While he was still in high school, Jerry Lewis set four goals for himself, including to become a faith-based business owner. He just didn't think it would be in the restaurant business.
But several years later, when his brother, a McDonald's operator in their native Zanesville, Ohio, told him he needed help at the restaurant for a couple months, Lewis decided to lend a hand. After 10 years of work in various positions at McDonald's, he realized he had "ketchup in my veins," and the Bluffton, Ohio, resident hasn't looked back since.
Now more than 30 years since his career with the company began, Lewis is owner-operator of 17 McDonald's locations in seven counties of west central Ohio, employing about 900 people and serving roughly eight million customers annually.
Earlier this year, he received the corporation's 2010 Golden Arch Award, which is presented to less than 1 percent of McDonald's franchise owners worldwide in recognition of customer service and quality, contributions to the success of the McDonald's brand and community involvement.
Lewis, a Bluffton University trustee from 1998-2010, shared his story Nov. 16 in the university's annual Presidential Leadership Lecture.
Noting that he was raised by Christian parents, Lewis said his "optimistic" high school goals also included giving back to the communities where he was in business, never forgetting where he came from and balancing work with faith, family and friends.
Since opening his first McDonald's in Bluffton in 1987, Lewis has supported a number of schools, organizations and causes in Lima and nearby communities.
He has been a member of the Lima Civic Center board and treasurer of the Lima/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau board. Recipient of the 2008 Lima/Allen County Visionary Award, he also serves a free Thanksgiving dinner to Lima residents and provides them with bags of groceries, toiletries and clothing items.
This year's Thanksgiving plans include 800 pounds of turkey and mashed potatoes, 540 pounds of stuffing and 200 pies, he said.
His support of Bluffton University has encompassed athletics sponsorship as well as his service as a trustee. The university "has always had a special place in my heart because of the Christian principles and people," Lewis said, describing it as "a staple of this community."
"Selling great food fast is a way we give back," he added about McDonald's, which he called "a company that I truly love," citing its values and culture. It's often misunderstood to be a large corporation, he said, putting it in terms of a local, franchise organization instead. The company owns the land where its restaurants sit but allows its franchisees the choice of whether they or the company will own the buildings, he explained, pointing out that McDonald's also provides a support system to its operators. Still, he acknowledged, seeing McDonald's as a local business is difficult "under the glow of the arches."
A self-described "entrepreneur at heart," Lewis said he still works 45-60 hours per week and tries to visit four or five of his restaurants as a customer each day. "It really feels like a labor of love," he said. And now, his daughter, a Bluffton alumna in education, and his son, who will graduate from Miami University next spring, are joining the family business. "It has reenergized this old man," their father said. "I don't plan to retire anytime soon."
The work-life balance isn't always easy, Lewis told the Bluffton audience, but without a foundation of faith, family and friends, his wouldn't be possible. If that balance is maintained, and one lives a life "the person in the mirror is proud of," the possibilities are limitless, he said.
"Never let anyone tell you your dreams aren't possible."
