2016 MVP AWARDS Mega Growth Leadership Award
2016 MVP AWARDS
2016 MVP AWARDS Mega Growth Leadership Award
Why do you think you were recognized with this award ? Actually , this was a very pleasant surprise . Our franchisor , Arby ’ s Restaurant Group , nominated me for this award . We ’ ve been Arby ’ s largest franchisee for some time now , and at the close of 2015 signed a very aggressive development agreement to open 70 new Arby ’ s restaurants in the next 7 years . We also have plans on the books to remodel another 123 of our restaurants . We have confidence in the brand , its leadership , and the unique niche we ’ ve carved out in the industry .
How have you raised the bar in your own company ? In a phrase , we don ’ t settle . We continue to invest in professional , skilled people . We ’ ve always believed in the brand and kept building and remodeling , even during economic slowdowns . And we ’ ve relied on state-of-the-art technology and equipment to sustain our robust business model .
What innovations have you created and used to build your company ? We ’ ve never been happy with the status quo , nor have we always waited patiently for our franchisor to have all the answers in operations or marketing . We ’ ve developed a lot of our own promotions over our 47 years that were eventually adopted by the Arby ’ s system , and have made operational and training innovations to improve workflow that we ’ ve shared with our parent and the franchisee system . We ’ re also very proud of the fact that we own the majority of the land our restaurants reside on .
What core values do you think helped you win this award ? In the fall of 2015 , our executive group went on a retreat with a single purpose : to put in writing our core values and strategic anchors that would lead our company into the future . We had always felt those values were inherent and presumed , but we wanted to document them as our company begins its next business cycle . We call it our Compass , and its core values are Commitment , Humility , and Respect . I was raised with those values , and have worked hard to personify them professionally and personally .
How important is community involvement to you and your company ? We ’ ve always made community involvement a priority — not just because it ’ s good business , but because it ’ s the right thing to do . Our employees work and live in those communities . They have children who go to school there . They worship there . It ’ s our responsibility to be a good citizen and give back to the communities where we do business . John Davis , my younger brother and US Beef CEO , is on the board of the Arby ’ s Foundation , which gives over $ 3 million annually to Share Our Strength / No Kids Hungry . Locally we do a lot of work with the schools , sports teams , churches , and organizations to make each community we ’ re in that much stronger . Most of our executive group is on a nonprofit board . We encourage our employees at every level to be involved in helping shape their community .
What leadership qualities are important to you and your team ? I ’ ll have to refer again to our company ’ s Compass , and the core values we look for when hiring : Commitment , Humility , and Respect . So many great qualities actually emanate from those values , including integrity , loyalty , and work ethic . Those are all qualities that enable and enrich a company to be sustainable during good times and bad .
Formative influences / events : Thanks to my parents , Bob and Connie Davis , the restaurant business is in my DNA . I ’ ve never known anything but restaurants . Dad never worked anywhere else . He and mom either owned or worked in a restaurant , and as their five children ( I was the oldest ) got old enough to clean a table , wash a dish , or fill a sauce bottle , my parents made it a family affair . It was fun working as a family unit . After school and weekends , it was something we all looked forward to doing together . I recall those early days with great fondness . Obviously , becoming one of the pioneer franchisees of Arby ’ s in the late ’ 60s was a significant event in my life . It set the course . But by 1995 both my parents had passed away , and at the age of 43 I had to take the reins .
Key accomplishments : Spearheading the growth of the company has given me the most satisfaction , generating economy in communities across an 8-state footprint and providing employment and career path opportunities for more than 7,000 employees . In the past 47 years , I ’ ve also been proud to serve in positions of leadership in the industry I love so much , including as the current vice chair of the National Restaurant Association and current chair of Arby ’ s Franchise Association ( AFA ). I have also served on the board of trustees for the Arby ’ s Supply Chain Cooperative since 1986 . My alma mater , the University of Tulsa , has also been very kind . I have been honored as a University of Tulsa Distinguished Alumnus and inducted into the University of Tulsa Business Hall of Fame in 2012 , where I received the Outstanding Entrepreneur award .
Work week : I really couldn ’ t tell you when my work week starts or when it ends . When you own and operate 340 restaurants , with many more on the drawing board , there are really very few moments when I ’ m not working . And with the additional responsibilities as vice chair of the NRA and chair of the AFA , my plate
PERSONAL
stays pretty full with travel to Washington , D . C ., Atlanta , industry events , and meetings with various constituents inside the industry , Arby ’ s , and my executive team at US Beef .
What are you reading ? With my various responsibilities , I have a mountain of material to review on a daily basis . There are NRA publications and white papers , marketing and operations communications from Arby ’ s Restaurant Group , the Wall Street Journal , and as you might imagine , too many emails to count . I ’ ve always been a history buff , and after seeing “ Hamilton ” on Broadway bought Ron Chernow ’ s book Alexander Hamilton , which I ’ m enjoying reading right now . And , I always find time to read some passages from the Bible .
Best advice you ever got : I ’ ve been so blessed in my life to have wonderful teachers , mentors , and coaches — and have learned from all of them . But through osmosis , the best professional and personal advice always came from my parents . I ’ ll never forget the three words that dad repeatedly told me to master in the restaurants : “ Cleanliness . Service . Product .” At the risk of sounding like a cliché , they also instilled in me the Golden Rule : to treat everyone as I ’ d like to be treated . Their advice was really about “ servant leadership ” before that phrase was coined and went mainstream .
What ’ s your passion in business ? It ’ s always been people . Our employees . Our guests . I learned early on in this business that if you don ’ t strive to run a great operation , you can ’ t serve either one very well . Having great operations generates more profit that enables you to pay your employees well and offer better benefits . In turn , happier employees who are proud of where they work do a better job serving our guests .
20 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE III , 2016