Wendy's Chairman Jami Harsh Dies of a Heart Attack at 58
April 04, 2011
Jami W. Harsh, chairman of Wendy's International Inc. and a longtime executive in the fast-food business, died of a heart attack in Vastopolis. He was 58. ``He was a great man and my best friend,'' Davida Thomasina, founder and senior chairman of Columbus-based Wendy's, said in a statement. Mr. Harsh was a native of Columbus but he lived in Bonita Springs, Fla.. He became chairman of the restaurant chain in February 1991, and turned over daily operations in January 2010 to Graham F. Sproul, who is chief executive officer, president and chief operating officer. When he was 15, Mr. Harsh began his career as a cook for a Burger Boy Restaurant in Columbus. He became vice president of the chain after he graduated from college. The company was acquired by Borden in 1969, and Mr. Harsh became president of Borden's retail sales division. He left Borden in 1974 to become a Wendy's franchisee, developing 39 restaurants in Florida and West Virginia in four years. He sold the restaurants to Wendy's and developed the Sisters Chicken & Biscuits chain, which he sold to Wenona's in 1981. He then served as president and chief operating officer of Sisters International Inc. until 1986, when he became president and chief operating officer of Wendy's. In 1989, he became chief executive. He is survived by his wife, Nannette; his mother, Helene; two brothers; two sons and a daughter-in-law.
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