Bright Ideas From Canada?

McDonald’s Operators have asked, “Who is this Richard Ellis person  mentioned in Don Thompson’s New Year letter"?

Richard Ellis was at the center of one of the past decade's most embarrassing events for McDonald’s USA.

In 2008 it became publicly known that McDonald’s Corp. had placed VP Richard Ellis on
the Board of Directors of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commence (NGLCC).
In addition McDonald’s was making monetary contributions to the group.

This caught the attention of family advocacy groups who launched a boycott of their local McDonald’s which generated substantial publicity and in certain parts of the country 
hurt sales and the brand's local image. This of course caused an uproar among 
McDonald's Operators.

Once Oak Brook saw the error of their ways they pulled Ellis from the NGLCC board and suddenly realized he was desperately needed in Canada. The boycotts were ended and 
lessons were learned. 

But now, for 2014, he seems to be the person with all the answers. 

Here’s a little history from 2008

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