Franchise owner/operator, McDonald’s, Los Angeles

I grew up during the Great Depression as one of 13 children. Jobs were scarce, and I wanted to do something with my life. So when I was 13, I left my family in New Mexico and moved to Arizona.

There, I shined shoes, bused tables, picked crops and worked in a cannery. I did anything that would put food on the table.

In 1947, I joined the Army and became part of the 82nd Airborne Division. I later went to Korea with the Fifth Ranger Company’s 187th combat team, the forerunner of the Green Berets. While there, I won a Purple Heart.

After I was discharged I stayed in California. I ran a car repair shop and gas station and later worked for the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. None of those jobs felt right.

In the late 1960s, I read that franchise companies were looking for minorities. I’d always wanted to work for myself, so I applied to become a McDonald’s franchisee. When I opened my first store in Echo Park near Dodger Stadium, I became McDonald’s first Hispanic owner/operator.

Echo Park was a rough and tumble neighborhood back then. But I followed Ray Kroc’s advice to “give back” and eventually won the heart and respect of the community.Over the years,my wife Rosemary and I have contributed to many community projects. We were founding funders of Camp Ronald McDonald and the Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles, and we’ve supported literacy programs, public education, scholarships, the visually impaired, the library and more.

Echo Park turned out to be a great place to start a franchise. I built a business as the community built a new life. We grew together. Today, I own 11 stores in the Los Angeles area.

In growing my business, I became a mentor, teacher and adviser to many of my employees. Today, my first employee operates 13 stores in New Mexico. Another has four stores in Austin, Texas, and one has four stores in New York. All I did was show them how to make money. They did the rest.

Throughout my career, I’ve helped other people who dream of working for themselves. In 1977, I and a few others created the McDonald’s Hispanic Owner/Operator Association. Today, our 261 members operate 851 restaurants. They call me the “founding father.”

My family seems to have inherited the entrepreneurial spirit. My son Randy operates four McDonald’s stores at the Los Angeles International Airport and in Santa Monica. My daughter Mitzi does public relations for the restaurants. One of my grandsons operates a store in Marina del Rey, and another is learning the ropes.

Like me, they believe nothing is impossible if you work hard.

View his video here.