In 2021, Lathrop GPM launched a speaker series and initiative designed to increase franchise ownership by underrepresented racial and ethnic groups – as both franchisees and franchisors. In this month’s content, we shine the spotlight on Carlos White, one of the leaders of our Diversity in Franchising efforts.
Lathrop GPM Franchise & Distribution Partner Carlos White is an HBCU-bred, Ivy League Law-trained business optimizer and franchise developer based in our Dallas office. With an active presence in the Dallas community, Carlos strives to serve minority business owners and entrepreneurs with their franchising, licensing, and corporate goals. He served on the board of the Desoto Economic Development Corporation and is a former board member of the Southern Dallas Development Corporation. In addition, he is involved in the B.U.I.L.D. Collaborative, a coalition of Dallas small business ecosystem partners that promotes equitable and inclusive entrepreneurial growth.
On August 25, 2022, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced a franchise initiative to help grow business in southern Dallas with a particular emphasis on historically underserved and overlooked communities and tapped Carlos to lead this initiative as the city’s first-ever Franchise Impact Ambassador. In this role, Carlos works to form partnerships to aid in teaching residents to create, systematize and scale successful businesses. The initiative aims to be an investment in the people of Dallas to help provide them with the skills needed to become more financially prosperous.
In a release from the City of Dallas, Carlos said, “I am grateful to Mayor Johnson for this opportunity and for his relentless focus on increasing entrepreneurship, economic development and workforce development in southern Dallas. Through the Mayor’s Franchise Initiative, I know we can make a real difference in the lives of Dallas families and in our communities.”
In association with Carlos’ role as Dallas Franchise Ambassador, he authored an article in the Franchise Journal covering the objectives of the Dallas Franchise Initiative and spoke on a panel for Project 23 on the topic of Minority Franchise Ownership Initiatives.