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Local McDonald's owner to share his story at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Jackson Community College invites the community to celebrate the life of slain civil rights leader at the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Community Events Center on the Jackson campus.
Delivering the keynote address for this year’s event will be local businessman Steven Hogwood, owner and operator of several McDonald’s restaurants in the Jackson, Albion, and Spring Arbor areas. Hogwood will share his own story of hope, courage, faith and perseverance as he went from fast food restaurant worker to owner.
While earning an associate degree in civil engineering from W.W. Holding Technical Institute, now Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina, Hogwood worked at the local Burger King. He realized he had a knack for motivating people, and working in the fast-food industry would allow him to better utilize this talent than working as a civil engineer.
In 1976, Hogwood started working for McDonald’s and quickly began to move up the corporate ranks. He served as manager of operations development at McDonald’s headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., became a department manager in Philadelphia and oversaw a large group of McDonald’s and was assigned to South Florida where his mission was to grow business.
Hogwood went back to school and received a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Tulsa Bible College and seriously began to consider the direction of his life and, at that point, decided to open his first restaurant.
Also at the dinner, the Martin Luther King Medal of Service Awards will be presented to this year’s recipients, Janice Sweet Fairley and Pastor Frank Hampton Jr.
Events begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $20 for adults or $12 for students and are available at the JCC box office, 517.796.8600. For more information, call the Office of Multicultural Relations at 517.796.8470.
