Don't know much about Herman Cain as yet...here's a couple of pieces....Looks like he'd bring a breath of fresh air to DC...
hermancain.com
About Herman Cain: My Story
I was raised in Atlanta, Georgia by loving and hardworking parents. We grew up poor, but we grew up happy. Things weren’t always easy, but my mom and dad knew that if they kept their faith in God, faith in themselves and their faith in the greatest country in the world, they, too, could achieve their American Dream.
That dream, we discovered, was for my parents to own their own home and watch their two sons graduate from college. Those dreams required that my father work three jobs to support our family.
The first dream was realized in a brick home on Albert Street. I can still recall the excitement of the day, as he surprised us—even my mother—when he drove us to our new home.
Their second dream was realized when I proudly accepted my degree in mathematics from Morehouse College in 1967 and my brother graduated from Morris Brown College. Both of my father’s American Dreams were achieved. Now, I set off to achieve mine.
One year after graduating, I married the love of my life, Gloria. And together, we started our journey to achieve our Dreams. This meant relocating to Indiana where I would begin my Master’s degree program at Purdue University, while working full-time as a mathematician at the Department of the Navy.
After earning my Master’s degree and six years working for the Department of the Navy, we returned home to Atlanta, where I began to climb the corporate ladder with the Coca-Cola Company. I faced challenges, but I always remembered the values my parents taught me. With enough faith and determination, I knew I could go as high in corporate America as I desired.
I enjoyed a successful career at the Coca-Cola Company and later moved to the Pillsbury Company. Within a short period, I rose to the position of Vice President. When I got there, I thought I had already achieved my American Dream on the 31st floor of the new Pillsbury Corporate Headquarters with a corner office. But I quickly realized I wanted something more.
I resigned my position and started on another path- the restaurant industry. I knew that in order to be successful, I had to start from “the ground up.” This meant broiling hamburgers at Pillsbury’s Burger King division. After nine months of a grueling restaurant experience, I was assigned to lead a low performing region of 450 Burger King restaurants. Within three years, we became the best-performing region in the U.S.
I could have been content with my executive role with one of America’s biggest corporations. Instead, after consulting with my wife, we decided to take one of the biggest risks of our marriage: picking up our young family, relocating yet again and accepting the call to become CEO and President of Godfather’s Pizza, a company teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
In 14 months, we turned the company around and returned it to profitability, and I ultimately led my management team to a buyout of Godfather’s Pizza. The company never went bankrupt, and today, there are still hundreds of locations across the U.S.
My success at turning around Godfather’s got the attention of fellow restaurateurs around the nation who invited me to join the Board of Directors of the National Restaurant Association and later elected me its chairman. In 1996, they retained me as the full-time President and the CEO of the National Restaurant Association, working on behalf of thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs.
In 1994, as chairman of the National Restaurant Association, I had the opportunity to speak with President Clinton during a nationally televised town hall meeting. Here, I challenged the President regarding the impact on businesses if his health care overhaul proposal were passed.
President Clinton attempted to assure me and the millions of viewers watching at home that his legislation would not harm American business owners and their employees.
I was skeptical. “Quite honestly Mr. President, your calculations are incorrect,” I said. “In the competitive marketplace, it simply doesn’t work that way.”
Through these and other appearances on behalf of the National Restaurant Association, I began working with business leaders across all sectors of the American economy. This led to my acceptance of a position on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and I was subsequently elected their chairman.
Today, I host a radio talk show, “The Herman Cain Show,” on Atlanta’s WSB 750 AM/ 95.5 FM. I serve as a regular contributor on several broadcast networks and as a keynote speaker at conferences and events around the nation.
Despite the many professional commitments of my life, I continued to enjoy most the time spent with family and friends. As my children got married and had their own children, I knew that I had an extraordinary obligation to do what I could to make this a safe and prosperous nation for them. The paramount joys in my life are my wife, Gloria, our children and our grandchildren.
I am grateful for the many professional successes I have enjoyed. I am grateful for the steadfast loyalty and unwavering love of my family and friends. And I am grateful for this country that is so exceptional that was afforded the opportunity to achieve my American Dreams.
I’m not done yet!
hermancain.com
Herman Cain
Herman Cain
Personal Information
Born Herman Cain, December 13, 1945, in Memphis, TN; son of Luther and Lenora Cain; married Gloria Cain; children: Melanie and Vincent.
Education: Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA, B.S., 1967; Purdue University, Lafayette, IN, M.A., computer science, 1971.
Memberships: Chairman, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, 1992; president, National Restaurant Association, 1994-95; board member, Creighton University, 1989-; board member, Super Valu, Inc., 1990-; board member, Utilicorp United Inc., 1992-; board member, Whirlpool Corp., 1992; member, Economic Growth and Tax Reform Commission established by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole.
Career
The Pillsbury Company, Minneapolis, MN, vice president/corporate systems and services, 1977-82; Burger King Corporation, Philadelphia, PA, regional vice president, 1982-86; Godfather's Pizza Inc., Omaha, NE, president, 1986-88, president/CEO, 1988--.
Life's Work
Herman Cain has enjoyed a stellar career in the business world. He became the youngest vice president in the history of The Pillsbury Company in 1977 after just three years with the company. He left this position in 1982 to learn the restaurant business at Pillsbury's Burger King subsidiary. In 1986, his success with Burger King prompted Pillsbury to select Cain to assume the presidency of another of its struggling companies, Godfather's Pizza. Finally, he became the first black president of the National Restaurant Association, the food service industry's leading trade organization.
When Cain started working at a Minneapolis Burger King in 1982, he cleaned toilets and flipped hamburgers. After completing the management training program in only nine months, Cain was named vice president and general manager for the Philadelphia region of the Burger King Corporation. Attaining this position was particularly special for Cain, considering that he and several friends were refused service in a restaurant in 1952 when they attempted to buy a hamburger.
Although there have been many reasons for Cain's business success, he credits maintaining a sharp focus as a key component. The 1997 website for the Business Leadership Summit held at San Joaquin Delta College, Leadership Summit, Inc. stated, "Faith, focus, and follow-through are the ingredients of the successful recipe of Herman Cain." Eric K. Washington in American Visions wrote, "Cain credits a single overriding principle--'focus, focus, focus'--for his success." Cain told Wallace Terry in Parade Magazine, "My philosophy has always been to exceed the expectations of the job." Responding to a question by Policy Review about establishing a successful business in the competitive market Cain remarked, "Because I am a black American, I've had to perform better than my white counterparts. This is a personal standard that I've set for myself: I've got to perform a little better in order to get the same opportunity. I can't just be as good; I've got to be better. It should not be this way, but it is." After receiving the International Food Manufacturers Association's Operator of the Year/Gold-Plate Award in 1991, Cain was quoted as saying in Restaurant Business, "Success is a journey, not a destination."
Cain's relentless focus and continued striving for excellence turned Godfather's Pizza around when its survival was questionable. And he did it in less than eighteen months. In 1988, Cain purchased Godfather's Pizza from The Pillsbury Company and became president and chief executive officer. In 1995, Godfather's Pizza, Inc. was the fifth-largest pizza chain in the nation.
Despite his successes, Cain does not forget his humble beginnings. His parents, Luther Cain, Jr. and Lenora Davis Cain provided examples of hard work that he would remember the rest of his life. His father at one time worked three jobs: cutting hair in his off hours, working part-time at Coca-Cola as a chauffeur, and working an evening shift as a janitor in a bakery. His mother worked as a domestic. This work ethic would inspire Cain, not only to work hard, but to "rise up singing," as DuBose Hayward's lyrics stated in "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. Singing would come later in his life. Cain told Wallace Terry in Parade Magazine, "My father never looked for a government program, a government handout. I never heard my father complain about somebody owing him anything. All I ever saw was how hard my father worked to get what he wanted out of life. My mother was my spiritual light--Mom talked to me about God. She taught me that success is not a function of what you start with materially but what you start with spiritually. Those were my beginnings. They have been with me ever since." Cain carried these values through Morehouse College in Atlanta, into his work as a mathematician for the Navy, and later to Purdue University, where he earned a master's degree in computer science.
In 1994, after Cain was elected president of the National Restaurant Association, he proposed several reforms affecting the restaurant business, such as allowing sixteen-year-olds to work past seven o'clock on Friday nights. He also envisioned restaurants of the future that would use architecture, lighting, service, and decor to expose patrons to different geographical regions or eras.
In 1994, Cain became active in politics. He campaigned around the country against President Clinton's health plan, contending that small businesses would be hurt by it. Cain served as a member of the Economic Growth and Tax Reform Commission established by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. According to an Associated Press report in The New York Times, Cain "promised that his industry would give welfare recipients jobs, training and a chance to gain economic success." Because of his far- reaching views, Cain has served on numerous boards, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Creighton University of Omaha, Nabisco, Inc., SuperValu, Inc., UtiliCorp United, Inc., and Whirlpool Corporation. He continues to serve on the Joe Edmonson Youth Outreach Program for troubled teens in Omaha. In 1996, Cain recorded his first compact disc, Sunday Morning, a collection of gospel hymns which will in part benefit the outreach program.
Cain has not only received five honorary doctorate degrees, but he has been recognized by the Horatio Alger Society, an organization in Pennsylvania that honors those who rise from rags to riches by hard work, honesty, and religious principles. Cain has received awards for his humanitarian efforts; businessman of the year awards; special recognition awards; and excellence in leadership awards.
Cain has achieved such remarkable success because he genuinely enjoys life and its many challenges. As he told Wallace Terry in Parade, "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. And give God the glory."
Awards
Honorary Doctorate, Morehouse College, 1988; Top 25 Black Executives, Black Enterprise, 1988; Honorary Doctorate, Tougaloo College, 1989; Honorary Doctorate, University of Nebraska, 1990; Entrepreneur of the Year, 1990; Operator of the Year/Gold Plate Award, International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, 1991; Honorary Doctorates, Johnson and Wales University and New York City Technical College; recipient of humanitarian awards, businessman of the year awards, special recognition awards, and excellence in leadership awards.
Further Reading
Periodicals
• American Visions, April/May 1995, p 41.
• New York Times, April 8, 1994, p. 18; January 8, 1995, p. 11; January 10, 1995, p. 15; July 28, 1996, p. 5.
• Parade Magazine, October 13, 1996, pp. 4-5.
• Policy Review, Spring 1995, pp. 35-38.
• Restaurant Business, May 1, 1991, p. 160.
Other
• Information from the Business Leadership Summit, San Joaquin Delta College (Stockton, CA), October 5, 1996, URL: stocktonet.com; stocktonet.com; stocktonet.com.
• Press release, August 21, 1996, "Kansas City Fed Chairman Resigns," URL: kc.frb.org.
— Eileen Daily
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