Jim F. Retires — But Not Quite!

Summerwood outgoing Chief Operations Officer (COO) Jim F. is riding high on the heels of his retirement celebration and transition into consultancy. He dedicated nearly 30 years to our company, so he’s certainly earned whatever good things come next!

As of June, Jim is still plenty involved at Summerwood. In his new consultant role, given he designed many of our older systems, he’s helping to adapt new software systems as they’re implemented.

TACO TALK, HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Jim spent his entire career in the restaurant industry, starting as a “chicken cook” in a KFC kitchen. After gaining experience as a Manager, Area Coach, Training Director and Franchise Consultant with several quick service restaurant (QSR) companies, Jim joined Summerwood as a Region Coach.

“If you stay more than a year, you kind of get hooked.”
-Jim F., former COO

He takes us on a journey back in time. When Taco Bell Corporate put 64 Taco Bells on the market in 1996, he says, Summerwood founders Jim N. and John M. jumped at the chance to buy.

Jim received a personal invitation from John to join in on the action, and he accepted.  

“I saw what was a dream job,” Jim confesses. But in those early years, he recalls, there was a lot of work to do. The buildings were old, Taco Bell as a brand was struggling.

“We were really depleted from a personnel standpoint,” Jim shares. “The first couple of years [were] really development of the structure, how to run the organization.”

But despite all of the challenges, something kept Jim around. He says the people, the teamwork, “seeing things grow” — these have always been highlights for him. 

Meanwhile, Jim himself was also growing, stepping into the COO role 18 years ago.

ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

This written account was to be about Jim’s individual success, but in speaking with him, you quickly realize that for this hands-on leader, success is about the organization as a whole.

Our mission: To build trust and loyalty with customers and
each other while passionately serving others.

“The COO has a very important cultural responsibility,” he explains. It’s not about perfection, he says, it’s about making sure everyone is familiar with the “non-negotiables.” For Summerwood, according to him, those are food safety and integrity. 

Jim was intimately involved in revising Summerwood’s mission. He believes that companywide dedication and understanding of this mission has been essential.

“Trust and loyalty with each other — I really think that’s what’s made Summerwood a success,” he says. “Everyone knows they can count on each other.”

THE VALUE OF PEOPLE

When asked about his contributions at Summerwood, Jim mentions being a part of bringing a much-needed development program to life that held the company accountable for developing its people while actively tracking who was next in line for a promotion. 

“You need to have a bench of managers so nobody gets overworked,” he explains. “And if you’re truly developing people for their benefit and not your benefit, it’ll work.”

On the subject of performance recognition, he agrees on its importance but wisely adds, “people should not feel like their value is only a metric.”