365 Small Business Circle: Paul Jedele on giving back, strengthening communities

Featured Small Business: Jedele Enterprises, Inc. 

Businesses that invest in their community can increase their brand’s value, strengthen customer loyalty and create a meaningful work environment for their employees. United Way of Central Indiana is proud to partner with and support small businesses — which is why the 365 Small Business Circle was created.

Eat at a McDonald’s in West Central Indiana, and chances are you’ve been to a Jedele McDonald’s.

Brothers Paul and Tim Jedele own nine of the franchise restaurants, located in Brazil, Cloverdale, Crawfordsville, Greencastle, Monrovia, Mooresville and Plainfield.

It all started with their dad, Bob Jedele, who worked his way up from a crew member to the corporate side of McDonald’s beginning in the 1970s.

The family moved to Greencastle in 1995, when Bob Jedele purchased his first two franchises. Paul Jedele joined his dad in business in 2012, followed by brother Tim the next year.

Bob Jedele retired last year, when his sons bought him out.

Based in Greencastle, the Jedeles employ about 600 people across their nine restaurants. And they’ve been giving back to the community for just as long as they’ve lived there.

Paul Jedele also is part of 100+ Men Who Care, which gives to local charities in Putnam County.

We spoke with him about business, philanthropy and growing education and workforce development opportunities.

(This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.)

What philanthropic causes are you passionate about and why?

Both Tim and I have a large heart for education.

There’s four of us Jedele siblings. I have an older sister and a youngest brother – they're both educators. My wife is an educator. My sister is an elementary school teacher at Ridpath in Greencastle. My youngest brother is a physics teacher in Bloomington, Ill. His wife is an anthropology professor. My brother-in-law is involved at DePauw University on the technology side.

We have a strong heart for developing children and youth and young adults.

I was an accountant before joining McDonald’s, and I left the accounting industry because I loved the opportunity that McDonald’s creates for young adults to grow. It’s an industry where you don’t need credentials to be able to progress and have a career that financially and emotionally can really be something you can be proud of.

We typically like to donate to schools, to organizations that support youth, that (help youth) socially progress.

I like to donate to sport communities because I find that is where children get a chance to engage and to practice social (skills) that are imperative for our communities going forward.

We give to our local churches as well.

Why did you decide to join the 365 Small Business Circle?

I like the model of trying to have one entity (United Way) that is finding ways to contribute and sustain the operations of some nonprofits that are doing great things in our community.

When you have so many nonprofits in the community, it’s difficult to be able to (assess) which ones need the significant funding. … By using United Way to know that you’re supporting some of those entities is really cool.

Why is it important for companies to invest in their communities and support families in need?

If you’re blessed to be able to have funds to support, I feel like it is our duty to give back to the community that took care you.

For me, my customers — my community — are what have made me successful. To keep my money local in my community only strengthens it.

And a lot of my employees, a lot of business owners and strong community members have utilized different aspects of our community programs to help them succeed.

I’m strengthening our community by giving someone a leg up when they need it. They use it when they need it, when they’re down on their luck, and then you hope you create a culture of them trying to give back as well.

If you’re constantly investing in your own community, you’re creating an environment that people want to stay there. And the right people staying in a community makes it an enjoyable place to live, an enjoyable place for me to raise my kids and an enjoyable place to visit.

Giving to programs — keeping communities together and growing — has a financial impact on businesses and on the lifestyle of the community itself.

Tell us about the employee assistance programs you provide.

I have a tuition assistance program.

If you’re a crew person, work for me for 90 days, average 15 hours a week and you stay as an employee, I will give you $2,500 toward your tuition per year. If you’re a manager, it’s $3,000 per year.

It’s for any accredited school in the United States. So I have a lot of high schoolers who will graduate and they’ll work for me in the summer or on their breaks or weekends, and they’re basically getting paid to go to school.

I also have a program for employees and family members of employees that don’t have a high school diploma. There are quite a few educational pushes that McDonald’s has; I pay into this program.

I believe in trying to give people the opportunity to better themselves.

It also results in employee retention. When you’re taking care of your employees, they tend to stay longer. When I can find ways to retain employees and create a place where they feel proud to work, it helps me and it helps the employee.

As far as educational growth, when you’re going into management courses, our McDonald’s training classes are transferable as college credits, too.

... College isn’t meant for everyone. It’s important for our communities to realize and support industry where there’s progression opportunities.

McDonald’s offers opportunity for growth. My dad started off as a crew person; he left the McDonald’s system owning nine franchises. Most owner-operators have the exact same story.

It’s a misnomer that entry-level jobs are dead-end jobs. I consider entry-level jobs — if you love what you do — to be a career if you choose to make it a career.

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