Washington, DC, Jan. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Angie Katsanevas, founder and franchisor of Lunatic Fringe Salon and star of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, testified before the U.S. Congress today on the power of the franchise business model to build small business ownership opportunities, create meaningful career growth, and uplift communities. Angie was joined by incoming IFA Board Member Clement Troutman, a franchisee of Tropical Smoothie Cafe and PJ’s Coffee, along with other franchise owners to stress the need to protect the franchise business model.
“Franchising gave my family the ability to take our trials and create a model with a tried-and-true blueprint that allows others to be successful,” said Katsanevas, who co-founded Lunatic Fringe with her husband, Shawn Trujillo, in 1999. “My story is only possible through franchising, which lets people who couldn’t or wouldn’t otherwise start a business from scratch become entrepreneurs and business owners in their own communities. Perhaps the most important thing Congress can do to protect the franchise model is to enact the bipartisan, bicameral American Franchise Act.”
Appearing before the U.S. House Small Business Committee in a hearing called “Local Ownership, National Brands: How Franchising Is A Pathway To Entrepreneurship,” Angie testified on her business’ humble beginnings, her ability to scale through franchising to provide other stylists the opportunity to own their own business, and the ways franchising creates businesses that become the fabric of their neighborhoods.
Katsanevas, Troutman and the other witnesses called on Congress to pass the bipartisan American Franchise Act H.R. 5267 / S. 3525 which was introduced in the U.S. House in September 2025 and the U.S. Senate in December 2025. The legislation would codify the joint employer standard to provide clarity to both franchisors and franchisees, preventing the persistent whiplash on business owners of the past decade.
“The American Franchise Act ensures I remain an independent employer, preventing the government from treating me as a mere middle-manager of a large corporation,” said Troutman, who runs his family business with his wife and daughter and employs nearly 80 people across two locations in Maryland. "Franchising is a uniquely American engine of upward mobility. By supporting the American Franchise Act, Congress can protect the dreams of thousands of veterans and family business owners across the country.”
Katsanevas’ full testimony is available here and Troutman’s here, and the hearing can be viewed here.
About the International Franchise Association:
Celebrating over 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association (IFA) is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the approximately 831,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.8 million direct jobs, $896.9 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and almost 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.
Attachment
Katherine Knight Patterson International Franchise Association (202) 662-0783 kpatterson@franchise.org
