Journey of Harland David Sanders

Good afternoon to sir and fellow friends. Today, I would like to talk about Harland David Sanders. You might be asking yourself: “Who is Harland David Sanders and what is so special about him?

Well, Harland David Sanders or better known as Colonel Sanders was an American entrepreneur who founded Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Surely there is an interesting story based on Sanders success.

Ladies and gentleman,

Let’s begin with his background. For your information, Sanders is born in Kentucky on 1890 and he is the eldest child of 5 siblings. His father died when he still in age of 5 and enforces his mother work to accommodate their family life. Since his mother worked, he was required to cook for his family. He dropped out of school in seventh grade. When his mother remarried, he ran away from home because his stepfather beat him.

Although he is still 6 years old, Sanders interest in cooking make his mother teach various recipes to Sanders including chicken fries recipe. This is how he developed his keen cooking skills as he helped his mother take care of the other children in his family. During his early years, Harland worked different jobs such as farm-hand, streetcar conductor, soldier, fireman, self taught lawyer, insurance salesman, and steamboat operator. In brief, he will try anything opportunity as he thought it is able to make he rich.

At the age of 40, Sanders cooked chicken dishes and other meals for people who stopped at his service station or petrol station in Corbin, Kentucky. Since he did not have a restaurant, he served customers in his living quarters in the petrol station. His local popularity grew, and Sanders moved to a motel and restaurant that seated 142 people and worked as the chef.

Over the next 9 years, he developed his method of cooking chicken. In 1935, he, at the age of 45, he was given a Colonel title by the governor in Kentucky for his cooking skills.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In 1937, Sanders tried to start a restaurant chain in Kentucky, but his attempt failed. Two years later, he opened another motel and restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, but this too failed.

In 1949, Sanders was once again honored with the title of Kentucky colonel, this time by Lieutenant Governor Lawrence Weatherby. Sanders began using the title of "Colonel" and dressing in a white suit, white shirt, black string tie, black shoes, white mustache and goatee, and a cane-giving himself the

appearance of a gentleman from the Old South. In 1949, Sanders married Claudia Ledington, an employee.

Pete Harman, a Utah restaurant owner who had met Sanders in Chicago at a seminar for restaurateurs, was his first franchisee. Harman, already a successful businessman, is credited with creating the marketing strategies that made Sanders' business a success. Harman is also responsible for inventing the name "Kentucky Fried Chicken," introducing the take out bucket, and creating the slogan, "finger lickin' good."

By 1960, Sanders had 400 franchisees, and his image was being used to sell chicken throughout the country. Sanders carefully guarded his secret recipe of herbs and spices. Sanders was a perfectionist.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Sanders served as the company spokesman, making personal appearances and television commercials. He held on to his Canadian rights in the company and established a foundation in Canada, turning over his profits to charities, such as churches, hospitals, the Boy Scouts, and the Salvation Army. He also adopted 78 foreign orphans.

Sanders died in Shelbyville, Kentucky on December 16, 1980, after a seven-month battle with leukemia. The Colonel Sanders Museum at Kentucky Fried Chicken headquarters in Louisville contains a life-sized statue of Sanders in a small theater, his office-exactly as he left it, his white linen suit, cane, shirt and tie, one of his wife's dresses, and his original pressure cooker. In 1972, his first restaurant was named a Kentucky historical landmark.

Thank you.