Executive’s Bookshelf
Entrepreneurial
SPIRIT Polly’s Pies CEO encourages professional and personal growth for his employees through reading BY LISA MCPHERON
30
Organizations need to shepherd professional and personal development among all ranks and titles if they want to foster leadership in a positive and productive workplace, according to Eddie Sheldrake, CEO of Polly’s Inc. and longtime member of the college’s Board of Advisors. Sheldrake oversees a company that encompasses Polly’s Pies Restaurants and KFC franchises. With about 1,200 people working at 29 locations, it is essential he said to help keep them motivated and content in all aspects of their lives. “Our company is one that believes in education, so we coach our people and help them become better leaders,” he said. “That is where we differentiate ourselves.” He tries to help foster education and development by offering leadership seminars and encouraging his employees to read two books: People First: Achieving Balance in an Unbalanced World by Jack Lannom and It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. “Both books basically say that when you care for people you create great leadership and you get good results,” Sheldrake said. People First offers a 5-step philosophy to coach people on achieving balance in their lives. “People do better in all parts of their lives when they learn to strike a balance,” Sheldrake said. It’s Your Ship is a personal story of Captain Abrashoff and how his command of the USS Benfold taught him to be a leader. As the title implies, Abrashoff spurred a sense of ownership among his crew that had a direct impact on productivity. Both books are in print and available through major bookstore chains.
Three alumni share a youthful drive to run their own companies BY ESTHER CHOU AND LISA MCPHERON For two years, David Li ’01 did not get a good night’s sleep. He was too busy opening up his first restaurant and formulating plans to expand. From management to cooking to sweeping the floors, in the early days, Li did it all. He had to in order to get where he is today. Eight years later, Li owns and operates the popular chain of Guppy House restaurants in Orange and Los Angeles counties that features a Taiwanese-influenced menu with gigantic shaved ice desserts. With a food truck expansion on the way, the Guppy House group has steadily grown despite the recession. “I kept telling myself that there is so much reward in the end and that if you work hard, life is more enjoyable,” he said. With sales at about $4 million at each of the five locations, that hard work is certainly paying off. Li is a standout entrepreneur not just for the monetary success of his company, but for achieving so much at a young age. He opened his first teahouse at 23 years old. The Collins College alumnus is not alone in his young entrepreneurial spirit. Alumni Linda Vuong ’11 and Jake Vallens ’10 represent two distinctly different areas of hospitality, but they share youth in common. They, too, launched their businesses before turning 30. Li, Vuong and Vallens each are driven by a desire for success and independence and often fall back on their Collins College educations for guidance and know-how as they navigate their careers.