Recently, when a powerful series of tornadoes rocked the Ohio Valley area causing multiple deaths and millions in damage, one of the hardest hit areas was the town of Henryville, IN, located north-northeast of Louisville. The small town was featured in lots of news coverage, but I didn’t hear much about the town’s claim to fame: it was the hometown of Colonel Harlan Sanders, the man who would go on to create the Kentucky Fried Chicken brand. While Sanders didn’t actually build the first chain of KFC restaurants, he was their most famous spokesman until his death.
I have not heard much of KFC trying to help the town of Henryville out, and I should not have been surprised. Still, it would help a company’s image if they occasionally remembered their roots. Besides, the parent company of KFC, Yum! Brands is headquartered in Louisville. How hard would it be to provide support to the town which is less than an hours’ drive away?
Forgetting ones’ roots is not a good idea for anyone, person or company. When you stray away from your humble past, you lose your perspective. Remembering the past provides you with perspective as you move forward. And if something happens to your origins and you do nothing in response, what does it say to people about you remembering the lessons of today going forward?
I hope KFC is helping out the people of Henryville. I might consider paying more visits to companies who remember their roots when those roots experience trouble. It makes a company a good corporate citizen.
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