1. Executive Speech
Good afternoon everyone. I’d like to thank Jennifer Smith for that
introduction. [Pause] Wow, being on a college campus definitely brings back
memories. I’ve been out of college for quite some time now. I won’t tell you how
long. Let’s just say it’s been a while. [Laugh] But being here on Rowan’s campus
and seeing all of these young people with bright futures really makes you feel
young again.
Thank you all for taking time out of your day to join me for the grand
opening of Chick-fil-A on Rowan University’s campus. This is a very exciting
venture for the company so I felt the need to come out here myself to open the
new restaurant. This Chick-fil-A is the first Chick-fil-A on a college campus in
New Jersey. It is a big step for us and a big step for the university. For Chick-fil-A
it marks the opening of another restaurant on a college campus, making a total of
25 on campus locations across the country. For Rowan University it marks
another business partnership and growth of the University.

2. [Pause]
Today I would like to talk to you about the two E’s Chick-fil-A and Rowan
University are very supportive of, education and the environment. These two
things both relate back to the opening of this new Chick-fil-A on your campus.
We at Chick-fil-A believe very strongly in education. Education is the basis
of everything. If one does not have an education in today’s world they will most
likely not get where they want to be in life. Chick-fil-A likes to do everything it can
to support education. We help students of all ages. Grade school to college.
Over the past three years, almost one and a half million dollars have been
donated to support sports programs that teach kids about teamwork and
leadership. You may be thinking- how do sports programs help education? At
these sports camps the children are taught how to work well with others while
learning, which is very important for success at school. Working with others is
something you will have to do throughout your entire education and in life, and
teaching children at a young age is very beneficial. I have been told that students

3. that go through these sports programs excel further in school and show
leadership potential, which makes Chick-fil-A very proud.
Last year, Chick-fil-A also became a founding partner on the Junior
Achievement’s Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center. The center helps over
thirty thousand middle school students in the Atlanta area. It’s a literary
experience that offers classroom curriculums. The center offers a day-long
program like regular school. It’s new but it is doing very well and the children who
attend are learning a lot.
[Pause]
Who knows? Maybe some of these students Chick-fil-A are helping
throughout their youth will one day be attending Rowan University.
Now after hearing that, don’t feel like we only help out younger children.
Chick-fil-A also likes to support higher education. Chick-fil-A has put over seven
million dollars toward scholarships and educational development to universities
across the county just in the past three years. I am lucky to say one of those

4. universities is my Alma matter, Barry University. Maybe one day Rowan
University will be one of these as well.
We also help out our Chick-fil-A team members with the S. Truett Cathy
Scholar Award. Each year 25 one thousand dollar scholarships are given out to
employees who display leadership and a high work ethic. I know some of the
students here at Rowan will be working at this Chick-fil-A location. This may be a
good opportunity for them. They can check out our website to learn more about
that.
There is yet another thing Chick-fil-A is very proud of in terms of
education- the WinShape Foundation. My father, S. Truett Cathy, created this
foundation in 1946. Its purpose is to strengthen families and bring people closer
together. [Pause] However, it also offers a lot of opportunities to students. About
one thousand students have been involved in the WinShape College program,
which provides each student with at least four thousand dollars annually in

5. scholarships. This helps these students go places they might not have been able
to go before.
As you may be able to tell, Chick-fil-A really cares about students and
education. This makes opening a Chick-fil-A on a college campus that much
more special.
Next, there is the environment. As I have been walking through campus
today I noticed a lot of recycling bins across campus that have phrases on them
about being green. I spoke to Jennifer about this and she informed me that the
campus is very green and environmentally friendly. I know some of you may be
worried that the opening of a Chick-fil-A may affect this. There is a common
stigma attached to fast food restaurants that we hurt the environment. This could
not be less true about Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A feels it has a social responsibility to
keep the world green and clean. The owners of Chick-fil-A and all of its
employees have to live in this world so why would we do anything to mess it up?

6. Chick-fil-A has taken many steps to make sure all of the products we use
are environmentally friendly. All of our napkins, Kid’s meal bags, and tray liners
are made from one hundred percent recycled content. Our foam cups are also
made from polystyrene which can be recycled. This is different than other fast
food cups. We recycle the foam cups in over one hundred Chick-fil-A locations,
including the new one here at Rowan University. By the end of next year we plan
to have the program nationwide. We are constantly looking for new ways to
recycle materials like this one.
Chick-fil-A also watches how much water it uses and tries to conserve as
much as possible. About nine hundred of our restaurants received energy
efficiency retrofits, which included the installation of faucet water restrictors, as
well as more efficient lighting systems and energy saving refrigeration retrofits.
We are in the process of looking at new technologies and seeing what fits the
restaurants best. These new technologies include enhanced building controls
and variable speed exhaust ventilation hoods.

7. You all may have noticed the unique design of this new restaurant on your
campus. We modeled this one with the environment in mind. We did not chop
down any trees or interfered with any wildlife. This restaurant utilizes low-flow
fixtures with an underground cistern that collect rainwater. This will help the
restaurant use up to forty percent less water than an average fast food
restaurant. There are also skylights in the dining are and kitchen which may
result in up to a fourteen percent less energy usage.
There is only one other design like this in the country in Fort Worth Texas.
That restaurant was LEED GOLD certified, and we hope this one will be as well.
It goes beyond the restaurant itself. Being socially conscious of the
environment affects our supply chain as well. We look at ingredient packaging,
transportation and materials and how we can change any of these things to be
greener.
We have also decided to buy our produce for this restaurant from local
farms. New Jersey is a farming state so I know for a fact it will be high quality.

8. Because the environment and education are important to both Chick-fil-A
and Rowan University I am glad we are embarking on a business partnership. I
feel we fit with each other and that this restaurant will prosper. I hope to visit
Rowan again soon and maybe sit down and eat our signature chicken sandwich
with a few of you. Thank you all for your time, and enjoy.