White House nominates ServiceMaster's Preston for top SBA job: the nomination of franchise...

Preston serves as executive vice president of ServiceMaster Co., a franchise system of residential and commercial services which includes a dozen widely-recognized business brands in industries ranging from disaster restoration to cleaning services, home inspection, and furniture repair.

Shay said the association's focus on issues of importance to small firms keeps it in constant contact with SBA, an agency it considers of key importance to fulfilling the mission of the franchising community at large.

"Steve Preston knows the crucial role that franchised small businesses play in the global economy," Shay said. "To have someone with this close-up view of free enterprise and entrepreneurship leading the Small Business Administration will be extremely beneficial to the growth and development of small firms."

As chief financial officer at ServiceMaster, Preston oversaw the ServiceMaster Acceptance Corporation, which provides essential start-up and growth capital for franchises.

ServiceMaster is a charter member of IFA's MinorityFran program, a recruitment initiative designed to increase minority ownership of franchised small businesses.