Cheryle Turner of the Champaign County Humane Society in Illinois Talks About Jimmy John's Founder Jimmy John Liautaud's commitment to help them expand and renovate their existing animal shelter by matching every donation received by September 30th up to $100,000.  To learn more about Jimmy, follow him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-john-liautaud-b94181123.  To donate to the Humane Society, go to https://www.cuhumane.org/Donate/MakeaDonation.aspx.

Cheryle Turner of Champaign, IL's Humane Society Talks About Jimmy John Liautaud's Matching Donation

Jimmy John Liautaud has been recognized by many for his professional success. The incredible growth of Jimmy John’s may lead some to think that his road to success has been easy, but Jimmy’s early life and the early days of Jimmy John’s were filled with significant challenges. 
Jimmy John Liautaud was born in January 1964, the second of four in a working-class family. His father traveled frequently for work, and his mother was an immigrant from Lithuania who became an elementary school teacher. With both parents constantly working, Liautaud had to take on more responsibilities. Despite this hard work, the family struggled financially, even going through two bankruptcies. 

Jimmy’s high school years included more struggle and perseverance. When his family finally found financial security, his parents enrolled him in Elgin Academy, a prep school. Liautaud felt insecure and overwhelmed among his classmates. Jimmy began skipping school and his teachers viewed him as a troublemaker. He earned poor grades and was almost expelled. One of the school’s deans, Jim Lyons, understood that Liautaud was a good kid and only acted out due to his insecurity. He took Jimmy under his wing and fought for him to remain enrolled in the school. Lyons regularly told Liautaud that he could be anything he wanted to be, and Jimmy started believing it. 

Graduating second to last in his high school class, college wasn’t really an option. Jimmy’s father had served in the Army and wanted Jimmy to enlist. However, Jimmy wanted to open a business, so he approached his dad and asked for a loan. His father agreed to give him a $25,000 loan under the condition that if the business failed, he’d enlist. If he succeeded, his father would own a 48 percent stake in the company. Jimmy accepted his father’s terms and eagerly began looking into opening a hot dog stand in Chicago. Unfortunately, the cost was too high for his budget. He looked for other business ideas, and he soon settled on the idea of opening a sandwich shop. 

That summer, Liautaud learned to bake bread and came up with six sandwiches. After testing them with his family, the top 4 created his first menu. He then found a location near Eastern Illinois University with cheap rent. Liautaud opened the first Jimmy John’s on January 13, 1983, but the only sale that day was to his cousin.  

Jimmy could have been discouraged, but instead he spent the next days passing out business cards and free samples. Once the community got a taste of the 4 sandwiches, the restaurant quickly gained popularity, generating a $40,000 profit within its first year of operation. Within 3 years, Jimmy paid off his father’s loan with interest, and a decade later, Jimmy John’s had 10 profitable locations. 

The growth of Jimmy John’s accelerated, but the growth was met with challenges as Jimmy learned how to hire the right people and choose the right franchisees. Liautaud continued to work hard, and in 2014 the company’s sales reached $2.5 billion across 2,000 locations. Both Liautaud and Jimmy John’s have been recognized for their success. The company was honored as a top franchise by Entrepreneur.com & Forbes. Jimmy received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National CEO Conference, and the CEO Hall of Fame inducted him as a member.  In 2004 he was named the Food & Beverage Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young. The Franchise Times, the Nation’s Restaurant News, & the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame have also honored him. In 2018, Jimmy received is most cherished honor, the Horatio Alger Award, which honors perseverance, integrity, and excellence.  

Over the years, Jimmy and his wife have made significant donations to give back to their community. In 2017, The Liautaud family established the Liautaud Family Foundation, which has provided financial contributions to organizations focused on helping others help themselves.