Pete Harman
| Pete Harman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Leon Weston Harman January 16, 1919 Granger, Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Died |
November 19, 2014 (aged 95) Los Altos, California |
| Residence | Los Altos, California, U.S.[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Kentucky Fried Chicken |
| Religion | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) |
| Spouse(s) | Arline T. Harman (1916-2013) [2] |
| Parent(s) |
David Reese Harman Grace May Hemenway |
Leon Weston "Pete" Harman (January 16, 1919 – November 19, 2014) was an American businessman best known for having struck a deal with Colonel Harland Sanders to open the first KFC franchise. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah it opened for business in August 1952.
Harman was born in 1919 in Granger, now a part of West Valley City, a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah to David Reese Harman (1874–1924) and Grace May Hemenway (1879–1919) . Harman was the youngest of 14 children in a Mormon family.
Harman and his wife, Arline, opened their first restaurant, The Do Drop Inn, with two employees in 1941.
Harman worked with Harland Sanders to develop and prepare the KFC system for franchising, working to develop training manuals and product guides. His other claims to fame are the development of the bucket packaging and the emphasis on the "Finger-lickin' good" motto.
In 1990 the International Foodservice Manufacturer Association recognized Harman's achievements with its Gold Plate Award. At the time of the award the Harman Management Corp. of Los Altos, California, employs over 4,000 people and operates 238 KFC stores in four states. Credit for his success was given to his enlightened practices towards his staff including stock purchase schemes.
His original KFC building was demolished in 2004 to make way for a museum and an updated restaurant. Harman retired and moved to California, living there until his death on November 19, 2014, at 95 years old.[3][4]
Sources
- Deseret News, Wednesday, April 21, 2004
- Keegan, Peter O.; "IFMA gold-plates 'Pete' Harman - International Foodservice Manufacturer Association"; Nation's Restaurant News, June 4, 1990
- adherents.com
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