Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2016 | Page 40

2016 MVP AWARDS
BY HELEN BOND

Man of Many Hats

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Longtime Hardee’s franchisee also is a mayor and a publisher

f you want to see the positive influence of Hardee’s franchisee Dan
Ponder at work, look no farther
than his hometown of Donalsonville, population 3,000. Nestled in the
southwest corner of Georgia’s Seminole
County, Donalsonville is home to Ponder
Enterprises, which opened its first Hardee’s
restaurant in 1983. Ponder is publisher
of the town’s award-winning newspaper,
the Donalsonville News, and in 2013 was
elected mayor.
At the moment, he is tirelessly leading
an effort to make his town the nation’s first
Smart Rural City. The broadband project,
which has the potential to transform the
community, “could have never happened
without franchising and my long relationship with Hardee’s,” says Ponder, the recipient of the 2016 Spirit of Franchising
MVP Award. The plan to wirelessly blanket

the city is designed to provide the rural
area with virtual education, business, and
cultural arts opportunities and make free
high-speed Internet available.
Ponder, who grew up working in his
family’s Alabama peanut processing plant,
NAME: Dan E. Ponder, Jr.
TITLE: President, Ponder Enterprises
NO. OF UNITS: 36 Hardee’s
AGE: 61
FAMILY: Wife Mary Lou; 2

daughters, 2 sons-in-law, 3
grandchildren
YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 32
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 32

2016 MVP AWARDS

Spirit of
Franchising Award
Why do you think you were recognized
with this award? While I was surprised by the
award, I would like to think that I was selected because
of my 32 years of steady growth as a franchisee and
support of the brand. I have also served on the franchisor’s board of directors for the past 15 years, which has
given me a good perspective about the business from
both sides of the fence.
How have you raised the bar in your own
company? Years ago we scrapped our detailed mission statement and replaced it with “Working together
to be the best franchise group in the Hardee’s system.”
We evaluate ourselves against that goal every year.
What innovations have you created and
used to build your company? We have developed what I believe to be a state-of-the-art data management system involving all aspects of our business.
This tool is available remotely and at the restaurant.
Most company management tools from exception reporting to QA audits are now automated in customized
Apple apps available on iPhones and iPads provided to
our management team.
What core values do you think helped you
win this award? Nothing is more important to me
than integrity. I want our company to be known for
doing things the right way for the right reasons. I want
everyone from our employees to our vendors to our
competitors to know that our word is our bond.
How important is community involvement
to you and your company? Our company is
involved in sporting partnerships from Little League to
high school and college. Every single field in every single sport in our hometown has a scoreboard sponsored
by our company. We are the title sponsor in several
charitable events, as well as at events held at several
military bases located in our footprint.
What leadership qualities are important to
you and your team? Lead by example and value
the contributions of your employees. We look for people
who want to be part of a winning team and who take
pride in their own personal contribution to that success.

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