AAHOA Appointment Addresses Members’ Fair-Franchising, Government-Legislation Concerns

ATLANTA, GA— Fresh off its first-time-ever Franchise Advisory Council meeting last week, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) named civil litigation attorney Stephen Parker to the newly created post of vp/fair franchising and government affairs. “As an advocacy group, we feel it’s very important to have a go-to person on staff for issues of franchising and legislation,” noted AAHOA President Fred Schwartz. As such, Schwartz maintained: “[Parker’s] qualifications and experience made him a stand-out candidate for the job.” For the six years prior to joining AAHOA, Parker was in private law practice here. From 1991 to 1995, he served as chief legal and operating officer of the Southeastern Legal Foundation. During his time as an assistant attorney general for the state of Georgia, Parker focused on trial and appellate practice in federal and state courts. In the course of an exclusive talk with HOTEL BUSINESS®, Parker noted: “I am expecting to be kept very busy [in this new position]. Not only do I have a lot of learning to do about the franchising scene as well as the overall concerns of the AAHOA membership, but I will also be doing everything I can to help AAHOA members understand I’m here for them.” Slated to work out of AAHOA’s headquarters location here, Parker’s appointment fits in handily with AAHOA Chairman Hitesh Bhakta’s recent commitment to bring aboard a full-time staff member with a legal background to “serve as an in-house watchdog looking out for members’ interests and being a liaison with local, state and federal agencies on behalf of AAHOA members.” Referring to the second half of his title, Parker pointed out his government affairs role can prove to be especially important… particularly given today’s legislative climate, which seems to be fostering a significant number of matters calling out for action on the local, state and federal levels. Further in line with his past workload as well as his new duties and responsibilities, Parker noted the extent of his experience with franchise-related legal situations was limited to dealing with franchise-fee defaults and subsequent collection efforts. Going forward, he expects to see far more action outside the courtrooms rather than inside them. On that note, Parker contended “going to court” is not the way he’d like to see various concerns and differences addressed. “Litigation to settle contentious issues should be a last resort,” he said, adding it’s his belief “everybody loses a little bit [when issues force both sides into the courtroom].” However, Parker similarly emphasized that— if it comes to it— he’s “not afraid of a fight.” To that end, his past experience— which includes an oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court— would seem to speak volumes.