Vee’s Inspiration July 11, 2025
To my friend and mentor, Ken Williams.
Today is a day of excitement mixed with a drop of sadness. If you have been a part of a large organization, certain individuals always fill a role that's larger than the role on their name plate. Ken Williams has been that for me for the past two and a half years. For the past 37 years, he has been the person who has trained, managed, and led the various departments in Development at Waffle House. He has hired and mentored so many people over the years, you would not believe me if I told you. To give you a slight perspective of his impact on our company, imagine this: he has personally been involved with, the purchase of , or facilitated the purchase of roughly 500 of the approximately 2,050+ units we have operated over the years. A quarter of our system has Ken Williams' stamp on them.
God makes no mistakes. Things happen the way they are supposed to happen. Two and half years ago when I was asked to lead the Company’s Real Estate Initiative, I had no idea that part of that reason was for me to gain a friend, see another example of a man doing what men should do. Being a leader in his community, being a leader in his family, being a leader at the workplace, a man growing wiser as he has aged, but remaining connected to the future generations. A man being able to put he ego aside to mentor, teach, console, advise, negotiate and befriend a guy like me with zero professional real estate experience and accept that person, another man, and become friends with that man and teach that man so many intangible lesson about grace, service, and humility. Ken has competed in 4 or 5 Iron man races, run countless half marathons and 5ks, has inspired the younger generation by being able to do 50 straight pushups, has a beautiful wife and family, is a respected elder at his church, and has gone to Asheville, NC a couple of times to help people who's lives have been devastated by the floods last year and still comes to work with a great attitude. Man, I'm gonna miss my guy. But I'm so happy and proud of my guy! He gets to retire after 37 years of doing something he loves, and get to continue doing so many other things he loves. My Guy, Ken Williams, thank you for your many years of service to our Brand, thank you for the many years of mentoring and developing so many leaders at Waffle House and outside of Waffle House, but importantly to me, thank you for demonstrating what a well-balanced life looks like. I'll miss your presence around this wonderful team we've built, but I am so happy you can enjoy the flowers of the seeds you've planted over the years. Cheers, my friend, and enjoy the retirement. No worries, I'll still call you, and this is my official invitation for you to join our 2026 “Murph Crew.” Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.
Have a great Friday and stay safe.
“Find something you love and chase it”-Vecus
Vee’s Inspiration @ Vecus.net