President and Founder Chick-fil-A, Inc. (Deceased) – Atlanta, Georgia
S. Truett Cathy rose from humble beginnings to become Founder and President of Chick-fil-A, Inc., a successful coast-to-coast chain of 355 fast-food restaurants in 31 states. Most of the restaurants are located in regional shopping malls. Mr. Cathy went into business for himself when he was eight years old. After military service during World War II, he decided to go into the restaurant business. One of his most outstanding commitments is to young people. He has nurtured this for over 30 years since he began teaching 13 year old boys in Sunday School. Mr. Cathy is the recipient of numerous awards each year. In this past year alone he was named 1987 Entrepreneur of the Year by Business Atlanta, received the Distinguished Service Award from Georgia State University; was named Georgian of the Year by the Georgia Broadcasters Association; received the Community Service Award from the Atlanta Journal and Constitution; the Entrepreneur Award from the Association for Corporate Growth, Atlanta Chapter and the Community Service Award from TV Channel 11 – Alive, Atlanta. “We’re not in the chicken business, we’re in the people business and that is true for all business.”
