McDonald’s Owner’s Proud of Affiliation with Ronald McDonald House ®
College Basketball Player Makes Slam Dunk with McDonald’s
Jack Johnson likes to joke that when he played for the Indiana University basketball team in the 1960s, he held the league record for fouling out. However, as a 25-year McDonald’s owner/operator, Jack is a model of community concern and kindness.
After graduating from Indiana, Jack owned a successful real estate company, but heard about the great opportunities at McDonald’s and signed up for the owner/operators certification program.
He started small, with one restaurant in Pulaski, Tennessee. After acquiring his third store, in the Huntsville, Alabama area, Jack moved his young family - wife Mary Susan, daughters Stacey and Susie, and son Steve – to Huntsville.
Son Joins the “Family Business”
Steve, now 32 years old, followed his dad’s footsteps at Indiana and then went to work at Xerox to get some “outside” job experience. Still, he was moonlighting at McDonald’s with the idea of eventually joining his father in the family business.
Today, father and son co-own Johnson Partners, Inc. and operate 13 Madison County, Alabama McDonald’s restaurants. When asked if working with his dad could sometimes be a problem, Steve responded, “It’s great to work with my dad. He was the best man to my wedding. We are great friends as well as father and son and business partners. We work hard but enjoy working together.”
Apparently others like working with Jack and Steve Johnson as well. Longtime employee and Director of Operations, Scott Gillies, noted, “I worked for Jack since 1981. He is the reason why I work for McDonalds, and Steve is just as good.”
Committed to Community
Clearly, a big part of Johnson Partners’ success is their attitude toward their community. According to Steve, “We do a lot of work with the schools, because the teachers tell us that having a McDonald’s prize is a great motivator. We provide coupons and other incentives for kids to make the honor roll. Also, we recently participated in an effort to raise funds for special equipment one of the schools needed. The kids who raised the most money got picked up at school in a limo, taken to one of our McDonald’s for a celebration meal and then driven back to school in the limo donated by the limousine company. Everyone had a great time!”
Top Fundraisers for Ronald McDonald House Charities®
The Johnsons are also huge supporters of the Ronald McDonald House. During the annual World Children’s Day “Give-a-Hand” Program, Steve and Jack offer prizes to the restaurant crews and managers that raise the most money for Ronald McDonald House Charities®. The friendly competition between the restaurants caught fire and the Johnsons’ stores rank among the top fundraisers in the southeast.
When asked why they work so hard for Ronald McDonald House Charities, Steve responded “We think Ronald McDonald House Charities is one of the best parts of being associated with McDonald’s. In addition to what we do locally, through Ronald McDonald House Charities we know our business is really helping kids and families. We are extremely proud to be able to contribute to such an important organization.”