Rustum Sayyed is as loyal as they come! Now nearing his third decade with Shamrock Company, we celebrate his transition from Area Director to Regional Vice President of Operations (RVP) of Shamrock Taco Bell South.
Rustum has been a part of the Shamrock family for a long time! While we sat down intending to talk about his commitment and leadership here, he still oozes of appreciation and reverence for our founder, the late Steve McGue. He also has only great things to say about our current leadership team, who boldly carry on Steve’s legacy.
“Steve McGue was an amazing person,“ Rustum shares. “[He] always made us feel like we were a part of his family.”
Of our new President and CEO, Steve’s son Dan, Rustum says admirably, “We have a young, knowledgeable man who is hungry to succeed. He has the will … and he’s making it happen. I love to be a part of something like that.”
Rustum has been a perfect fit for the RVP role with his years of experience and shared commitment to carrying on the Shamrock mission of setting people up for success.
“Whatever you need to succeed, we’ll make it happen.” -Rustum Sayyed, Regional VP
A Brief History
Rustum immigrated to the U.S. from Jordan, where he says he had an amazing career start in aeronautical information services.
“My life was good, but I want[ed] something different,” he shares of that time in his life.
He decided to interview with Taco Bell and accepted a team member position. It was his first job opportunity in America! Read more …
Rustum officially joined Shamrock when we acquired his location — the Westchester, IL Taco Bell — in 1997 during which time he was a Shift Lead.
Rustum is Ready
Rustum seems relaxed about his new RVP role and added responsibilities. He claims becoming RVP “is easier, not harder” despite overseeing more restaurant locations than before — and that’s because he feels 100% supported from the top down.
According to him, this has always been the case at Shamrock. “If I’m ready to go to the next step, and I show that I am ready,” he shares. “They always take my hand.”
“Whatever I need, I get: coaching, lighting the way, showing me how to how to achieve this goal,” he continues.
On the subject of his recent promotion, he says, “When you have a chance and you can get what you love, what you deserve … it feels good.”
“I like to be a part of everybody’s success in my area.” -Rustum Sayyed, Regional VP
Rustum says his job transition has also been made easier by having the right people in place all around him. In this case, his successor. He’s worked directly with the new Area Director, Edith Leon, for a long time and was therefore incredibly involved in her training. In developing the bench, “You can count on them, you know them well, you know their strengths,” he says.
Today, we celebrate Rustum’s continued success at Shamrock! He says he’s making goals for himself and is feeling ready to oversee even more Taco Bells, and we say go get ‘em!