Truett Cathy speaks with Erskine students in Daniel-Moultrie Science Center
Truett Cathy
Inspires Erskine Students
Now, even the cows
in Due West are saying, “Eat More Chicken.”
Truett Cathy, the inspiration and CEO of the Chick-Fil-A restaurant
chain, visited Erskine College last week on an invitation from the college
to address a group of business majors, sharing the principles he built
his business on, as well as his own personal style of leadership.
Erskine Vice President for Institutional Relations Dr. Jay West said,
“Erskine embodies the principles that Mr. Cathy has been about
all of his life. He built Chick-Fil-A on biblical principles, but he
has not closed it off to other religions.”
Cathy, who is 81, grew up during the Depression, when he said “all
we had to play with was a loose tooth, and it wasn’t even mine,
it was my brother’s. But I got a good solid background to build
a business on.”
Cathy told the students, “It’s a do-it-yourself world and
you get what you want out of it. Set high goals for yourself, but make
sure they are attainable, and don’t let anything stop you.”
Cathy did not go to college because he was drafted. He went on to be
successful because, “I have found that the harder you work, the
more satisfied you are. I still get enjoyment from what I do.”
Chick-Fil-a may be well known for its chicken sandwiches and its ad
campaign featuring cows holding up signs that read, “Eat More
Chikin,” but many recognize the food chain for Cathy’s pledge
to honor the Sabbath by closing all of his stores on Sundays.
“When I opened my first restaurant, the Dwarf Grill, I made the
decision to be closed on Sundays and it was the best business decision
I ever made,” Cathy said. “I needed a break and the equipment
needed a break. Our competition said we would never make it, but I wanted
to observe a day where all the employees could go to church and be with
their families.”
Today, Chick-Fil-A does a lot more than cook chicken, Cathy said.
“We have a corporate purpose,” he said. “That is to
glorify God, be faithful stewards, and have a positive impact on all
those who come in contact with us. This is not just something we display
on a sign, we display it by our actions.
“And I’m not just talking about business ethics, its personal
ethics,” he said. “People cause things to happen. And I
have always believed that biblical principles are good business principles.”
The sixth of seven children, Cathy was born in Eaton, Ga., in 1921.
As a youngster he helped his mother run a boardinghouse and at the same
time delivered newspapers and operated his own business selling soft
drinks.
After high school, he served in the army, then opened a tiny restaurant,
the Dwarf Grill (later renamed the Dwarf House), with his brother.
In 1967, he opened the first Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Atlanta, and
the chain now has nearly 975 restaurants and more than 40,000 restaurant
employees.
Despite the fact that Cathy never opens his restaurants on Sundays,
Chick-Fil-A has grown to become the country's third-largest quick-service
chicken restaurant company.
Cathy now uses his success to help inspire young people through a 25-year
old employee scholarship program, and through the WinShape Centre Foundation,
which includes children's summer camps, foster care facilities for more
than 115 children, and a college co-op scholarship program.
After speaking to the Erskine students in the Daniel-Moultrie Science
Center, Cathy answered questions, and even removed his tie and gave
it to a student after the student asked where the ties could be purchased.
“Ask, and you shall receive,” Cathy said.
Truett Cathy
