Ron Smith would frequently tell his son that if he didn’t do well in school, he would be forced to settle for a job at McDonald’s.
Christopher Smith wound up getting a master’s degree, and yet he’s still working at McDonald’s—as a franchise owner.
Ron and Christopher Smith, operators of the Frsco Corp., opened their 17th McDonald’s location in the Las Vegas Valley February 9 at 6850 South Fort Apache Road.
Ron Smith has been a McDonald’s owner since acquiring his first store in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in 1996. Christopher Smith joined after graduating from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C.
The stores touch all corners of Southern Nevada, from the second location on Horizon Ridge and College drives in Henderson to the newest location in the southwest Valley. Ron Smith sold the original franchise in Arizona.
“I’ve always had business at the top of my mind, and McDonald’s at the time was considered the No. 1 franchise you wanted to get into,” Ron Smith said. “I worked my way into getting a franchise, and one turned into two and here we are with 17.”
Managing the daily operations at 17 stores, the owners stress, is a team effort. And their team is 850 members strong.
Father and son take turns visiting the stores throughout the week. When Ron Smith makes an appearance, he’s greeted by staff like royalty. They yell, “Ron’s here”—not as a cue to other employees to perform at their best, but because Smith always seems to lighten the mood, his son said.
“Many people notice my sense of humor,” Ron Smith, 75, said. “I think that is very, very key [in management]. It’s something I have discovered throughout my life, actually, is that people retain a little more when you keep [the mood] light. Attaching a little sense of humor can go a far way.”
Robert Hansen, 30, started working for Frsco as a teenager growing up in Las Vegas. The family kept promoting him until he became the general manager at one of their locations.
A few years ago, Hansen told the Smiths he was tired of working in the restaurant and wanted to enroll in college. They coordinated for him to attend the College of Southern Nevada on the Archways to Opportunity tuition assistance program, and Hansen earned a degree in informational technology.
Hansen still works for the corporation as its operations technology manager, where he’s dispatched from the Frsco offices to a store when its tech—say a cash register—isn’t functioning.
“They were so supportive of my career change,” Hansen said. “It’s a family environment here. When Ron comes in cracking jokes with me, it’s like [a fatherly figure] checking in on his family.”
Christopher Smith, who has a professional background in strategic intelligence and a degree in national security studies, couldn’t pass up a chance to work alongside his father in business. The men each said they are constantly evolving in their approach to running the stores, and borrow entrepreneurship methods from one another.
Ron Smith, a Vietnam war veteran, has been a businessman for decades and has a wealth of knowledge. He knows a good opportunity when he sees one, his son said.
Christopher Smith is meticulously organized and sticks to his plans, something he retained from his educational background. “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree,” said Ron, in regard to his son’s business prowess.
“I noticed that there was probably never going to be another time to have that kind of opportunity to learn the business and learn how to run a business that’s growing really fast,” Christopher Smith said of joining forces with his father.
Ron Smith is willing to teach anyone the ropes, whether that’s his son as a McDonald’s operator or one of the employees at a location. Hansen said Ron Smith’s site visits frequently include him pitching in to help or showing a worker the tricks of the trade.
Ron Smith’s reputation with his staff is similar to that in the international McDonald’s community. He serves as the local chapter president of the Black McDonald’s Operators Association and has previously worked two terms as the vice president of strategy for the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association.
McDonald’s has 186 Black owners around the globe, the company said. The Smiths are proud to be part of that group.
“Working side by side to nurture and grow our business has been the experience of a lifetime and one that I am grateful for every day,” Ron Smith told a group of business colleagues and supporters during a grand opening ceremony for the newest store.
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