Commencement Biography   

Russ Umphenour

Dec. 20 , 2002
Commencement Speech
Kennesaw State University

Speaker: Russ Umphenour
President, RTM Restaurant Group

Umphenour lecture

Russ Umphenour biography

Russ Umphenour, president of RTM Restaurant Group, has invested more than thirty years in the fast food industry, and continues to impact the restaurant business with a visionary leadership that produces "Results Through Motivation," the RTM credo.

Born in San Francisco in 1944, Umphenour began his career as an elementary school teacher after completing his education at Evangel College in Springfield, Mo. To supplement his income, he worked part-time as a counterperson for Arby’s in Flint, Mich. After being promoted to night manager, he decided to make Arby’s his full-time career. Within three years, and many promotions and transfers later, Umphenour became an executive vice president and a stockholder in an Arby’s operation based in Louisville, Ky.

In 1973, Umphenour founded RTM by trading his stock in the Kentucky organization for 11 of their Arby’s units in Georgia and Alabama. RTM rapidly grew into new markets in 10 states. Today, with 771 units, RTM is the largest franchisee in the Arby’s system.

Beyond this leadership in the Arby’s system, RTM also owns Winners International Restaurants Inc., the franchisor of Mrs. Winner’s Chicken & Biscuits and Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken. Winners International operates 148 company-owned restaurants and supports 180 franchised units owned by 90 franchisees. Winners International also is a franchisee of Del Taco Mexican Restaurants. This involvement has given rise to new opportunities, such as the dual concepts of Mrs. Winner’s/Del Taco Restaurants and Mrs. Winner’s/Arby’s Restaurants.

Through creating a clear business vision, Umphenour has led RTM to its enviable position today, as a business organization with sales revenue of more than $800 million and more than 25,000 employees. He lives in Atlanta, Ga., where he’s actively involved with the RTM Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the RTM Restaurant Group.

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