS®, visit For more information about Franchisees' Choice designation and a full list of winners, visit the 2025 CFA Franchisees' Choice Designation web page. For more information on the Awards of Excellence in Franchising, visit the 2025 CFA Awards of Excellence web page. About FASTSIGNS® FASTSIGNS® is the leader in the custom signs and visual solutions industry. With 40 years of experience, FASTSIGNS helps customers bring their vision to life and achieve more than they ever thought possible. As the largest service-oriented business within the Propelled Brands® family, FASTSIGNS spans over 785 independently owned and operated centers across the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE®). FASTSIGNS is frequently recognized for franchisee satisfaction and with awards that include being ranked #1 in its category on ENTREPRENEUR's highly competitive Franchise 500® List in 2025 for the ninth consecutive year, and being named a 2024 Best-in-Category Franchise by Franchise Business Review for the sixth consecutive year. For more information or to learn about opportunities, visit or contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679). About the Canadian Franchise Association The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) helps everyday Canadians realize the dream of building their own business through the power of franchising. The CFA advocates on issues that impact this dream on behalf of more than 600 corporate members and over 40,000 franchisees from many of Canada's best-known and emerging franchise brands. Beyond its role as the voice of the franchise industry, the CFA strengthens and develops franchising by delivering best-practice education and creating rewarding connections between Canadians and the opportunities in franchising. Franchising is the 12th largest industry in Canada and franchised businesses contribute over $133 billion per year to the Canadian economy, creating jobs for almost two million Canadians. Learn more at: or
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Store manager along Robert Grissom Parkway hopes to see improvements to ‘dangerous' intersection
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The South Carolina Department of Transportation has proposed safety improvements to Robert M. Grissom Parkway in Myrtle Beach from Stalvey Ave to Executive Avenue/Cannon Road. FASTSIGNS assistant manager Blaire Justen said after working for the business right next to the intersection near Highway 501 for five years, she has seen some horrific accidents. She vividly remembers one fatality. 'I remember a few years ago, it was a motorcyclist and he wasn't wearing a helmet and golly,' Justen said. 'All the time there were crashes . . . brains on the road with that motorcyclist, it's horrific.' She said the intersection is so dangerous she avoids it at all costs. 'We will go out of our way up Seaboard to hit something with an actual light because coming out of it, it's just not worth it. We've seen people die,' she said. 'Every new hire that we have, I tell them to avoid that intersection at all costs.' A drop-in public information meeting took place Thursday with SCDOT to discuss improvements on the intersection. The intersection was picked through SCDOT's Pedestrian and Bicycle Action Plan. Although the plans for the project aren't final, the elements proposed include the following: High Visibility Crosswalks ADA Ramps Leading Pedestrian Intervals Countdown Signal Heads New Pavement Markings Intersection Improvements Pedestrian Crossings Access Management Practices in areas with a high frequency of crashes. Justen said these improvements are needed to keep the community safe. 'Not only do you have the traffic coming both ways, but you have U-turns and blind corners. People are going so fast,' she said. 'Something needs to happen.' Justen said accidents at this intersection happen so frequently it seems as if law enforcement isn't surprised anymore. She's thankful law enforcement handles each accident quickly, but says they shouldn't be happening in the first place. 'Whenever an accident happens — which at this point is once a month, once every two months, we call the police and we say 'It happened again' And they're like, 'Really?' And we're like, 'yes,'' she said. 'Because we can hear the crash, we're back there, we hear metal. We all run out just to make sure everybody's OK.' Justen said not that long ago there was an accident just feet away from the store, coming onto the sidewalk and through the bushes. She said if there was a company car parked there it would've been hit badly. Justen is originally from Indianapolis, so she said she knows busy intersections. But this is one, she says, is no joke. She said with more people moving to the coast, the intersection needs improvements as soon as possible. 'It is really starting to get a lot more residential traffic as well. So the traffic has just increased exponentially and I think it's relatively low on the list because it's more of like a side street, but more and more people are using it connecting to seaboard and stuff for further north,' she said. 'Something has to be done. There needs to be an actual light with the flow of traffic that we currently have.' Justen said many of the accidents involve children, and the business has a shop dog that will go out to check on those in the accident. She said she brings her dog to help comfort those involved in the crash after reading that it helps with trauma victims. Construction is tentatively set to take place in the fall of 2026. 'Hopefully enough has happened that they're finally like, 'fine, we'll do something,'' Justen said. If you did not attend Thursday's drop-in meeting but would like to voice your input on the intersection, you can do so until Feb. 21 by clicking here. * * * Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
