Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> May 1, 1998
TOM E. DUPREE, JR. is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Apple
South, Inc. As the Company's principal founder, Mr. DuPree's leadership
and business savvy continue to guide the phenomenal growth of one of the
nation's leading multi-concept restaurant companies. After a brief
career in public accounting, Mr. DuPree opened his first restaurant, a
Burger King franchise, in 1979. Five Burger King restaurants were
developed before they were sold in 1986. Also in 1986, several Hardee's
restaurants were purchased and the Company opened its first Applebee's
Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurant. In 1991, Apple South went public in
what the Wall Street Journal (Nov. 19, 1995 Southeast Journal section)
reported as 'the best-performing offering in the Southeast over the past
five years.' Today, Apple South operates four proprietary restaurant
brands through decentralized, entrepreneurial divisions to ensure a
strong customer focus. The Company's proprietary brands include Don
Pablo's Mexican Kitchen restaurants, McCormick & Schmick's seafood
dinner houses, Hops Restaurant Bar & Brewery restaurants and Canyon Cafe
restaurants. The Company also owns a 20 percent interest in the United
Kingdom-based Belgo Group PLC, which operates two Belgo restaurants in
London. In December 1997, Apple South announced plans to sell its 264
Applebee's restaurants to focus on growing its proprietary restaurant
brands and on acquiring carefully selected new brands domestically and
internationally. In addition, the Company announced last year that it
had entered into an agreement to sell 75 percent interest in its
Harrigans Grill and Bar restaurants. The success of Mr. DuPree and Apple
South have not gone unnoticed. In 1991, Inc. Magazine ranked Apple South
as the 33rd Fastest Growing Private Company and in 1992 Business Week
ranked the Company as the 69th Hottest Growing Company. Also in 1992,
Mr. DuPree was named Georgia Entrepreneur of the Year, an award given by
Ernst & Young, Inc. Magazine, Merrill Lynch, the Atlanta
Journal/Constitution and WSB-TV. In 1993, Forbes ranked Apple South the
Seventh Best Small Company in the World, and the following year ranked
the Company the Eighth Best Small Company in the world. In 1997, Mr.
DuPree received the prestigious Golden Chain award presented by
Nation's Restaurant News to 'industry leaders who have exemplified
outstanding performance and the ability to lead their organizations
beyond the challenges of tomorrow.' In addition to his business
interests, Mr. DuPree is committed to community involvement. In 1992, he
founded the DuPree Foundation, which primarily focuses on public
education in Georgia's Morgan County public schools as well as the
Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition, the foundation has
provided financial support to the Morgan County Parks and Recreation
Department, the Morgan County African-American Museum, Newton/Morgan
Habitat for Humanity and the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center. In 1994,
the DuPree Center for Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development was
established at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. And, in
1996, Mr. DuPree announced the donation of a $20 million gift to Georgia
Tech's School of Management, which was renamed the DuPree School of
Management within the Ivan Allen College of Management, Policy and
International Affairs. In 1997, Mr. DuPree received the Friend of
Education Award from the Georgia Association of Educators, an award that
is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to
the improvement of public education in the state. He also was named the
1997 Georgia Philanthropist of the Year by the National Society of Fund
Raising Executives. In 1974, Mr. DuPree received a Bachelor of Science
degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of
Technology. He received his Master's degree from Georgia State
University in 1978. Mr. DuPree serves on a number of boards and
foundations, such as the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Tech
Foundation; a board member for Morgan County By Design (Georgia), a
public/private non-profit corporation dedicated to preservation, quality
development and community planning through public input; and a board
member for the Church of the Advent Foundation. He resides in Madison,
GA. Profile
South and then bring us up to date. What are the challenges and the
opportunities for your Company today?
Mr. DuPree: We
