Mcdonald employee now runs his own Mcdonalds franchise restaurants.

Sept. 22, 2011 - PRLog -- By Matthew Claxton, Langley Advance September 22, 2011 2:10 AM
 
In the last few years, Ron Knight has seen the two McDonald's franchises he owns change quite a bit.

During construction of the Golden Ears Bridge, he had to move his restaurant located on 199A Street and 96th Avenue. It didn't have to move far - it was just in the way of construction. An entirely new building was built on the same lot.

Now Knight is watching as the finishing touches go up on his Walnut Grove location on 88th Avenue.

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"We're getting there," he said of the renovations, which have taken several months, and have radically changed the internal and external appearance of the building.

"This location had been the same look for a lot of years," Knight said.

The Surrey-born busi-ness owner didn't expect to spend his life and career with the golden arches. He just wanted a job while going to school, and in 1971 he found work at the Whalley McDonalds.

"It was just a way to earn some money," Knight said. "One thing leads to another."

After college, he kept working at the restaurant and for the company, moving up into management.

Then 10 years ago he decided to go out more or less on his own, to become a franchise owner. Part of his reasons for the switch were a desire to settle down, after doing a lot of travelling for the company.

He has settled in to Langley in the years since then.

Now Knight is interested in more than just keeping his restaurants going - he's getting deeply involved with the local community.

With just two restaurants, he already has 130 employees, a mixture of part timers and full timers, from veteran managers to young kids working their first real job.

"A lot stay a lot longer than people would think," he said of his student workers. Many work through high school and college.

Then there's his work with the local business community.

Knight is a founding member of the Walnut Grove Business Association, now up to 130 members, and one of the largest associations in Langley other than the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce.

Also alongside other business owners, he's been working with classes that teach business and entrepreneurial skills at Walnut Grove Secondary.

Then there's the charity work.

Knight pointed out that McDonalds restaurants have always been involved in charities, dating back to the days of the chain's creation.

"That was one of Ray Kroc, the original founder, that was one of his things," Knight said.

For the local businesses, that means supporting various sports teams, and groups like Challenger Baseball and PuCKS. Challenger helps kids with cognitive and physical difficulties, while Langleybased PuCKS targets kids who can't afford to play hockey.

That's in addition to fundraising for Ronald McDonald House.



Although he's transplanted himself from Surrey to Langley over the past decade, Knight is also the chair of the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation. All his children were born there, he said.

"It keeps me busy," he said of his schedule bouncing between two restaurants and his other community commitments.


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