2022 - Designing the Family Business Culture: Home Sweet Home

Jane Grote Abell, Chairwoman of Donato’s, shares key learnings from her four decades of experience growing a small pizza shop on the Southside of Columbus into a business that eventually sold to the biggest restaurant company in the world-McDonald's.  But success tasted differently and Donato’s was re-acquired by the original founder, Jim Grote, and Jane Grote Abell so the business could return to the values and culture that attributed to its original success.

Join us as Abell shares how integrating her signature “4C's of Success"- Character, Courage, Conviction and Compassion shapes family business operations and drives family business success.
 
 
About Jane Grote Abell
Growing up Jane slept by the blinking Donato’s sign outside her bedroom window, a giant, lighted arrow pointing toward the little pizzeria her father owned. The Grote family lived in the house right behind Donato’s.
Today, Jane Grote Abell currently holds the title of Chairwoman of the Board.  Over the last four decades, Jane has held a variety of positions at both Donatos Pizza and Jane’s Dough Foods, Donatos’ food service commissary operations. With a degree from Ohio State University in Organizational Communications, and a strong passion for people, she was promoted to Chief People Officer and served in this role during the acquisition by McDonald’s in 1999. During the four years with McDonalds, Jane served as Senior Vice President of Development and maintained her role as Chief People Officer. In 2003, Jane was a major catalyst behind the decision to purchase Donatos back from McDonald’s. Following the buy back, in December of 2006, Jane was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer.
Jane was also featured in CBS’s hit series Undercover Boss where she donned a disguise and went undercover in Donatos restaurants. In 2015, Jane released her first book THE MISSING PIECE: Doing Business the Donatos Way.