As news broke that Don Fox was handing over the reigns of Firehouse Subs to Mike Hancock, I was transported in time to my first months at Technomic. His thirteen or so years at Firehouse aligns with my time here and for much of that time he sat on our advisory board. But, "sat" is an understatement. He held court and he did so without pretension and with great generosity. That generosity was influential, and that lack of pretense was a confidence booster for many.
I first encountered him indirectly through the activities of this board. As a research manager helping to launch our Ignite Consumer program at the time, I came to learn quickly what a data-driven leader looks like through hearsay. The phrase “Don says…” was common at that time. At first, I thought “Who is Don?” But then as I read into each request and started implementing them, I thought to myself, “I really need to meet this Don character.”
Those early suggestions eventually turned into high-use features throughout that program. Year after year, he and the members of our board would not only provide constructive feedback that would set the tone of our future business, he would share with the group in a way a mentor would impart their wisdom. And each year (after I was fortunate enough to get the invite), I would walk away from our advisory board meetings feeling like I had gone to school; having been given a crash course by a leader who dealt intimately in the details of the data his company utilized to make decisions.
He, along with a handful of other members of that board, would shape a lot of how I think about our data and what role it can play at both the executive and day-to-day level of decision-making. Beyond his unique wisdom, the best part of interactions with him have been that he spoke to each of us as an equal. It did not matter that I was a new hire or even later when I had grown a team, it did not matter if it was my new hire. He spoke to us the same, as if we were on his level, even though I most certainly am not. Those interactions were like confidence boosters for a colleague trying to find their career-path footing, for me and for others.
In Don’s time at Firehouse, the chain built more than 800 locations and system sales grew 500% to $1 billion, and that is just the business side. His role as Director of their Public Safety Foundation has no doubt directly contributed to better equipped first-respondents nationwide.
Considering the importance of those particular contributions, he may not realize how else his impact has spread in our industry. That little tool I was managing 12 years ago has grown into a pillar of our business and has made careers for our staff, me included. I doubt this is the only vendor product out in the market that he has helped shape. Without his generosity of time and knowledge our program would not look the same today and our future roadmap would look a little less ambitious.
There are a lot of thanks and congratulations owed to Don Fox across the industry. So, on behalf of our little corner of the market, Don, we salute you and we thank you for everything you have done to leave your imprint on our products and people.
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