Golden Opportunity Book
Date of Hire:
Hired: 2009
Fatima Poggi
“All the people at McDonald’s treated me like family and told me if I ever needed anything, they would be there.”
Hired: 2003
Eddie Davenport
“You can pursue a dream at whatever stage of life you’re in.”
Hired: 2002
Majasyn Turner
“It isn’t all about the numbers, it’s also about what you bring to the table.”
Hired: 1997
Charles L. Broughton
“I could go work in any industry in any business and succeed just because of the skills and the foundation that McDonald’s has taught me.”
Hired: 1995
Travis Heriaud
“Being a franchisee is like being a small-business owner but at the same time being part of a global brand.”
Hired: 1992
Karen Wells
“As big as McDonald’s is, you get a feeling that it’s a very large family.”
Hired: 1992
Alma Anguiano
“Life is full of roadblocks. The challenge is figuring out how to clear those roadblocks, but there is always a way.”
Hired: 1991
Jerry W. Hairston, Jr.
“No matter what you want to do in life, you’ve got put all your effort into it.”
Hired: 1986
Stephanie Oliver-Greene
“It’s not about the burgers and fries anymore. It’s about changing and enriching people’s lives.”
Hired: 1985
Wendy Clark
“The biggest lesson I learned about being a good leader was that it’s not about me, it’s about the team.”
Hired: 1983
LTC Michael D. Grice, USMC
“I learned that success meant being the person who requires the least managing. It’s what I teach my officers, my Marines, and the people I work with.”
Hired: 1983
Laurieann Gibson
“For a long time, no one ever knew about my humble beginnings. Now it’s something I like to tell people.”
Hired: 1982
Susan Singleton
“Parents who bring their kids into our restaurants are often surprised when we don’t automatically hire everybody who walks in.”
Hired: 1982
Marlene González
“I learned from being a restaurant manager to be persistent and consistent. There are no shortcuts and no mysteries to it.”
Hired: 1981
Bridgett Freeman
“People have to learn to be successful. You have to help them understand how they can take an average job and turn it into an opportunity.”
Hired: 1980
Jeffrey P. Bezos
“You learn a lot as a teenager working at McDonald’s. It’s different from what you learn in school. Don’t underestimate the value of that!”
Hired: 1980
Cody Teets
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you fall short, you will land among the stars.”
Hired: 1979
Diana Thomas
“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t learning something new.”
Hired: 1979
Mindy Bloom
“Just like working on crew at a restaurant, at the Ronald McDonald House it’s a team effort.”
Hired: 1978
Michael A. Smerconish
“If I were in college admissions, I would have a lot more respect for a person who had punched a clock, and learned how to rotate stock than someone who had a glamorous internship.”
Hired: 1978
Ajay K. Patel
“The culture of the company and the attitude of America is that where you came from doesn’t define who you are.”
Hired: 1978
Leo Lopez
“My grandfather would often talk to me about America and the opportunity it offered anyone who worked hard.”
Hired: 1978
Carla Harris
“There is no such thing as a dead-end job. It’s what you take away from it that adds value.”
Hired: 1978
Janice L. Fields
“Had it not been for the kind words of a stranger, my career might have been quite different.”
Hired: 1978
Danitra Barnett
“I learned to hire people who are different from me, who have different skills, and yes, who are more intelligent than I am. I make better decisions as a result.”
Hired: 1977
Rick Colón
“The day I came home and told my father I got promoted to manager, he beamed with pride. ‘You’ve really made it. You’re a success!.’”
Hired: 1976
James Collins
“Do good when no one else is watching because you never know where your blessings are going to come from.”
Hired: 1976
Leroy Chiao, PhD
“My experiences at McDonald’s have translated into almost anything I’ve done.”
Hired: 1974
Ed Sanchez
“The day I came home with a bigger paycheck than my stepfather’s, he changed his tune. ‘Wow! You really can make a career out of this.’”
Hired: 1974
Ana Madan
“One of my biggest challenges is keeping alive in my children the family tradition of working as hard as you can to take advantage of the opportunity we have had.”
Hired: 1974
Andie MacDowell
“Working at McDonald’s was my independence—the freedom of not having to ask anybody for money.”
Hired: 1974
Andrew Dornenburg
“It may have been Filet-O-Fish and fries at the time, the lesson was the same: it had to be hot, and it had to represent your best effort.”
Hired: 1972
Drew Nieporent
“Seeing McDonald’s on the resumes of applicants would be a huge plus.”
Hired: 1969
Steve Plotkin
“We are always developing our people and moving them up the ladder, creating the next generation of leaders.”
Hired: 1969
Don Armstrong
“Each of the owner/operators I worked for influenced me in a significant way.”
Hired: 1967
Andrew H. Card, Jr.
“McDonald’s was a great equalizer—wealthy and poor, black and white stood in the same lines and sat at the same booths.”
Hired: 1966
Henry “Hank” Thomas
“They wouldn’t let him operate the register, so he bought the restaurant.”
Hired: 1966
Jay Leno
“Promoting from within is a lesson I took with me from McDonald’s to The Tonight Show.”
Hired: 1965
Frank J. Sandoval
“I was only nineteen years old and already managing a busy restaurant.”
Hired: 1959
Phillip E. Rosner, PhD
“Dignity came from what you did, not where you worked.”
Hired: 1956
James McGovern
“At fifteen, you’re not really exposed to the world and dealing with people like Ray Kroc you grow up quick.”
Hired: 1955
Lester E. Stein, Jr.
“Great leaders know they’re in the spotlight all the time and constantly act as role models.”
