July 23, 2024 • 36 mins
Join us as we welcome Roger Falloon, a distinguished member of the Holy Family University Board of Trustees and the President and Chief Operating Officer of Chickie's and Pete's. Roger's career is a remarkable testament to hard work, determination, and the value of a solid educational foundation.
In this episode, Roger shares his inspiring journey from his academic beginnings at Holy Family University to his influential roles in the hospitality industry. We delve into his early career at Rita's Italian Ice, where he quickly rose through the ranks, and his pivotal contributions to the growth and success of Chickie's and Pete's, one of Philadelphia's most iconic brands.
Beyond his professional achievements, Roger discusses his deep commitment to community service, highlighting his involvement with various charitable initiatives and his ongoing dedication to Holy Family University. His story is a powerful example of the impact one can make through leadership, service, and a passion for giving back.
Tune in to hear Roger's reflections on his career, the importance of building relationships, and his advice for aspiring professionals. Whether you're a student, a recent graduate, or a seasoned professional, Roger's insights are sure to inspire and motivate you.
Don't miss this engaging conversation with a true leader in the Philadelphia business community.
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Episode Transcript
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Music.
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Class of 1997 and a dedicated member of the Holy Family University Board of Trustees.
Roger Falloon, a name synonymous with success and leadership in the Philadelphia
business community, joins us today.
Roger is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Chickie and Pete's,
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where he oversees the daily operations of one of Philadelphia's most iconic
and recognizable brands.
His journey is a testament to the power of hard work, determination,
and the solid foundation he built with a degree in management marketing from
Holy Family University.
After graduating, Roger began his career at Rita's Italian Ice,
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quickly climbing the ranks to become vice president of operations,
and he later brought his talents to Chickie and Pete's, playing a pivotal role
in streamlining and expanding the brand.
Roger's impact extends beyond the business world and to the heart of the community.
He has championed numerous charitable initiatives benefiting organizations such
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as the City Year Philadelphia, Ronald McDonald House, and the Fraternal Order
of Police Survivors Fund.
His commitment to service is reflected in his extensive involvement with Holy
Family, serving on various boards and committees, and being recognized with
the Alumni Achievement Award in 2021.
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Join us as we delve into Roger's expiring journey from his academic beginnings
at Holy Family to his influential role in the hospitality industry and his unwavering
dedication to community service.
Roger, thank you so much for joining me. Let's get started.
Thanks so much for having me, and thanks for that wonderful, kind introduction.
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Well, I'm well-deserved, honestly well-deserved. I've so enjoyed getting to
know you over the last few years.
So the first thing I have to ask is, how's the family? How's Beth?
How are the kids? What's going on?
Everybody is doing really well. The boys are super excited, as it is officially summer vacation.
And the school's out. School's out for summer, right? As the song goes.
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So the boys are definitely playing along with the song and sleeping in a little
bit, enjoying the downtime after school.
And Beth is doing really well also doing her MRI stuff at St.
Mary's and at the outpatient center over at Richboro doing her thing.
So everybody's doing really well. Thank you for that. And talking about a community
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service family. So you both really take care of the communities that you're in.
There's so many things we could talk about, right?
And I love the original story that you told me about how you were at Rita's
and then happened to end up at Chicky and Pete's.
So part of what I'm trying to figure out is how to even ask you to begin to talk about this, right?
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How did your education, what does that have to do with readers?
And then what does that have to do with Chicky and Pete's? Maybe like just connect
the dots for us. Yeah, sure.
And I think as I mentioned to you previously, I have Holy Family to thank directly
for both of my career spots, which is one of the reasons why I feel it's so
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important to give back to Holy Family.
So when I was graduating back in 1997, there was a job fair in the campus center.
One of the organizations that was there that day was Rita's.
And, you know, as a soon to be graduating senior, you know, I put my resume
in and happened to know Bob Tumalo's daughter, Michelle, who,
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you know, was a year ahead of me at Holy Family as well.
So I was hoping that she could put in a good word for me as well with her dad in the organization.
Put my resume in, lo and behold, got a phone call, got an interview that June of 1997,
started at Rita's in the entry level operations position, which at the time
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was a title training and opening specialist.
So, what we did was held and taught the new training classes for all incoming franchisees.
And then actually, when a new store was about to open, we'd go out to that new
store for the first four or five days to help them get it set up, train their staff,
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work with their staff, and make sure we kind of got off to the right start in those new locations.
So when I first started, there was probably about 120, 125 locations.
Most of those locations were pretty concentrated in the mid-Atlantic region.
There were some Florida locations at the time, but much more of an East Coast,
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mid-Atlantic specific brand.
And had the opportunity to work there at Rita's for about 13 years and really
progress over that timeframe.
Started in that entry-level position in 1999, actually moved out to Columbus,
Ohio, ran a company-owned location out there, which was really a great learning experience for me.
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Put myself in the shoes of a franchisee where really had to do all of the day
in and day out responsibilities.
If someone called out or didn't show up for a shift, that fell on me as running
that store over the course of that season.
When I came back, I was promoted to franchise service manager.
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That position is basically...
Like a business consultant for the franchise partners at Rita's.
So, you know, had a territory of stores that I work closely with,
you know, talk to them about sales building ideas.
You know, operational efficiencies, scheduling, P&Ls, and also obviously making
sure that everything was operating within the guidelines of the franchise system at Rita's.
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Did that for multiple years. And in 2005, the company actually sold to a private
equity company out of Pittsburgh, which led to a little bit of turnover in some
of the management ranks.
So not very far after that was promoted to director of operations.
And then not too long after that was promoted to VP of operations.
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Was in that role for three or four years.
Loved my time there at Rita's. Really was not looking to do anything different, honestly.
You know, just enjoyed the brand, enjoyed the people, enjoyed the franchisees.
Was a brand and still is a brand that I'm very passionate about.
Big fan. So, you know, bring the boys and Beth often to the Newtown Rita's,
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you know, have just great experiences and great memories of my time there.
During my time there, I also sat on, towards the end when I was the VP of operations,
also sat on a business advisory board for Holy Family's business department.
You know, the idea there that the incoming dean, you know, put into play was,
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let's get some business leaders from the Philadelphia area together and talk
about Holy Family's business curriculum program.
What could we do to help the students out? That advisory board was made up of
both alumni and non-alumni, just business leaders in the area.
And it just so happened that one of those other business leaders from the area
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that was on that advisory board was Pete from Chickies and Pete's.
And as a kid from Mayfair, who literally grew up around the corner from the
original Chickies and Pete's was immediate, like, oh man,
you know, I got to talk to Pete and just tell him, you know,
how much of a fan I am of the product and what he's doing and,
you know, the brand in general, you know, grew up going there,
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you know, and just had many great experiences is there.
So every time we had a meeting, you know, we would catch up,
we would chit chat a little bit.
And then there was one meeting where he, he kind of said to me,
you know, Hey, you know, people tell me that I can, you know,
grow the chickies and Pete's brand.
You know, what do you think? And then, you know, I said, absolutely.
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You know, I think that the sky's the limit for the chickies brand.
If it's something that you want to do,
I think, you know, there's all the opportunity in the world to do that.
And he's like, Oh, well maybe we'll have lunch, you know, and,
and I'll I'll pick your brain and get some ideas from you.
And, you know, he had me at lunch at Chickies and Pete's and was like,
absolutely, you know, just let me know when and I'll be there.
And honestly, I wasn't sure if I would, you know, hear from Pete or not.
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I thought, you know, we were just kind of talking and, you know,
I wouldn't hear anything back from him.
And literally, I think it was a day or two later, he called me and was like,
hey, let's have lunch at Parks.
It was the the newest location that had just opened.
So I met him up there for lunch around November of 2010.
And, you know, we're just kind of going back and forth and he was picking my brain.
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And at the end of that conversation, he was kind of like, you know,
I think I'm ready to do this, but if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna need someone
like you to help me. Do you know anybody?
And I was like, well, yeah, I just happened to know somebody and that person
is me. That's really how it started, you know, that conversation.
We talked for the next two months. And in January of 2011, I made the switch
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from Rita's over to Chickie's.
I came on board at Chickie's as the COO.
And then about three years ago, was promoted to president and COO.
So when I came on board at Chickie's, similar spot to when I first started at
Rita's in terms of growing company, local brands, and very passionate fans,
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very passionate guests, very passionate employees.
Very dedicated, loyal employees and team members for the brand, which was great.
Just still a little bit more of a family business that was, you know, growing.
So, you know, started to try to put in place a lot of, you know,
processes and procedures just to get things a little bit more formalized,
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you know, and really try to lay the foundation for the growth that we've had
over the course of the last 13 plus years,
which it's hard for me to even just sit here and say 13 and a half years because
it doesn't feel like that.
I mean, it really feels like yesterday that I made that switch.
It's gone by that fast, but a great ride here at Chickies.
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Love every minute of it. Just look forward to the future and what the future
holds with us at Chickies.
Great story. So moving fast, right?
So I'm thinking like you moved up pretty quickly. You were doing training right out of college.
So when you think about, well, first of all, it sounds like relationships really matter.
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So that's what we really value at Holy Family.
And also sort of like, it sounds like they expected you to step up pretty quickly.
So did you feel prepared? Did your education help prepare you?
I mean, you were doing supervision and training right out of college.
Yeah. And I mean, definitely, I feel like the education at Holy Family prepared me for that role.
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It was still nerve wracking though, giving a presentation in a training class
in front of, at the time, what could have been 15,
20, 25 franchisees, where you're typically the youngest person in the room,
talking to people that have just invested tens of thousands of of dollars,
hundreds of thousand dollars into a concept.
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They don't want to be sitting in the audience looking at somebody going like,
what is this person talking about?
Right. So that experience at Holy Family, whether it was doing case studies
or presentations or, you know, being part of group projects,
absolutely prepared me very well to be in that role.
The other thing that I think, and sometimes I know I don't talk about this a
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lot, but I think it's an aspect for a lot of people's college experience that
really helped prepare me to move into the professional world.
And then I really think that helped me grow as I did in my professional development was my work study.
My work study at Holy Family was in the mailroom.
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And being in the mailroom, I was able to form relationships with a lot of very
important people at the university because I was literally five days a week
the person who was delivering their mail.
So I had a chance to form relationships with a controller and Sister Francesca
and a lot of the team in the financial aid office.
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And they knew who I was, I knew who they were.
And it was really beneficial to be able to interact with the leadership of the school.
And I felt like just made me just generally more comfortable interacting with,
you know, franchisees that had just invested a lot of money or even just the
leadership at Rita's when I first started.
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It just allowed me to be a little bit more comfortable than I probably would
have been if I didn't have that work study program.
Yeah, it's great. And not only so, not only is the work study program something
that's always valuable for students who want to live on campus and work on campus.
But also now we require every student has at least one internship.
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So the combination of those two. The other thing is your story really reflects
what we always say when you're at a school like Holy Family,
you're not a number, you're a name, you're known, you're not anonymous.
This is the reality of what that means.
It's one thing to say it. It's another thing for you to walk around and say you know people.
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I know many people will say to me, you know students? You're the president. Of course I do.
We all want to know each other as much as possible. That's what the relationships are about.
Absolutely. Now, are you a first generation? Were you the first in your family to graduate college?
My mom graduated from college. She started out as a respiratory therapist.
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So I was second generation.
Okay. Because one of the things that I do find is that we need to remind students
that your college is more than just a place you go to school for four years.
That really should be a place that you consider part of your home and part of
your community for the rest of your life.
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So maybe speak to a little bit, because that's definitely something you carry, right?
You always were involved, even right after you graduated, you jumped back in
and you wanted to be involved.
No, no question about it. And, you know, I felt the need to be involved,
you know, number one, because I felt like I owed Holy Family so much,
because literally, Literally, as I sit here today, as we went through in the first story,
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I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for Holy Family and being part of,
you know, that business advisory board.
You know, maybe I would still be at Rita's. Maybe I would have been at three
different places. I don't know.
But one thing I know was, you know, is the right move.
And I don't I know I wouldn't be having as much fun that that that's for sure.
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So, you know, I feel the need and have always felt the need to give back because
of what Holy Family has done for me.
And also, I just think it's the right thing to do, right?
I mean, it's just a core value to, you know, give back where you can.
And, you know, a lot of times people think that that give back has to be money,
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while money is always good.
To give back to the university can also be hard. And you're pretty good at helping
us get money for our university?
Yeah, no question about it. But it also can be time. It can be ideas.
It can be just participating in different committees that are trying to help do different things.
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It doesn't always have to be money. Not everybody is in the same spot,
obviously, financially.
Some people can donate their time to volunteer or be part of committees that
might be able to come up with new ideas that then have a wide-ranging impact
on whether it's students or campus life or future initiatives at the university.
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It is very important to me. It's something that was important to me very soon
after I left because I felt so indebted to the university because of,
A, how it prepared me for my future, but the direct connection between the university
and where I ended up on my career path that it just wasn't an option for me not to participate.
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So when I was asked to be part of that advisory board, I mean,
there was just, yeah, like sign me up, like just let me know when.
And, you know, I take it very serious. I make it a priority.
Even today, if there's a board meeting or a committee meeting,
I don't like to miss any of those things.
It's important to me to be there, to be present, to participate,
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to prepare, you know, to help give back as much as I can.
The fabric of our universities depend on folks like you to give back. So it's so important.
And your stories are important because did you imagine this was going to be
the work you did when you were going to school here and studying management marketing?
I mean, literally not for a minute. I didn't know exactly where I would end
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up, but when I was in school, I really had a passion for marketing.
And I was telling this story to someone the other day.
I mean, literally for probably until I was six, maybe even eight years into
Rita's, I spent most of my time trying to figure out how I could get into the
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marketing department, you know, believe it or not.
And, you know, I just continued to progress operationally, but always was able
to have a role from a marketing standpoint.
So whether, you know, early on in my career, you know, I just,
the ability to work with some really great mentors tours and really great people
that, you know, that saw that passion and, you know, also saw thankfully that,
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that, that I was good operationally as well. And we're kind of like, okay, well.
We understand that that's where you want to be.
Well, maybe you can help out on the marketing committee, but we still want to
keep you over here in operations because you're doing a really good job.
And that was great for me. And I think one of the things that,
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you know, was it was and is great to be part of such entrepreneurial based businesses is,
you know, in both organizations for the majority of my time at both organizations,
you know, we've run pretty lean and mean, you know, there's there's not a ton of infrastructure.
Which means that all of us wear a lot of different hats.
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And to me, that's something that I always thrived in and enjoyed.
I'm not the type of person that just likes to be doing the same thing or working
on the same thing every day.
I like that variety. variety so to be able to
whether it was at Rita's or now at Chickie's you know you're
going in one day and you're talking about all right what's the
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summer marketing plan what are we doing for football coming
up you know or at Rita's we're kind of
like yeah I have I have these operational responsibilities I have this territory
that I'm working with or I'm serving on the marketing committee so I was always
able to just diversify my experience and participate in areas outside of just what my job was.
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And I think, you know, a lot of that was just because of the nature of the organization,
how much infrastructure we had at the time and the people that I came in contact
with and worked with and worked for, you know, seeing a little bit of promise
and say, okay, well, here's how we can challenge this person.
And still keep them engaged and keep them, you know, motivated,
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but also keep them in the path that, you know, they're really excelling at currently.
And there were times over my time at Rita's, you know, more in the beginning,
you know, I would say maybe the first two or three years where, you know, it was hard.
I really questioned, you know, is this what I want to do or do I want to go
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somewhere else and maybe, you know, have a marketing role because it was something
that I really wanted to do at the time, you know, and hindsight's always 2020, right? Right.
I mean, you know, fortunately for me, you know, I've really made those right
decisions along the way, you know,
because of a lot of those leaders that were in my life at those time,
guiding me, mentoring me, telling me like, you know, this is what you want to
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do in these situations, you know, and this is kind of the best of both worlds.
And sometimes it's hard to hear that and believe and trust in it at the time.
But again, hindsight being 2020, I couldn't ask for better advice.
The sense of now it's like paying it back, right?
So now this is what we all do is we're paying it back because none of us could
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have imagined we were doing what we were doing now.
So which parts of it are rewarding, right? When all is said and done,
like why do this work besides, you know, you have to feed your family.
Yeah, well, look, I mean, I think first and foremost, it's always about the people.
I mean, I don't I think it's always very rewarding to work with great people,
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work with people that, you know, you enjoy working with.
You know, it just makes it more fun.
You know, it makes it more exciting to come in, you know, and that doesn't mean
there's not challenges because there's always challenges.
There's challenges everywhere. But, you know, when you enjoy the people that
you're with and you see the people that you're with develop and you see the
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people that you're with come up with great ideas and you get to put these ideas
and actually implement them and putting it,
put them out into the market and then they actually work.
Man, that is just a great feeling. One of the things that I really enjoy the
most is because we are still pretty lean and mean, you know, we have an idea.
We talk about it. You know, there's not 27 different layers of approvals that we need to do.
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You know, we try it. And, you know, when something works,
it's very rewarding to see that out there in the market and to see it work and
to be like, yeah, you know, the team put this together or this person put that
together and it's working.
And it's just great to see and very rewarding to see something come to fruition
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like that. And, you know, the other thing for me is to be part of two Philly
staple brands over the course of my career.
I say this, I'm a kid from Northeast Philly, you know, to be a part of Rita's,
to be a part of Chickie's and Pete's, it doesn't get any better than that from
my perspective. You know, I don't feel like I could have ever been the person
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to go work at the widget factory.
You know, there's a passion for me behind these two brands.
Both of them were, you know, part of my childhood, my early 20s,
you know, played a role in my life outside of work, just because of,
you know, the presence that both of them had in Philadelphia.
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To be able to spend, you know, 26 plus years at the two of them,
and hopefully at the end of the day, make a difference in both of them is something
that is extremely rewarding to me personally.
You know, it just, it makes me very proud. Yeah. And so and so emblematic of
many of your fellow alums from Holy Family who do stay in the area and give
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back and they're in our schools and our companies and our hospitals and just
like life giving back. Right.
So obviously, I would want to ask you any advice or words, you know,
any words you want to give to the listeners, especially our students.
But also talk a minute because you and I really struggled post COVID with trying
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to get people like should we, you know, and especially in your field,
you have to be at work, right?
And the push about flex and hybrid and, you know, all of those issues that we had.
So how's it how's it going now? Are people just feeling like they want to be back?
So for us, a little different, as you mentioned, right, we really never left,
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you know, we did transition some positions that we could from an HQ standpoint,
to more of a hybrid schedule.
But even in the height of the pandemic, because of, you know,
our headquarters supported essential businesses in the restaurants,
you know, we were given, you know, special authority to be able to stay and
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work through the pandemic where most places were shut down if they weren't supporting
those essential businesses.
So a large percentage of our support here at HQ worked literally every day through the pandemic here.
We obviously put the safety protocols in place and abided by all the things
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that we needed to to keep everybody safe and healthy.
From a support standpoint, we never really left.
And our stores, the majority of them, unless they were operating inside a facility
that had to close, like Parks Casino or the Tropicana or even some of the airport terminals,
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we were open. If we could be open, we were open.
We felt like it was important for the team, as many team members as we could
keep at the location working, We tried to do, you know, and also important for our guests, right?
Like everybody needed a little sense of normalcy during that time.
And if, you know, chickies and Pete's crab fries and lobster pizza could provide
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that normalcy. That's what we wanted to try to do.
And what was really hard for us and really for everybody, you know,
I don't, I don't, everybody had challenges.
There were very few businesses, I think, that just had a pure upside.
And I don't mean that there was any upside to a pandemic, obviously.
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I'm just saying from a business standpoint.
Yeah. How are you finding it?
We know so many folks are complaining that they can't get enough employees. How are you guys doing?
We're in a better spot. If you would have asked me that question,
to be honest with you, in 2019, it was always and probably will always be somewhat
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of a challenge for the restaurant industry.
We're never 100% staffed. There's always going to be a little bit of turnover
or an opportunity to add some additional people.
We're constantly in a state of hiring, you know, but we are generally in a better
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spot than where we were, you know, a couple of years ago.
You know, the summer of 2021 was probably the toughest hiring environment that
I've ever been a part of in my career as a whole,
you know, just with all the different things that were going on and business
was really picking up at that point.
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You know, that was the most difficult it's been.
We're in a much better spot than we were then. And, you know,
I would say it is really close to what I would call normal for the restaurant industry right now.
We could always use more people, but in 2019, we could have used more people as well. Yeah.
But that's good to hear because we do know that some industries are really struggling.
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And so that's also a good sign for you, right?
As leadership, you're probably taking good care of your folks so they stay.
So that's a very good sign.
Yeah, without a doubt. I mean, I think one of the things that we try to track
and pay attention to is, and always try to improve upon, is our turnover rate.
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Our turnover rate is less than what the industry standard is.
But that's not a super high bar only because the industry standard is over 100%
turnover in a revolving 12-month period for the restaurant business.
So when you think about that kind of turnover, that is super impactful to the
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guests, to the guest experience,
making sure that we are providing them with great service, a great experience, and amazing food.
When you basically have everybody in a restaurant turn over once a year.
And again, that's industry standard.
It makes it really hard to live up to the expectations that you've created for
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those guests that come in.
So it's a number that we focus on. We always try to make that number better
year over year, enhance that number and provide additional opportunities for
people to keep them with us.
What advice would you give to our current students and recent graduates?
We just graduated almost a thousand students.
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What words of advice to aspire for them to have an impact on their careers and their communities?
I think the first thing I would say, and there's a couple pieces of advice that I would give.
The first one we talked a little bit about, which is, you know,
staying and staying involved, whether it's with your.
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Your university or, you know, in your community to give back,
to make that a priority, to give back.
And again, might not be with financial resources, but to give back from a time
standpoint, to stay engaged.
You know, those were things that, you know, again, helped me over the course
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of my career be in the position that I'm in today.
So that would be the first thing, stay engaged, be involved in any aspects that
you can, whether it's an alumni association or a committee or an advisory committee to be involved.
The other thing that I would say that really helped me is to try to have a yes
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mindset when it comes to your professional career.
Two of the things that I really think helped me separate myself in my career path,
specifically early on at Rita's, was saying yes to a couple opportunities that
were not really looked at as things that people were super excited about doing.
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So in 1999, I moved out to Columbus, Ohio to run a corporate store.
As I mentioned earlier, that wasn't something that people were lining up willing to do.
So when leadership at Rita's asked me to do it, you know, I could have obviously
said no and stayed in my comfort zone and, you know, kind of continued to do what I wanted to do.
(31:22):
But I wanted to push myself to step outside my boundaries.
And, you know, I said yes, because I wanted the leadership to know that while,
you know, it might not be the most glamorous thing that people were looking
forward to doing, that they could count on me to do something that,
you know, not everybody wanted to do.
(31:43):
So I said, yes, I went out and did it.
Really, I think, you know, when I came back, I got a promotion and,
you know, stepped into a new role.
So I really think it helped establish myself as a go-to person for someone that
leadership could count on.
And then, you know, after the company was sold in 2005, we were coming up to
(32:05):
a big company meeting where we brought all all the franchisees into,
you know, do presentations.
And it was going to be out in Harrisburg at a hotel and conference center.
So the leadership of Rita's was going to give a presentation to,
you know, two, 300 franchisees that were, you know, kind of more PA based.
(32:26):
And a couple of days before there was a little bit of change within the organization
and the person who was giving the operational presentation, you know,
was no longer going to do it.
So with two days notice, leadership was, you know, trying to find somebody to step in and do this.
They came to me and asked me if I would do it. And there were a couple of people
(32:47):
that had already said no.
And I said, yes. And it was, you know, something that was again, out of my comfort zone,
two days to prepare for a presentation in front of two, 300 people in front
of kind of the new leadership of the organization that had just purchased the company.
So yeah, there was a lot lot of fear going into that, like, man,
(33:08):
if I mess this up or if I don't do well, you know, I really am putting myself out there.
But what about the other side, right? If I really do well and I prepare and
I nail this, you know, I just stepped up and did something that other people wouldn't do.
And, you know, and I really felt like that would help differentiate myself from
some of the others that were in a similar position than me at that time.
(33:32):
So I said, yes, I went up there, two days preparation time, literally went up
there on like an hour sleep because it was probably the most nervous I've ever
been because of that preparation, was able to do a good job.
And again, really establish a name for myself within the organization at that time.
And it was not very long after that, that I was then promoted again to the director of operations.
(33:57):
So taking Taking yourself out of that comfort zone and making sure you have
a yes mindset when you're entering into, you know, the professional world is really important.
Push yourself as much as you can and take yourself out of that comfort zone,
I think, you know, are important.
And then the last one I would say is never stop learning, you know, reading,
(34:21):
whether it's books or taking seminars or, you know, continuous improvement for
the mind, whatever the discipline is that, you know, you're working in,
whether it be the medical field or the business field or education.
Trying to learn as much as you can about, you know, what's out there today.
(34:41):
What are other people's opinions? You know, how can we utilize this information
to try to make ourselves better?
Just trying to learn something new every day. Well, you certainly embrace all
the wonderful things we tell our students here at Holy Family.
Our record in our commencement charges, right? Never stop learning.
Step out of your comfort zone. Stay engaged.
(35:01):
This is all, wow. Talk about being a lived reality for that.
And I think it is important in this day and age to let young folks know that's what it takes, right?
We really do. You figure it out as you go along. We don't all have it figured
out by the time we're 22, right?
No question about it. No question about it.
Well, Roger, fortunately, that's all the time we have for today.
(35:25):
I so much appreciate the time you've taken and your sharing of your story and
what your lessons learned.
And certainly i value your dedication
to holy family to your career your family
these communities and you speak so passionately about these organizations it
really is pretty remarkable the passion you have for the work that you do and
(35:49):
i think it sustains you as well right it's it's pretty wonderful when you get
to do work that you love doing because then it's not really no doubt
about it right then you don't work a day in your life right there you go that's
what i tell my kids when they say things to me about mom you're president you
work too much i was like nah i love this stuff yeah so no doubt to learn more
(36:11):
about you your work and your contributions visit the.
(36:36):
Music.
Music.
(00:16):
Class of 1997 and a dedicated member of the Holy Family University Board of Trustees.
Roger Falloon, a name synonymous with success and leadership in the Philadelphia
business community, joins us today.
Roger is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Chickie and Pete's,
(00:37):
where he oversees the daily operations of one of Philadelphia's most iconic
and recognizable brands.
His journey is a testament to the power of hard work, determination,
and the solid foundation he built with a degree in management marketing from
Holy Family University.
After graduating, Roger began his career at Rita's Italian Ice,
(01:01):
quickly climbing the ranks to become vice president of operations,
and he later brought his talents to Chickie and Pete's, playing a pivotal role
in streamlining and expanding the brand.
Roger's impact extends beyond the business world and to the heart of the community.
He has championed numerous charitable initiatives benefiting organizations such
(01:23):
as the City Year Philadelphia, Ronald McDonald House, and the Fraternal Order
of Police Survivors Fund.
His commitment to service is reflected in his extensive involvement with Holy
Family, serving on various boards and committees, and being recognized with
the Alumni Achievement Award in 2021.
(01:43):
Join us as we delve into Roger's expiring journey from his academic beginnings
at Holy Family to his influential role in the hospitality industry and his unwavering
dedication to community service.
Roger, thank you so much for joining me. Let's get started.
Thanks so much for having me, and thanks for that wonderful, kind introduction.
(02:06):
Well, I'm well-deserved, honestly well-deserved. I've so enjoyed getting to
know you over the last few years.
So the first thing I have to ask is, how's the family? How's Beth?
How are the kids? What's going on?
Everybody is doing really well. The boys are super excited, as it is officially summer vacation.
And the school's out. School's out for summer, right? As the song goes.
(02:29):
So the boys are definitely playing along with the song and sleeping in a little
bit, enjoying the downtime after school.
And Beth is doing really well also doing her MRI stuff at St.
Mary's and at the outpatient center over at Richboro doing her thing.
So everybody's doing really well. Thank you for that. And talking about a community
(02:49):
service family. So you both really take care of the communities that you're in.
There's so many things we could talk about, right?
And I love the original story that you told me about how you were at Rita's
and then happened to end up at Chicky and Pete's.
So part of what I'm trying to figure out is how to even ask you to begin to talk about this, right?
(03:12):
How did your education, what does that have to do with readers?
And then what does that have to do with Chicky and Pete's? Maybe like just connect
the dots for us. Yeah, sure.
And I think as I mentioned to you previously, I have Holy Family to thank directly
for both of my career spots, which is one of the reasons why I feel it's so
(03:34):
important to give back to Holy Family.
So when I was graduating back in 1997, there was a job fair in the campus center.
One of the organizations that was there that day was Rita's.
And, you know, as a soon to be graduating senior, you know, I put my resume
in and happened to know Bob Tumalo's daughter, Michelle, who,
(03:57):
you know, was a year ahead of me at Holy Family as well.
So I was hoping that she could put in a good word for me as well with her dad in the organization.
Put my resume in, lo and behold, got a phone call, got an interview that June of 1997,
started at Rita's in the entry level operations position, which at the time
(04:20):
was a title training and opening specialist.
So, what we did was held and taught the new training classes for all incoming franchisees.
And then actually, when a new store was about to open, we'd go out to that new
store for the first four or five days to help them get it set up, train their staff,
(04:43):
work with their staff, and make sure we kind of got off to the right start in those new locations.
So when I first started, there was probably about 120, 125 locations.
Most of those locations were pretty concentrated in the mid-Atlantic region.
There were some Florida locations at the time, but much more of an East Coast,
(05:07):
mid-Atlantic specific brand.
And had the opportunity to work there at Rita's for about 13 years and really
progress over that timeframe.
Started in that entry-level position in 1999, actually moved out to Columbus,
Ohio, ran a company-owned location out there, which was really a great learning experience for me.
(05:33):
Put myself in the shoes of a franchisee where really had to do all of the day
in and day out responsibilities.
If someone called out or didn't show up for a shift, that fell on me as running
that store over the course of that season.
When I came back, I was promoted to franchise service manager.
(05:55):
That position is basically...
Like a business consultant for the franchise partners at Rita's.
So, you know, had a territory of stores that I work closely with,
you know, talk to them about sales building ideas.
You know, operational efficiencies, scheduling, P&Ls, and also obviously making
sure that everything was operating within the guidelines of the franchise system at Rita's.
(06:21):
Did that for multiple years. And in 2005, the company actually sold to a private
equity company out of Pittsburgh, which led to a little bit of turnover in some
of the management ranks.
So not very far after that was promoted to director of operations.
And then not too long after that was promoted to VP of operations.
(06:43):
Was in that role for three or four years.
Loved my time there at Rita's. Really was not looking to do anything different, honestly.
You know, just enjoyed the brand, enjoyed the people, enjoyed the franchisees.
Was a brand and still is a brand that I'm very passionate about.
Big fan. So, you know, bring the boys and Beth often to the Newtown Rita's,
(07:07):
you know, have just great experiences and great memories of my time there.
During my time there, I also sat on, towards the end when I was the VP of operations,
also sat on a business advisory board for Holy Family's business department.
You know, the idea there that the incoming dean, you know, put into play was,
(07:28):
let's get some business leaders from the Philadelphia area together and talk
about Holy Family's business curriculum program.
What could we do to help the students out? That advisory board was made up of
both alumni and non-alumni, just business leaders in the area.
And it just so happened that one of those other business leaders from the area
(07:51):
that was on that advisory board was Pete from Chickies and Pete's.
And as a kid from Mayfair, who literally grew up around the corner from the
original Chickies and Pete's was immediate, like, oh man,
you know, I got to talk to Pete and just tell him, you know,
how much of a fan I am of the product and what he's doing and,
you know, the brand in general, you know, grew up going there,
(08:14):
you know, and just had many great experiences is there.
So every time we had a meeting, you know, we would catch up,
we would chit chat a little bit.
And then there was one meeting where he, he kind of said to me,
you know, Hey, you know, people tell me that I can, you know,
grow the chickies and Pete's brand.
You know, what do you think? And then, you know, I said, absolutely.
(08:34):
You know, I think that the sky's the limit for the chickies brand.
If it's something that you want to do,
I think, you know, there's all the opportunity in the world to do that.
And he's like, Oh, well maybe we'll have lunch, you know, and,
and I'll I'll pick your brain and get some ideas from you.
And, you know, he had me at lunch at Chickies and Pete's and was like,
absolutely, you know, just let me know when and I'll be there.
And honestly, I wasn't sure if I would, you know, hear from Pete or not.
(08:58):
I thought, you know, we were just kind of talking and, you know,
I wouldn't hear anything back from him.
And literally, I think it was a day or two later, he called me and was like,
hey, let's have lunch at Parks.
It was the the newest location that had just opened.
So I met him up there for lunch around November of 2010.
And, you know, we're just kind of going back and forth and he was picking my brain.
(09:20):
And at the end of that conversation, he was kind of like, you know,
I think I'm ready to do this, but if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna need someone
like you to help me. Do you know anybody?
And I was like, well, yeah, I just happened to know somebody and that person
is me. That's really how it started, you know, that conversation.
We talked for the next two months. And in January of 2011, I made the switch
(09:44):
from Rita's over to Chickie's.
I came on board at Chickie's as the COO.
And then about three years ago, was promoted to president and COO.
So when I came on board at Chickie's, similar spot to when I first started at
Rita's in terms of growing company, local brands, and very passionate fans,
(10:06):
very passionate guests, very passionate employees.
Very dedicated, loyal employees and team members for the brand, which was great.
Just still a little bit more of a family business that was, you know, growing.
So, you know, started to try to put in place a lot of, you know,
processes and procedures just to get things a little bit more formalized,
(10:28):
you know, and really try to lay the foundation for the growth that we've had
over the course of the last 13 plus years,
which it's hard for me to even just sit here and say 13 and a half years because
it doesn't feel like that.
I mean, it really feels like yesterday that I made that switch.
It's gone by that fast, but a great ride here at Chickies.
(10:49):
Love every minute of it. Just look forward to the future and what the future
holds with us at Chickies.
Great story. So moving fast, right?
So I'm thinking like you moved up pretty quickly. You were doing training right out of college.
So when you think about, well, first of all, it sounds like relationships really matter.
(11:11):
So that's what we really value at Holy Family.
And also sort of like, it sounds like they expected you to step up pretty quickly.
So did you feel prepared? Did your education help prepare you?
I mean, you were doing supervision and training right out of college.
Yeah. And I mean, definitely, I feel like the education at Holy Family prepared me for that role.
(11:36):
It was still nerve wracking though, giving a presentation in a training class
in front of, at the time, what could have been 15,
20, 25 franchisees, where you're typically the youngest person in the room,
talking to people that have just invested tens of thousands of of dollars,
hundreds of thousand dollars into a concept.
(11:59):
They don't want to be sitting in the audience looking at somebody going like,
what is this person talking about?
Right. So that experience at Holy Family, whether it was doing case studies
or presentations or, you know, being part of group projects,
absolutely prepared me very well to be in that role.
The other thing that I think, and sometimes I know I don't talk about this a
(12:21):
lot, but I think it's an aspect for a lot of people's college experience that
really helped prepare me to move into the professional world.
And then I really think that helped me grow as I did in my professional development was my work study.
My work study at Holy Family was in the mailroom.
(12:42):
And being in the mailroom, I was able to form relationships with a lot of very
important people at the university because I was literally five days a week
the person who was delivering their mail.
So I had a chance to form relationships with a controller and Sister Francesca
and a lot of the team in the financial aid office.
(13:05):
And they knew who I was, I knew who they were.
And it was really beneficial to be able to interact with the leadership of the school.
And I felt like just made me just generally more comfortable interacting with,
you know, franchisees that had just invested a lot of money or even just the
leadership at Rita's when I first started.
(13:27):
It just allowed me to be a little bit more comfortable than I probably would
have been if I didn't have that work study program.
Yeah, it's great. And not only so, not only is the work study program something
that's always valuable for students who want to live on campus and work on campus.
But also now we require every student has at least one internship.
(13:48):
So the combination of those two. The other thing is your story really reflects
what we always say when you're at a school like Holy Family,
you're not a number, you're a name, you're known, you're not anonymous.
This is the reality of what that means.
It's one thing to say it. It's another thing for you to walk around and say you know people.
(14:08):
I know many people will say to me, you know students? You're the president. Of course I do.
We all want to know each other as much as possible. That's what the relationships are about.
Absolutely. Now, are you a first generation? Were you the first in your family to graduate college?
My mom graduated from college. She started out as a respiratory therapist.
(14:30):
So I was second generation.
Okay. Because one of the things that I do find is that we need to remind students
that your college is more than just a place you go to school for four years.
That really should be a place that you consider part of your home and part of
your community for the rest of your life.
(14:51):
So maybe speak to a little bit, because that's definitely something you carry, right?
You always were involved, even right after you graduated, you jumped back in
and you wanted to be involved.
No, no question about it. And, you know, I felt the need to be involved,
you know, number one, because I felt like I owed Holy Family so much,
because literally, Literally, as I sit here today, as we went through in the first story,
(15:15):
I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for Holy Family and being part of,
you know, that business advisory board.
You know, maybe I would still be at Rita's. Maybe I would have been at three
different places. I don't know.
But one thing I know was, you know, is the right move.
And I don't I know I wouldn't be having as much fun that that that's for sure.
(15:36):
So, you know, I feel the need and have always felt the need to give back because
of what Holy Family has done for me.
And also, I just think it's the right thing to do, right?
I mean, it's just a core value to, you know, give back where you can.
And, you know, a lot of times people think that that give back has to be money,
(15:57):
while money is always good.
To give back to the university can also be hard. And you're pretty good at helping
us get money for our university?
Yeah, no question about it. But it also can be time. It can be ideas.
It can be just participating in different committees that are trying to help do different things.
(16:17):
It doesn't always have to be money. Not everybody is in the same spot,
obviously, financially.
Some people can donate their time to volunteer or be part of committees that
might be able to come up with new ideas that then have a wide-ranging impact
on whether it's students or campus life or future initiatives at the university.
(16:42):
It is very important to me. It's something that was important to me very soon
after I left because I felt so indebted to the university because of,
A, how it prepared me for my future, but the direct connection between the university
and where I ended up on my career path that it just wasn't an option for me not to participate.
(17:06):
So when I was asked to be part of that advisory board, I mean,
there was just, yeah, like sign me up, like just let me know when.
And, you know, I take it very serious. I make it a priority.
Even today, if there's a board meeting or a committee meeting,
I don't like to miss any of those things.
It's important to me to be there, to be present, to participate,
(17:28):
to prepare, you know, to help give back as much as I can.
The fabric of our universities depend on folks like you to give back. So it's so important.
And your stories are important because did you imagine this was going to be
the work you did when you were going to school here and studying management marketing?
I mean, literally not for a minute. I didn't know exactly where I would end
(17:51):
up, but when I was in school, I really had a passion for marketing.
And I was telling this story to someone the other day.
I mean, literally for probably until I was six, maybe even eight years into
Rita's, I spent most of my time trying to figure out how I could get into the
(18:11):
marketing department, you know, believe it or not.
And, you know, I just continued to progress operationally, but always was able
to have a role from a marketing standpoint.
So whether, you know, early on in my career, you know, I just,
the ability to work with some really great mentors tours and really great people
that, you know, that saw that passion and, you know, also saw thankfully that,
(18:36):
that, that I was good operationally as well. And we're kind of like, okay, well.
We understand that that's where you want to be.
Well, maybe you can help out on the marketing committee, but we still want to
keep you over here in operations because you're doing a really good job.
And that was great for me. And I think one of the things that,
(18:57):
you know, was it was and is great to be part of such entrepreneurial based businesses is,
you know, in both organizations for the majority of my time at both organizations,
you know, we've run pretty lean and mean, you know, there's there's not a ton of infrastructure.
Which means that all of us wear a lot of different hats.
(19:18):
And to me, that's something that I always thrived in and enjoyed.
I'm not the type of person that just likes to be doing the same thing or working
on the same thing every day.
I like that variety. variety so to be able to
whether it was at Rita's or now at Chickie's you know you're
going in one day and you're talking about all right what's the
(19:39):
summer marketing plan what are we doing for football coming
up you know or at Rita's we're kind of
like yeah I have I have these operational responsibilities I have this territory
that I'm working with or I'm serving on the marketing committee so I was always
able to just diversify my experience and participate in areas outside of just what my job was.
(20:02):
And I think, you know, a lot of that was just because of the nature of the organization,
how much infrastructure we had at the time and the people that I came in contact
with and worked with and worked for, you know, seeing a little bit of promise
and say, okay, well, here's how we can challenge this person.
And still keep them engaged and keep them, you know, motivated,
(20:25):
but also keep them in the path that, you know, they're really excelling at currently.
And there were times over my time at Rita's, you know, more in the beginning,
you know, I would say maybe the first two or three years where, you know, it was hard.
I really questioned, you know, is this what I want to do or do I want to go
(20:46):
somewhere else and maybe, you know, have a marketing role because it was something
that I really wanted to do at the time, you know, and hindsight's always 2020, right? Right.
I mean, you know, fortunately for me, you know, I've really made those right
decisions along the way, you know,
because of a lot of those leaders that were in my life at those time,
guiding me, mentoring me, telling me like, you know, this is what you want to
(21:10):
do in these situations, you know, and this is kind of the best of both worlds.
And sometimes it's hard to hear that and believe and trust in it at the time.
But again, hindsight being 2020, I couldn't ask for better advice.
The sense of now it's like paying it back, right?
So now this is what we all do is we're paying it back because none of us could
(21:31):
have imagined we were doing what we were doing now.
So which parts of it are rewarding, right? When all is said and done,
like why do this work besides, you know, you have to feed your family.
Yeah, well, look, I mean, I think first and foremost, it's always about the people.
I mean, I don't I think it's always very rewarding to work with great people,
(21:52):
work with people that, you know, you enjoy working with.
You know, it just makes it more fun.
You know, it makes it more exciting to come in, you know, and that doesn't mean
there's not challenges because there's always challenges.
There's challenges everywhere. But, you know, when you enjoy the people that
you're with and you see the people that you're with develop and you see the
(22:13):
people that you're with come up with great ideas and you get to put these ideas
and actually implement them and putting it,
put them out into the market and then they actually work.
Man, that is just a great feeling. One of the things that I really enjoy the
most is because we are still pretty lean and mean, you know, we have an idea.
We talk about it. You know, there's not 27 different layers of approvals that we need to do.
(22:39):
You know, we try it. And, you know, when something works,
it's very rewarding to see that out there in the market and to see it work and
to be like, yeah, you know, the team put this together or this person put that
together and it's working.
And it's just great to see and very rewarding to see something come to fruition
(23:00):
like that. And, you know, the other thing for me is to be part of two Philly
staple brands over the course of my career.
I say this, I'm a kid from Northeast Philly, you know, to be a part of Rita's,
to be a part of Chickie's and Pete's, it doesn't get any better than that from
my perspective. You know, I don't feel like I could have ever been the person
(23:23):
to go work at the widget factory.
You know, there's a passion for me behind these two brands.
Both of them were, you know, part of my childhood, my early 20s,
you know, played a role in my life outside of work, just because of,
you know, the presence that both of them had in Philadelphia.
(23:44):
To be able to spend, you know, 26 plus years at the two of them,
and hopefully at the end of the day, make a difference in both of them is something
that is extremely rewarding to me personally.
You know, it just, it makes me very proud. Yeah. And so and so emblematic of
many of your fellow alums from Holy Family who do stay in the area and give
(24:07):
back and they're in our schools and our companies and our hospitals and just
like life giving back. Right.
So obviously, I would want to ask you any advice or words, you know,
any words you want to give to the listeners, especially our students.
But also talk a minute because you and I really struggled post COVID with trying
(24:28):
to get people like should we, you know, and especially in your field,
you have to be at work, right?
And the push about flex and hybrid and, you know, all of those issues that we had.
So how's it how's it going now? Are people just feeling like they want to be back?
So for us, a little different, as you mentioned, right, we really never left,
(24:50):
you know, we did transition some positions that we could from an HQ standpoint,
to more of a hybrid schedule.
But even in the height of the pandemic, because of, you know,
our headquarters supported essential businesses in the restaurants,
you know, we were given, you know, special authority to be able to stay and
(25:12):
work through the pandemic where most places were shut down if they weren't supporting
those essential businesses.
So a large percentage of our support here at HQ worked literally every day through the pandemic here.
We obviously put the safety protocols in place and abided by all the things
(25:35):
that we needed to to keep everybody safe and healthy.
From a support standpoint, we never really left.
And our stores, the majority of them, unless they were operating inside a facility
that had to close, like Parks Casino or the Tropicana or even some of the airport terminals,
(25:57):
we were open. If we could be open, we were open.
We felt like it was important for the team, as many team members as we could
keep at the location working, We tried to do, you know, and also important for our guests, right?
Like everybody needed a little sense of normalcy during that time.
And if, you know, chickies and Pete's crab fries and lobster pizza could provide
(26:19):
that normalcy. That's what we wanted to try to do.
And what was really hard for us and really for everybody, you know,
I don't, I don't, everybody had challenges.
There were very few businesses, I think, that just had a pure upside.
And I don't mean that there was any upside to a pandemic, obviously.
(26:40):
I'm just saying from a business standpoint.
Yeah. How are you finding it?
We know so many folks are complaining that they can't get enough employees. How are you guys doing?
We're in a better spot. If you would have asked me that question,
to be honest with you, in 2019, it was always and probably will always be somewhat
(27:01):
of a challenge for the restaurant industry.
We're never 100% staffed. There's always going to be a little bit of turnover
or an opportunity to add some additional people.
We're constantly in a state of hiring, you know, but we are generally in a better
(27:22):
spot than where we were, you know, a couple of years ago.
You know, the summer of 2021 was probably the toughest hiring environment that
I've ever been a part of in my career as a whole,
you know, just with all the different things that were going on and business
was really picking up at that point.
(27:42):
You know, that was the most difficult it's been.
We're in a much better spot than we were then. And, you know,
I would say it is really close to what I would call normal for the restaurant industry right now.
We could always use more people, but in 2019, we could have used more people as well. Yeah.
But that's good to hear because we do know that some industries are really struggling.
(28:07):
And so that's also a good sign for you, right?
As leadership, you're probably taking good care of your folks so they stay.
So that's a very good sign.
Yeah, without a doubt. I mean, I think one of the things that we try to track
and pay attention to is, and always try to improve upon, is our turnover rate.
(28:27):
Our turnover rate is less than what the industry standard is.
But that's not a super high bar only because the industry standard is over 100%
turnover in a revolving 12-month period for the restaurant business.
So when you think about that kind of turnover, that is super impactful to the
(28:50):
guests, to the guest experience,
making sure that we are providing them with great service, a great experience, and amazing food.
When you basically have everybody in a restaurant turn over once a year.
And again, that's industry standard.
It makes it really hard to live up to the expectations that you've created for
(29:13):
those guests that come in.
So it's a number that we focus on. We always try to make that number better
year over year, enhance that number and provide additional opportunities for
people to keep them with us.
What advice would you give to our current students and recent graduates?
We just graduated almost a thousand students.
(29:34):
What words of advice to aspire for them to have an impact on their careers and their communities?
I think the first thing I would say, and there's a couple pieces of advice that I would give.
The first one we talked a little bit about, which is, you know,
staying and staying involved, whether it's with your.
(29:54):
Your university or, you know, in your community to give back,
to make that a priority, to give back.
And again, might not be with financial resources, but to give back from a time
standpoint, to stay engaged.
You know, those were things that, you know, again, helped me over the course
(30:15):
of my career be in the position that I'm in today.
So that would be the first thing, stay engaged, be involved in any aspects that
you can, whether it's an alumni association or a committee or an advisory committee to be involved.
The other thing that I would say that really helped me is to try to have a yes
(30:35):
mindset when it comes to your professional career.
Two of the things that I really think helped me separate myself in my career path,
specifically early on at Rita's, was saying yes to a couple opportunities that
were not really looked at as things that people were super excited about doing.
(30:59):
So in 1999, I moved out to Columbus, Ohio to run a corporate store.
As I mentioned earlier, that wasn't something that people were lining up willing to do.
So when leadership at Rita's asked me to do it, you know, I could have obviously
said no and stayed in my comfort zone and, you know, kind of continued to do what I wanted to do.
(31:22):
But I wanted to push myself to step outside my boundaries.
And, you know, I said yes, because I wanted the leadership to know that while,
you know, it might not be the most glamorous thing that people were looking
forward to doing, that they could count on me to do something that,
you know, not everybody wanted to do.
(31:43):
So I said, yes, I went out and did it.
Really, I think, you know, when I came back, I got a promotion and,
you know, stepped into a new role.
So I really think it helped establish myself as a go-to person for someone that
leadership could count on.
And then, you know, after the company was sold in 2005, we were coming up to
(32:05):
a big company meeting where we brought all all the franchisees into,
you know, do presentations.
And it was going to be out in Harrisburg at a hotel and conference center.
So the leadership of Rita's was going to give a presentation to,
you know, two, 300 franchisees that were, you know, kind of more PA based.
(32:26):
And a couple of days before there was a little bit of change within the organization
and the person who was giving the operational presentation, you know,
was no longer going to do it.
So with two days notice, leadership was, you know, trying to find somebody to step in and do this.
They came to me and asked me if I would do it. And there were a couple of people
(32:47):
that had already said no.
And I said, yes. And it was, you know, something that was again, out of my comfort zone,
two days to prepare for a presentation in front of two, 300 people in front
of kind of the new leadership of the organization that had just purchased the company.
So yeah, there was a lot lot of fear going into that, like, man,
(33:08):
if I mess this up or if I don't do well, you know, I really am putting myself out there.
But what about the other side, right? If I really do well and I prepare and
I nail this, you know, I just stepped up and did something that other people wouldn't do.
And, you know, and I really felt like that would help differentiate myself from
some of the others that were in a similar position than me at that time.
(33:32):
So I said, yes, I went up there, two days preparation time, literally went up
there on like an hour sleep because it was probably the most nervous I've ever
been because of that preparation, was able to do a good job.
And again, really establish a name for myself within the organization at that time.
And it was not very long after that, that I was then promoted again to the director of operations.
(33:57):
So taking Taking yourself out of that comfort zone and making sure you have
a yes mindset when you're entering into, you know, the professional world is really important.
Push yourself as much as you can and take yourself out of that comfort zone,
I think, you know, are important.
And then the last one I would say is never stop learning, you know, reading,
(34:21):
whether it's books or taking seminars or, you know, continuous improvement for
the mind, whatever the discipline is that, you know, you're working in,
whether it be the medical field or the business field or education.
Trying to learn as much as you can about, you know, what's out there today.
(34:41):
What are other people's opinions? You know, how can we utilize this information
to try to make ourselves better?
Just trying to learn something new every day. Well, you certainly embrace all
the wonderful things we tell our students here at Holy Family.
Our record in our commencement charges, right? Never stop learning.
Step out of your comfort zone. Stay engaged.
(35:01):
This is all, wow. Talk about being a lived reality for that.
And I think it is important in this day and age to let young folks know that's what it takes, right?
We really do. You figure it out as you go along. We don't all have it figured
out by the time we're 22, right?
No question about it. No question about it.
Well, Roger, fortunately, that's all the time we have for today.
(35:25):
I so much appreciate the time you've taken and your sharing of your story and
what your lessons learned.
And certainly i value your dedication
to holy family to your career your family
these communities and you speak so passionately about these organizations it
really is pretty remarkable the passion you have for the work that you do and
(35:49):
i think it sustains you as well right it's it's pretty wonderful when you get
to do work that you love doing because then it's not really no doubt
about it right then you don't work a day in your life right there you go that's
what i tell my kids when they say things to me about mom you're president you
work too much i was like nah i love this stuff yeah so no doubt to learn more
(36:11):
about you your work and your contributions visit the.
(36:36):
Music.
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