By David Jernigan, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta
Many companies have tried, but few have truly uncovered Chick-fil-A’s secret sauce that blends personable and professional to deliver delectable customer service that is consistent at scale. And if for-profits haven’t perfected it, how then can nonprofits leverage the success of Chick-fil-A and replicate its model of excellence? That is the question we hope to answer with The Tassopoulos Centers for Innovation & Excellence launching this spring at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (BGCMA).
You might recognize the namesake: beloved Chick-fil-A President & COO Tim Tassopoulos, who recently retired after a 46-year tenure that spanned from humble beginnings as a 17-year-old hourly employee at the North DeKalb Mall site in 1977 to becoming only the fourth president in the company’s history in 2016. Given the indelible mark Tim has left on Chick-fil-A, the company naturally wanted to find a way to honor his decades of service upon his retirement in December 2023. It was truly my pleasure to be in the room (or actually more like the arena) for Tim’s retirement party when he heard the surprise announcement of Chick-fil-A’s $1 million investment in BGCMA to support the launch of a new initiative that will bear his family’s name. And while I might be a bit biased, I can’t think of a more appropriate way to celebrate Tim upon his retirement than to do so with a generous gift that will ultimately impact thousands of kids and teens across Metro Atlanta.
An engaged civic leader, Tim has generously given of his time and resources to many causes in our community, including nearly a decade of service with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. A dedicated member of the organization’s Board of Trustees, Tim somehow found the time to serve as chairman from 2020 to 2022. I joined BGCMA in 2020 towards the start of his time as trustee chairman, and it has been a true privilege to work alongside such an incredibly compassionate leader and strategic thinker, someone with whom I now have the honor of calling a mentor.
As I reflect on my own leadership journey, I am reminded of the first time I met Tim. Little did I know that this meeting would mark the beginning of a mentorship that would shape my leadership and inspire a transformative initiative for our organization. Eager to impress this prominent leader, I had spent weeks preparing for what I believed would be a to-the-point, corporate-style conversation. I remember feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness—enthused about the insights this seasoned executive could offer me but also a bit intimidated by his personal success and uneasy due to my preconceived notions about the company. Tim immediately put me at ease and quickly demonstrated that his love for all people was also a true reflection of the culture he was helping to shape at Chick-fil-A.
Much to my surprise, he spent the first half of our meeting getting to know me personally. He asked about where I grew up, my family, and my professional journey to BGCMA. I soon discovered that the time Tim took to get to know me personally was a reflection of how much he values people, something that became even more evident over time. Even with his incredibly busy schedule, he somehow always found time to respond to my emails within 24 hours, pre-read trustee meeting materials and provide substantive feedback, offer advisement when needed, and send thoughtful greetings during special occasions. Since I’ve known Tim, there has not been a Thanksgiving that has gone by where I haven’t received a personalized text message from him telling me how grateful he is for me.
For Tim, relationship-building is equally important as strategic thinking. So, it should come as no surprise that a key ingredient in Chick-fil-A’s secret sauce is culture, one that is deeply rooted in connecting with employees and customers on a personable and professional level. Likewise, our Tassopoulos Centers for Innovation & Excellence aims to strengthen the onboarding experience for new employees and amplify a Club-wide culture of servant leadership, genuine hospitality, and a commitment to excellence. We will pilot these centers at our John H. Harland Club in Atlanta’s West End with hopes to expand to four sites that serve as onboarding training hubs for each of our four regions across Metro Atlanta.
In the spirit of Tim’s own leadership philosophy, our Centers will draw inspiration from the proven culture-building tactics employed in Chick-fil-A’s onboarding process. As Tim stated: “The Tassopoulos Centers for Innovation & Excellence is an incredible honor, and I am grateful to Chick-fil-A for this very generous gift to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. It is my pleasure to support the launch of this new initiative that will help to ensure that youth development staff at the Clubs are equipped with the tools and mindset to make a lasting impact on the lives of the young people they serve.”
The Tassopoulos Centers for Innovation and Excellence will not only be a tribute to Tim’s exceptional career but also a living testament to his mentorship. Tim’s approachable and down-to-earth demeanor has been a guiding light for me personally, and I am excited to see his influence extend to the next generation of leaders as we work collectively to ignite the unlimited potential of kids & teens across Metro Atlanta and beyond.
As we embark on this exciting journey, I invite Atlanta’s business leaders to join us in championing The Tassopoulos Centers for Innovation and Excellence by making a tax-deductible contribution to support training youth development staff making a great impact to ignite great futures. Together, we can build great futures for our youth, guided by the principles of innovation, excellence, and the transformative power of mentorship.
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