Fitting into the Corporate Mold
Chapter 19
Stepping Down
Chapter 20
Getting Adjusted
Chapter 21
Burger King Grows 1972–1988
Chapter 22
Hostilities from London
Chapter 23
The Battle for a Takeover
Chapter 24
Stumbling Blocks for Grand Met
Chapter 25
Getting Involved Again
Chapter 26
What’s Next?
Chapter 27
Looking Back
Chapter 28
Conclusion
Epilogue
Jim’s Legacy with the Burger King McLamore Foundation
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Jim McLamore, the businessman, was a true entrepreneur, one whose vision created a great American enterprise through his dogmatic approach in business and in life. He was the ideal person to team up with Dave Edgerton to start the Burger King empire. Jim was the perfect CEO, one whose strengths in planning, administration, and finance made for an excellent partnership with Dave, who was the perfect operational and engineering expert. Together they became one of the greatest success stories of our time.
This book represents the bulk of my father’s professional life. His achievements did not stop with his retirement from Burger King in 1972 at age forty-six, but continued in his work as a board member for many corporations, and carried through to his philanthropy. His philosophy of giving back to his community and to the institutions that helped propel him along the way was paramount to his wishes for the McLamore Family Foundation. Fittingly, near the end of his life, the franchise community, Burger King Corporation, Dave Edgerton, and the family all came together to pay tribute to Dad by helping to fund the James W. McLamore Executive Education Training Center at the University of Miami. When we presented this honor to him, we also announced our creation and naming of the Burger King McLamore Foundation in support of education throughout the United States. He was deeply honored and humbled.
Dad’s greatest talent was his gentle approach to doing business. Whether you were a crew member, a manager, a franchisee, or a corporate executive, he treated you with respect and was eager to learn more about you and your opinions. Many early franchisees have said that his word was his bond and that’s just the way he did business from the beginning. Trust, loyalty, devotion, and compassion were virtues deeply ingrained in his personality. Fortunately, he carried those traits into his philanthropic efforts. As chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, Dad spearheaded the now famous $400 million five-year fundraising campaign, which far exceeded its goal by raising just over $517 million by its conclusion. Chuck Cobb, a family friend and fellow board member, said at Dad’s memorial service, “He judged his ability to inspire a donation by how big a gulp they took when he asked for their contribution.”
An article written after his death made mention of Dad as the “Master Gardener”—capable of growing people as well as plants. He had talent at both, but he was best known for his tropical garden at home. Dad carried over his gardening interest to the Fairchild Tropical Garden after Hurricane Andrew took its toll. As the newly elected chairman of the board of the Garden, he took great pride in announcing a $5 million fundraising plan to a shocked board of directors, throwing in the fact that he had already raised $1.5 million.
We are constantly reminded by others what a great inspiration Dad has been and how lucky they feel to have known him. He was a hero to us all and will be missed.
—Sterling Whitman McLamore
We are competing in a global marketplace where labor costs are a fraction of our own, with jobs and production leaving the country in search of more favorable economic advantages. Like it or not, US corporations are cutting out much of the fat as they continually try to get leaner and more competitive. Jobs are no longer sacred, and unfortunate as it may be, corporate loyalty to long-term employees is becoming less significant in the minds of corporate executives. Competitive efficiency is the major issue concerning businessmen today. “Lean and hungry” is the watchword. Survival instinct is the driving force in determining corporate strategy. In this maze, people can be expendable. When the corporate world gets increasingly competitive, workers will be asked to do the same. If they elect not to, they risk losing their jobs to less demanding workers.
Sounds pretty grim, right? Well, not necessarily. In an age of corporate downsizing, wherein corporations are driven toward the increased efficiencies of outsourcing and competitive labor pricing, two things will begin to happen—both good. First, corporate profits will increase, even in the face of the lowering of consumer prices, which then brings greater confidence to financial markets—a key principle in the success of the Burger King empire.
Today we have huge economic advantages in the fields of high technology, space endeavors, communications, aircraft production, and many other activities. World demand will increase and this will benefit our economy, but competitive threats coming out of global markets will be a constant thorn in our side. Companies may fail for a variety of reasons, but tomorrow’s failures will occur principally because: (1) they are overleveraged and can’t service their debts, (2) their markets have shifted and they have been unable to react to the change, (3) they don’t have a working strategy designed to give customers value, or (4) they have an uninspired workforce lacking leadership.
The second advantage will involve the future formation of a number of different businesses and new industries. Workers of all ages should remain sensitive to the developments which are already taking place. These developments point to a window of opportunity for them, and it is just around the corner. This “gloom and doom” forecasting is bunk.
Remember, the commercial jet age didn’t begin until the 1960s. No one ever heard of television broadcasting until we were approaching the 1950s. Motels and fast food didn’t exist. In 1969, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon—the space age dawned. Just imagine these questions in context of that time: What is a “computer”? What does “software” mean? Can you explain “analog,” “digital,” “streaming,” and “DVD”? What do you mean by “heart transplant,” “fiber optic cable,” “satellites in orbit,” “Walmart,” or “nuclear”? What is a cell phone? “Interstate Highway System”? The point is that new business opportunities open up constantly and will continue to develop at an ever-increasing rate. Opportunity exists around every corner.
If I were a young person today, I would use credit cards very cautiously. I think too many Americans have taken on too much debt and not enough of them have given the proper amount of thought to saving, budgeting expenses, or planning for retirement. The seeds of trouble are there—the sudden loss of income can seriously disrupt people’s lives. Ours is the most debt-driven society in the world. A lot of personal despair could be avoided by using better sense and better planning.
What are the common threads? Preparation and planning; being current so you are savvy enough to recognize the opportunities that cross your path, and ready