That’s Clay in the middle seat. His girlfriend, Isyss, is next to him. (That’s me in the aisle, enjoying all the luxury Southwest has to offer.)
Clay and Isyss were in the audience yesterday, when I dragged 3,500 Jersey Mike’s employees through the sewer, to make a few larger points about the value of work ethic, especially when combined with an entrepreneurial spirit.
“We really enjoyed your story,” said Clay. “It was gross, but funny, and gave all of us GM’s food for thought.”
“GM?” I said. “You’re a general manager?”
“Yeah.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m 20,” said Clay.
“Where’s your store?” I asked.
“Attleboro,” he said.
“Outside of Boston?”
“That’s the one,” he said.
Long story short, Clay started making subs when he was 16. Got promoted to Shift Leader. Got promoted again to assistant manager. And then, 8 months ago, Clay got promoted to General Manager. He now supervises 22 
people, and oversees all aspects of the operation.
“Is there a path to six-figures,” I asked.
“Oh yeah,” said Clay. “I’m on it. With profit sharing, it’s easy.”
“What’s next?”
“Probably a franchisee,” he said.
“By when?” I asked.
“Next couple years,” he said. “Before I’m 25. God willing.”
“And what about Isyss,” I asked.
“High school sweetheart,” said Clay. “So far so good. It was great to have her here with me.”
I signed a barf bag for Clay and Isyss , and was about to grab a quick nap when a woman came down the aisle on her way to the can.
“Mike Rowe!! I saw you at the conference yesterday! You were fantastic!”
I blushed and quickly learned that Lorraine is the first black woman to run a Jersey Mike’s franchise.
“Where?” I asked.
“Laurel Maryland,” she said. “You gotta stop by the store!”
“Ok.”
“And you gotta meet my son, Patrick! He works with me, and he’s the best!”
“Ok,” I promise. “I’ll see you went we get off the plane.”
I signed another barf bag for Lorraine and her son, as we began our descent into Baltimore, where I’ll be hosting a fundraiser for mikeroweWORKS all day tomorrow. (More info on that here. A few tickets still available.) https://www.guilfordhall.com/…/a-knobel-cause-a...
As I tore into my second bag of pretzels, I thought about the so-called “vanishment of the American Dream,” and the supposed lack of opportunity in our country. And then I thought about Clay and Lorraine, who simply don’t buy into that nonsense. Regular people who work hard every day, climb the ladder of success, and make a great living, feeding a hungry nation.
Food for thought…