1. DAVE THOMAS

2. The Life of Dave Thomas
 Born July 2nd, 1932 in Atlantic City, NJ
 Never knew his parents
 Was raised by adopted parents Rex and
Auleva Thomas
 Did not graduate from High School, but
later in life he got his GED.

3. ARMY
 Dave Thomas volunteered for the Army during
the Korean War
 Worked in food production, was a mass
sergeant in Germany
 He served 2,000 men all their daily meals
 He said this experience helped him in his fast
food career of feeding large groups of people

4. Helping out the Col. Sanders
 Dave Thomas got his first restaurant chain
experience in KFC
 He helped the failing restaurant
by simplifying the menu to
the basic fried chicken and salad.
 Dave sold his shares in KFC to get the
money to open the first Wendy’s.

5. Founder of Wendy’s
 First founded in 1969, with a restaurant in Columbus,
Ohio
 Appeared in over 800 Wendy’s commercials
 90% of Americans knew his face in the 1990’s
 Wendy’s is now the 3rd most popular fast food
restaurant in the country!
 Known for the square hamburgers
“We don’t cut corners” -Dave Thomas

6. Dave Thomas Foundation for
Adoption
 Founded in 1992
 Helps over 150,000 foster
kids in the USA and Canada.
 Wendy’s supports this foundation.
-Father’s Day Frosty, Halloween Coupons
raised over $1.6 million (2007) and $1.7 million
(2008)

7. WORKS CITED
 Daniel de Vise and Elaine Walker/ “Wendy’s Founder Dies; Ads Made Chain a
Success:” Miami Herald. Jan. 9, 2002: 1A+ SIRS Researcher. Web. September 22
2009
 Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Names America’s 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces”. PR Newswire. May 01
2009. eLibrary. ProQuest LLC. Ithaca High School. September 22 2009.
http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.
 Welsh-Huggins, Andrew. “Hundreds bid farewell to 1st Wendy’s.” The New York
Times. March 3, 2007. Print. September 22 2009
 Carmichael, Evan. “the Man at the Top of the Food Chain.” Evan Carmichael:
Famous Entrepreneurs. Web. September 22, 2009