Page 70 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s

fly into Chicago, and are picked up by limo, and driven to the
Hyatt Lodge at McDonald’s Campus. The walls of the Lodge
are adorned with eye-catching paintings, and the grounds and
interior are dotted with aesthetic sculptures. “There is crystal at
the table, leather chairs, beautiful carpet,” Ed Rensi pointed out.
That décor makes the statement that “we respect our store man-
agers,” he added.
Inside HU, there is a bright yellow-and-orange larger-than-
life statue of Ronald McDonald, sitting on a bench. The stu-
dents sit alongside Ronald, snapping photos, Kathy May said.
During the course of the training, an officer of the company
addresses them. The entire HU curriculum is worth 42 college
credits, and courses are taught in 28 languages, to support a
diverse culture and accommodate its global workforce (though
there are six other HUs around the world). And to make this
global workforce feel welcome, HU displays the flags that rep-
40
resent the countries of the visitors that are there that week, and
those that work on the premises. This is another way the com-
pany shows the importance of relationships, in recognizing our
global organization and the diversity of the folks who walk into
the university.

Vendor Relationships
Vendors have played a big role in the three-legged stool. Just ask
Ted Perlman, whose father, Lou Perlman, started Martin-
Brower, McDonald’s largest distributor.
“McDonald’s is probably one, if not the only, company where
the word relationships has real meaning,” Ted told me. “Some
people complain that it’s not the same today as it was yester-
year; however, my comment on that is the world and the mar-
ketplace has changed.”