It was a privilege to hear from Chaminade alumnus, Mr. Grelyn Rosario, owner and operator of Maui McDonald’s of Dairy Road, Kahana, Kahului, Lahaina, Pukalani, and Wal-Mart of Kahului.
Mr. Rosario is a second generation owner of McDonald’s franchises. In 1969, his mother moved to Oahu from the Philippines and started working at McDonald’s. Mr. Rosario also worked at McDonald’s at the age of 16. After graduating from Aiea High School, Mr. Rosario’s mother moved to Maui to open her own franchise. Mr. Rosario stayed back in Oahu to attend Chaminade University. He continued to work at McDonald’s throughout his undergraduate and graduate career and was able to learn more about the ins and outs of the company. After receiving his MBA degree, Mr. Rosario moved to Maui and attended Hamburger University. With timing, luck, and preparation, he opened his first franchise in Wal-Mart on Maui. Today, he owns and operates six McDonald’s on Maui.
Mr. Rosario shared with us McDonald’s “three-legged stool.” McDonald’s foundation is based upon three “legs”: franchise, corporation and its suppliers. The balance and relationship between the three legs is vital to McDonald’s journey to success. Mr. Rosario also emphasized the importance of serving the community. He has served the community through supporting educational projects, feeding needy children and providing the necessary materials to upkeep church in Ilocos Sur, Philippines. Serving the community provides the opportunity to positively impact the society, especially the community around you.
Lastly, he ended his talk with a very memorable phrase: “fire in your belly!” This means finding your motivation, your muse, and your inspiration. Mr. Rosario’s “fire in his belly” was his mother. She motivated and inspired him to be the success that he is today. He also told us that it is okay to fail because that’s how you learn and succeed. It doesn’t matter what you want to do in life, just be the best at it.
“Failure is success in progress,” – Albert Einstein
Written by: Hogan Entrepreneurs Program student, Brittain Komoda
Speaker Session with Grelyn Rosario 4/12/17
