Golden Arches Spurs Golden Opportunity to Give
Published Mar 11, 2008
Roy Griggs went from McDonald’s manager to owning a dozen of the restaurants.
In St. Louis, the Gateway Arch glints in silvery light, flashing the mind’s eye back two centuries to pioneers Lewis & Clark and their epic errand into the wilderness.
Roy Griggs’ dream of discovery is golden, and no less bold.
Growing up in Meridian, Miss., he became a McDonald’s manager in 1974, a mere three years after high school. By 1988, he’d won numerous merit awards and earned the right to go into business for himself – as a McDonald’s franchisee.
Building a trio of Alabama restaurants over the next decade, Griggs sold those businesses and parlayed his investment into four McDonald’s in Shreveport-Bossier City, La., where he’s become one of Northwest Louisiana’s most successful and respected businessmen.
His Golden Arches have spanned two states, growing Griggs Enterprises to more than 500 employees at a dozen McDonald’s in Louisiana and Marshall, Texas.
Griggs understands intimately the dedication required for entrepreneurial success and the rewards that dreams can reap.
It’s why he works so hard at his other passion: giving flight to young people’s dreams.
In 2004, Griggs secured more than $500,000 in Louisiana grants to train existing workers. His twofold purpose hinged on upgrading the skills of his employees and improving their wages, with the residual benefits building to this day.
“I’m excited about the possibility of doing great things with our restaurants,” says Griggs, who believes the training will “take these great employees and make them better employees, more productive citizens and better people.”
Griggs and his wife, Nelva, don’t wait until children are ready for their first job to help them out. The couple received the Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award for distinguished service to Boy Scouts of America for not only supporting Norwela Council troops financially but also for serving as active volunteers and recruiters.
Griggs Enterprises sponsors a Clean Campus Contest for Shreveport Green, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the city’s environment and economy through beautification. The contest generates keen competition while teaching children the value of keeping their school and community attractive.
Roy Griggs also volunteers as a longtime director of Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal, an organization that revitalizes neighborhoods by nurturing relationships, improving housing and raising social consciousness about what unites a community.
Story by Gary Perilloux
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