Three Atlanta CEOs share a common theme - the influence of their fathers or grandfathers. In fact, the best career advice these Atlanta bosses have received came from the men in their lives. Read on to find out what they had to say.
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Shane Thompson of Shane's Rib Shack
"You only get a good reputation once, so you better make the most of it" is "the simple credo" passed down to Shane's Rib Shack CEO Shane Thompson from his late grandfather Dewey "Big Dad" Brown. "Big Dad" also told him, "Do what you love, and do it better than anyone else."
Thompson lived with his grandparents from the age of 14 and spent a lot of time with his grandfather, fishing, traveling and cooking, "spending hours creating, refining and perfecting the tastes they loved." In 2002, Thompson quit his corporate job to open his first restaurant "in a little shack" in McDonough with his wife Stacey. Between 2004 and 2008, two locations grew to 85 with locations now in 10 states.The Daily Meal ranked Shane's Rib Shack as among "America's 25 Best Barbecue Chains for 2016."
Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy was trained by his late parents Truett and Jeannette Cathy. His father founded the chain in 1946. Chick-fil-A has become the largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the U.S. based on domestic annual sales, with more than 2,000 locations in 43 states and Washington D.C. In 2015, annual sales exceeded $6 billion.
Of his son, Truett Cathy said in 2013 upon his promotion to CEO, "Dan is ready to take Chick-fil-A into its next chapter of growth and stewardship. He has been a highly effective leader in the business and shares my commitment of being a faithful steward to all that has been entrusted to us."
Dan Cathy said, on his blog, "Impacting the lives of others has always been a great passion for my dad, and he has graciously passed that on to me."
Sara Blakely of Spanx
Spanx founder and CEO billionaire Sara Blakely told Business Insider, "Growing up, my father used to ask my brother and me what we had failed at. And he'd actually be disappointed if I didn't have something - to reframe my definition of failure."
"Also, my father would encourage me to write down where the hidden gifts are and what I got out of it. And I started realizing, in every thing, there was some amazing nugget that I wouldn't have wanted to pass up."
A trial lawyer, John Blakely said of his daughter on her blog that he is most proud of "how balanced she has remained and how dedicated she is to causes, particularly women's causes. I'm also proud of her as a parent. She's a devoted, loving parent of four children and doing a great job of it."
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Atlanta, Spanx offers slimming apparel. Spanx now can be found in more than 50 countries.
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