Franchising

Yum's University of Louisville center aims to increase 'under-represented' franchise ownership

University of Louisville (Photo provided)

May 26, 2021

Louisville, Kentucky-based QSR powerhouse Yum Brands Inc. said today it's working with the University of Louisville to launch a first-of-its-kind center for promoting franchising opportunities for under-represented people of color and women, according to a news release.

The Yum Center for Global Franchise Excellence will feature a public university program to provide existing and potential franchisees multiple levels of online education focused on the franchising model across industries. In addition, the center will aim to find and educate underrepresented people of color and women on franchising as a path to entrepreneurship.

Creation and funding of the center is part of Yum Brands' global Unlocking Opportunity Initiative that allots $100 million over five years to promote equity and inclusion, education and entrepreneurship for employees, frontline restaurant teams and communities around the world.

"We believe that combining the resources and expertise of the University of Louisville with Yum Brands will create an unrivaled resource for world-class training in franchising that will help people everywhere, particularly underrepresented people of color and women, succeed in franchise ownership and management," University of Louisville President Neeli Bendapudi said in the release. "We're excited about the new center as it aligns with UofL's commitment to empower our communities and supports our vision to become the nation's premier anti-racist metropolitan research university."

The center builds on the university's existing franchising education tracks within the College of Business, which include a graduate program and an executive-level Franchise Management Certificate. New to the center is an undergraduate franchising track within the Bachelor of Business Administration program that launched in the Spring 2021 semester.

The center's curriculum development will continue to be led by franchising industry alumni and business experts at UofL with subject matter experts at Yum! Brands providing resources, up-to-date information and powerful industry insights on the state of franchising. In addition, to improve equity for underrepresented people of color and women, the center intends to:

• Actively recruit diverse students to its undergraduate, graduate and executive-level programs offered through the College of Business.
• Conduct research to develop new knowledge surrounding franchise ownership, including case studies, white papers and other work to better understand the reasons for lower ownership by underrepresented people of color and women.
• Create regular podcasts and a practitioner-focused journal to share franchising education and news with franchise owners and managers.

"We're proud to partner with the University of Louisville on developing a sustainable, globally scalable program that democratizes exposure to and builds knowledge of the franchising industry for all," Scott Catlett, Yum Brands chief legal and franchise officer, said in the release. "Our hope is the center will carve a path to economic opportunity and successful ownership for talented, underrepresented people while bringing diverse voices and ideas to the broader franchising community."

Yum Brands has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories and brands include KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill.