West Palm Beach, FL (January 17, 2012) – The United Franchise Group (UFG), the global leader for entrepreneurs, today announced that all five of its industry-leading franchise brands have been named to Entrepreneur magazine's annual Franchise 500 list. Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 is the world's first and most comprehensive franchise ranking based on objective and quantifiable measures of franchise success. The full report appears in the magazine’s January issue.

SIGNARAMA, the world’s largest full-service sign business, leads the group at #146, followed by Plan Ahead Events at #271. A home-based event planning business, Plan Ahead Events also ranked #11 on the Top New Franchises list and #81 for Top Home-based Franchises. Billboard Connection, a home-based advertising agency was listed at #294 and is recognized as the #1 franchise business in the Advertising Services category, #57 for Low Cost Franchises and #89 among Top Home-Based Franchises.

TransWorld Business Advisors, a business brokerage and franchise development services firm, ranks #328 overall and #84 among Fastest Growing Franchises. TransWorld is also listed at #24 among the Top New Franchises. EmbroidMe, the world’s largest embroidery franchise, rounds out UFG's presence in the Franchise 500 at #336.

“We are very proud of the hard work and dedication our brands have shown and the success they have achieved," said Ray Titus, CEO of United Franchise Group. “It is an honor to be recognized by Entrepreneur, and it inspires us to continue striving to provide industry-leading services and expert guidance to all of our customers.”

The Entrepreneur Franchise 500 determining rankings include financial strength and stability, growth rate, and size of the system. Additional factors taken into consideration include the number of years a company has been in business, the length of time it has been franchising, startup costs, litigation, percentage of terminations, and whether the company provides financing to entrepreneurs.