Profiles with Clay: Michael Hadley

 

Editor’s note: Profiles with Clay is intended to provide information about those in the Fort Smith region who find themselves — purposefully or via promotion — newly engaged in a business or civic leadership role. Furthermore, they have demonstrated the capacity and willingness to improve some aspect of their community, and have expressed a desire for regional leadership that is more active, aggressive and accommodating. The profiles will be posted on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.

story and interview by Clay McKinney

The name Michael Hadley came up several times in discussions of who to interview for this series of articles. His name had always been linked to the McDonald’s name in our region but a quick Google search turned up much more. The top search results were not related to McDonald’s but of community involvement and charitable activity.

As a 33-year-old owner of three McDonald’s franchises and the father of three (with another on the way), it’s hard to believe Michael had the time for all of this. Within minutes of our first meeting, it quickly became apparent that if anyone could juggle such a variety of activities, it was Michael Hadley.

Hadley, a native of Fort Smith, graduated from Southside and the University of Arkansas School of Business with a degree in accounting. His father (Jim) already owned multiple McDonald’s franchises throughout the region so following graduation Michael began the long and tedious process of training to become a franchise owner himself. After several years of training (even though he had worked at McDonald’s since childhood) Michael made it through the qualifications to be a franchise owner. He and his wife searched the country to find franchises for sale and found many opportunities from California to St. Thomas Island but ultimately decided to stay in Fort Smith, mainly due to the family-friendly environment.

With money saved from a parking lot striping company, started by Michael and his wife, Michelle, in college, Michael was given the opportunity to invest in cell towers by J. Lee and Joyce Didier. Once he decided to move into the family business, Michael sold the cell towers and used the money as a down payment on his first McDonald’s franchise and has added two more since.

Our region has special meaning for Michael and he was eager to expand on my list of questions.

THE INTERVIEW
Clay McKinney: Tell me about some of the activities, groups or organizations you are a part of that help shape the Fort Smith region”
“Right now I’m on the board of the Fort Smith Arts Center. I’m also on the Wine and Roses committee which is a board for the cancer support house. They hold the Wine and Roses event each year which raises money for the cancer house.

“I’m also involved in and very passionate about our local Ronald McDonald House chapter. We don’t have a house yet but I think the area needs it and I think it’s big enough to have one. With the start of the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit) at St. Edwards and with the help of Dr. Coloso (the Neonatologist who helped start the NICU department) we’ve been working to get this ball rolling. I can see it in the near future, we’re getting really close. It would provide a place for families to stay while their newborn is being cared for in the NICU.

“Also, I serve as the vice president of the Fort Smith Public School Foundation board. They give teachers grants once a year and it’s amazing the technology that’s going in the Fort Smith Public Schools because of these grants. We get to tour the schools once or twice a year and I’m telling you Southside, from when I was there, it looks like a small university.

“Let’s see, I’m a member of YEL (Young Emerging Leaders group of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce) and I’m also the vice president of the Riley Farms Property Owners Association, which is very personal to me. It’s a way to voice your opinion about your neighborhood and learn about what going on in it.”

CM: What would you say a young leader’s role should be in our region?
“I really think they need to get out and give back to the community. I know so many folks who gripe about something but they don’t get out and do anything about it. They’re not a part of any organizations; they’re not out volunteering their time. You don’t have to be on a board, you can be on a committee.

“When I say give back, get involved to give back. That’s probably one of the weaknesses of the younger group is that they’re still trying to get settled and may not have as much to give as someone older might, but just give back one way or another.”

CM: Some might say there is an underlying ‘old vs. young’ theme around here. Do you believe it exists and what are your thoughts on bridging this gap?
“You’ve got to have a mix of both. The older will bring ideas of what didn’t work in the past, but then you’ll have the young trying new things and bringing them together works. A lot of the boards I’m on, I see the young and the old so I really don’t see a ‘young versus old.’ I don’t see the problem because every board I’m on, there are both and I think you’ve got to have that.

“From the governmental side, it is mostly the older generation. I’m not sure the younger generation knows how to get involved in that.

“I guess I just don’t see the gap because I’m involved and I’m in these organizations and I see both sides there. The gap may exist but I don’t think it’s as bad as some people make it.”

CM: A lot has been said over the past few years about the importance of keeping young professionals in our region and its pivotal role in the future success of our region. What are your thoughts on this?
“I definitely think it’s important to keep young professionals in this community. Opportunity must be here for them to stay and opportunity comes with the bigger cities and the bigger companies and unfortunately we’re still a smaller town in that aspect. I think it’s important to keep them here but it’s hard unless you grow.

“I don’t think the college kids want to necessarily move away but I think there are better opportunities elsewhere. Unless we grow and become a bigger town the opportunities are going to be limited.”

CM: How do you envision our community when the next generation is in your position?
“I think it will be larger and nicer than it is now. I think the downtown area will have changed a lot. With Chaffee Crossing and everything going on out there it will probably be more spread out more down Highway 71 toward Greenwood. I think it will have a similar atmosphere that it does now but it will be bigger. I think it can get bigger but still have the same, pleasant feel to it.”

CM: Some believe that the young leaders’ needs to lie in the political arena in order to bring about change. Do you believe this to be the case?
“I’m not into politics but I feel I’m making a difference. I’m not making as much a difference as I would like to make, it’s a little change here, a little change there but hopefully, in my lifetime, they will all add up to bigger changes. For example, being a part of the (Fort Smith) Arts Center. It’s a small part but how many lives is that going to change over time? It could. It could change quite a few kids’ lives when they come in and see the art.

“Another example is the Ronald McDonald House. It could change a lot of lives. It’s all great but it’s not enough for me. I’m lucky to have such a supportive wife; it seems like every night I’ve got a meeting, or event. But you don’t have to be in politics to do it. Bill Gates is changing lives everyday and he’s not a politician. I think doing little things in the community helps and it adds up.”

CM: Our region has a long history in manufacturing but many would like to see us move away from this. How do you feel about this and what do you feel are our obstacles?
“Our core is manufacturing and it always has been but I think you need a mix of both manufacturing and high tech. A few years ago I thought Whirlpool was gone. I thought we were going to be a ghost town because of all the companies that supply Whirlpool here; it would be a domino effect. Now we’ve got Mitsubishi and Mars coming and I see we’re still on a good path and I think the future of Fort Smith still looks good.

“I keep thinking that we will get some spillover from Northwest Arkansas. We’re only 45 minutes down the road and eventually someone will say ‘Hey, the cost of living is ridiculous here (Northwest Arkansas). I’m going to move down there.’ I keep thinking it will happen, and it might, I just don’t know when.”

CM: Some say the young leadership groups within our community are simply social groups and that they really don’t have a productive function, what is your reaction to those who believe this?
“Well, in social groups you meet people and make connections and that’s the most important part, making the right connections. Let’s say one member gets on a board and is making a difference and they are looking for more board members. They can use those connections to find others to help make a difference.

“I can see where some people would say that but at some of these functions I see young professionals that I don’t normally see, that I haven’t met. From that aspect the social part is great. You get to know some young professionals your age in the community wanting the same things. I don’t know where else I would go to meet these folks.”

CM: If you were “King for a day,” what one thing would you change about our region, and why?
“I think I would change to year-round school. I’ve seen some studies that show these communities are better educated. Maybe that would be a kick start, pulling more people into our community. If people want to come to Fort Smith we have to show that the education is better here than somewhere else. You have to have the statistics to show and for that you have to have the test scores. It’s not like it would change things overnight but if those studies are right, I would change that.

“For example, one study showed how the wealthier kids have better educations and get better jobs. It showed when poorer students went home for the summer they don’t continue their education where the wealthier families have their kids in bible study or some type of class, they are continually learning. So when they come back in the fall, the poorer students, whose families couldn’t afford that kind of stuff, were left behind, even though they may have all ended the school year at the same level. If that could make a difference, I think that would be good for the area.”

About Clay
Clay McKinney is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He’s lived in Fort Smith since 1999 with his wife and two daughters. His short story, “Duplicity,” placed third in the National Writer’s Association Short Story contest in 2007. He’s working on a book with an attorney friend about an arbitration case against the New York Yankees.

You can reach Clay at [email protected]