A Champion of Education

I was 8 years old when my brother took me to my first Burger King restaurant in downtown Miami. My family had fled Cuba and that was the first time I ever ate a Whopper or a hamburger and I was completely blown away by the flavor and the size of it! I remember telling my brother, when I grow up I am going to own this restaurant. 

Eight more years passed and my brother informed me that a Burger King was being built in our neighborhood and that I should go and apply for a job so I could get some experience before I bought the place. I got hired on April 1, 1970 and it put me on a course to help me achieve the American Dream.

In the spring of 1972, I was working at BK #26 when I met Mr. McLamore for the first time with our District Manager, Ramon Moral. I was introduced by my General Manager, Jim Winstead, who told Mr. McLamore that I was a great employee but I would be leaving at the end of the summer to attend college and work at my father's marina. Jim made a comment that it could be possible to work at Burger King and go to college. I did not think much about the comment and went back to work. 

Nearly a month later, Jim Winstead called me to his office and handed me an envelope from Mr. McLamore. The letter let me know that if I decided to stay I would be promoted to an Assistant Manager and this would allow me to receive an excellent benefit package from our parent company, the Pillsbury Company, and I would be eligible to enter into the Pillsbury Tuition Assistance Program. It said that I would receive 100% tuition reimbursement plus cost of all books as long as I was an employee of Burger King. 

I remember asking Jim Winstead, “what's the catch?” He said “None, as long as you work here.” He also told me that as a Manager I would be eligible for other great benefits like health insurance, a manager bonus, the Employee Stock Purchase Program, and the pension plan. This opportunity helped me go to college and I stayed with Burger King my whole career.

My education came full circle in 1996 when I was asked by the president of Burger King, Paul Clayton, if I would be interested in attending an inaugural class to celebrate the opening of the Jim McLamore Executive Education Center at the University of Miami. I immediately said yes and agreed to attend! 

The following month, I went to Coral Gables, Florida to attend the grand opening of the Jim McLamore Executive Education Center. It was very exciting and rewarding for me to represent Burger King franchisees at the opening of this great addition to the University of Miami. Jim was ill at the time and was unable to be there but I and about 25 other BK franchisees were there to proudly represent Jim. 

While this was a great accomplishment for Jim, we all knew he would not be with us much longer. It leaves a tribute to a great man that cared so much about education and the importance of getting an education. 

Jim's legacy has always pointed toward the importance of education. He believed very strongly that a good education was the vehicle toward achieving success...as long as you applied yourself and worked hard. Jim admired people who worked to better themselves. And he believed that an education was the place to start.

Today I continue to enjoy the many fortunes that came from that chance meeting with Jim McLamore. I have been a successful BK franchisee for 33 years. I will forever be grateful to Jim for the great kindness and opportunity he offered to a 17 year old teenager that he had never met before. It forever changed my life for the better. Thanks to Jim, I am truly living the American Dream.

- Alex Salguiero - Franchisee (May 6, 2019)