Shamrock Company has been lucky to find (and retain) many loyal employees throughout the years, one of whom is Area Coach (AC) Donald Pryor, who’s been with the company for an impressive 27 years! Donald started with us in 1997 and has the distinction of having experience on both the KFC and Taco Bell sides of the business. While KFC is no longer part of our portfolio, fortunately, Donald remains! Donald has also been lucky enough to work with Shamrock Founder Steve McGue, as well as his son, the current President & CEO, Dan McGue.
“It feels really good to be part of a nice, strong franchise.”
– Donald Pryor, Area Coach
Donald says Steve was the kind of guy who always believed in putting family first. “He always asked, ‘How are you and your family?’” Donald shares.
That was a big part of what inspired Donald to remain with us all of these years. “For a boss to be concerned with what was happening outside of work, I thought that was really, really important,” Donald says.
The other lesson Donald learned from Steve was to always think about the customers and employees. “He said the business will take care of itself if you did that,” Donald shares.
That combination of integrity and heart inspired Donald. “It made you feel good about coming to work,” he says. “Makes you want to continue to work for this company.”
SHAMROCK SHOWS APPRECIATION
Donald has known Dan since he was a teenager, and assures that he’s leading with the same core values as his father before him. “All the things that Steve believed in, Dan just took the ball and ran with it,” Donald shares.
Donald has been in the QSR business for 43 years and has observed the inner workings of different companies, but once he found Shamrock, he knew it was where he wanted to stay.
Employee appreciation efforts were one of the first things that stood out to Donald. He shares that the company had annual picnics and holiday parties as a way to thank employees. And then there were the incentives that took Donald and his wife to more tropical locales. Donald qualified for a company reward trip to Jamaica for 11 consecutive years! Though that particular reward trip has since been retired, Donald and his wife continued vacationing in Jamaica as a time-honored tradition, and have been since 1999!
DIVING INTO COACHING
As an AC for Taco Bell, Donald considers himself a hands-on leader who’s not afraid to jump on the line when business is booming.
Donald says his job is to support the managers and be available to them for whatever they need. “It’s just really fun to come in and dive right into the business,” he says. “I support my team by seeing whatever needs they may have.”
In return, Donald says of his team, “They’re willing to do what it takes to get the job done.”
“I think the people inside this company are really motivated and driven.”
– Donald Pryor, Area Coach
Donald truly lives our mission to put people in a position to succeed and develop them to their full potential. One of his favorite parts of the job is hiring and promoting team members. “Once you can find someone that’s really motivated to move up, helping them come through the ranks is really nice,” he shares.
After so many years dedicated to this business, Donald admits retirement is on the horizon, but he’s not slowing down anytime soon! “I plan to work with Shamrock all the way until I decide I’m not gonna work anymore,” he says.