John Schnatter
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This biographical article is written like a résumé. Please help improve it by revising it to be neutral and encyclopedic. (September 2010) |
| John Schnatter | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 23, 1961 Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA |
| Occupation | Businessman, entrepreneur, spokesman |
John H. Schnatter (born November 23, 1961[1]), better known as "Papa John", is the founder, chairman, and current CEO[1] of Papa John's International, Inc. He founded the company in October 1984.[2] He is also spokesman for Papa John's.
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[edit] Biography
In 1983, at the age of 22, Schnatter started delivering pizza out of his father's co-owned tavern in Jeffersonville, Indiana. In the same year, he sold his 1971 Camaro Z28 to purchase the other half of the tavern in what became his family's first "pizza place." Today, the Papa John’s franchise has more than 3,400 restaurants in 50 states and 30 countries. In 1996, Schnatter helped fund a new 42,000-seat football stadium on the University of Louisville campus in exchange for naming rights. The structure, which opened in September 1998, is called Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
Awards and honors received by Schnatter:
- Inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2007.
- Named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans in 2000 by the National Jaycees Organization.
- Named 1998 National Ernst & Young Retail/Consumer Entrepreneur of The Year.
[edit] Financial donations
Schnatter has made several donations to help boost the Louisville area. His business has the naming rights to Louisville's Papa John's Cardinal Stadium used by the University of Louisville's football team. On August 28, 2007, he made a $10 million pledge toward a stadium expansion.[citation needed]
Schnatter made a million-dollar contribution to the Louisville Zoo's Glacier Run expansion.[3] In addition to his major contributions his Calistoga Bakery sponsors a bike team and donated money to build bike trails.
On May 28, 2009 Schnatter was announced as Honorary Chair of the Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting Louisville's Norton Cancer Institute. Schnatter will be riding in the two day cycling event that goes from Louisville to Lexington and back.[4]
John Schnatter is a resident and owns about 6% of the land in Anchorage, Kentucky, including much of the city center. He restored an interurban rail station, three historic buildings and built a fourth in a similar style in the city's center, with plans to build a bank, an upscale restaurant, and a hiking trail, which opened as the Anchorage Trail in June 2008.
[edit] The Camaro
In 1983, Schnatter sold his 1971 Camaro Z28 for $2,800 to help finance the family business. On August 26, 2009, he repurchased it for $250,000. In celebration, Papa John's offered a free pizza to anyone who owned a Camaro.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ . http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/04/15/business-us-papa-john-apos-s-personnel_8410952.html.[dead link]
- ^ "The story of Papa John's". Papajohns.com. http://www.papajohns.com/pj_story/. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ Whas11.com – Louisville Zoo's Glacier Run projects gets $1 million dollar gift[dead link] February 6, 2008
- ^ "Conquer Cancer website". Conquercancer.ca. 2009-05-28. http://www.conquercancer.ca/prEmails/JohnSchnatter.html. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ Associated, The (2009-09-02). "Papa John's founder pays 250Kg for Camaro". Courierlifenews.com. http://www.courierlifenews.com/articles/2009/09/02/thisjustin/08fcamaro.txt. Retrieved 2010-07-30.[dead link]
