By Chris B. Bennett
The Seattle Medium
Valerie Artis, owner of the Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Bellevue, is a firm believer in leading by example. For Artis, a first generation American whose parents migrated to the United States from Panama, her journey through corporate America and entrepreneurship in many ways was driven by a strong commitment to personal priorities.
Growing up, Artis aspired to be an ambassador and prepared herself to follow that dream by obtaining a B.A. from UCLA in political science and Japanese studies, and a graduate degree in international relations from UC – San Diego.
“I always liked people and politics,” said Artis. “Condoleezza Rice was one of my role models, and I aspired to walk in that vein.”
However, those aspirations would get sidelined as Artis, after finishing school, returned to Los Angeles, married her husband, Greg, who she met at UCLA, and began working for Direct TV. At the time Direct TV had international components in Latin America and Japan, which allowed Artis to utilize her educational experience and expand her knowledge of international marketing.
Artis ultimately landed a position in sports marketing with Direct TV, where she oversaw all of the Direct TV marketing for their NBA, NFL, Major League Soccer (MLS), WNBA, and NHL packages.
While Artis’s career at Direct TV continued to flourish, it was her commitment to family that prompted her to look for opportunities closer to home. Not only was she working long hours, but she also commuted an hour and forty minutes each way to and from work.
Artis had grown up in a household, where family time was very important, and her mother made a point to cook dinner ever night. Despite having a very busy schedule, Artis maintained a similar standard for her family, as she cooked for her family six days per week – with Friday being the only exception.
“They [my parents] worked hard to make sure that my siblings and I were provided for,” Artis said. “There was never a day that went by that we didn’t know we were loved. And whether we had a four-course meal on the table or not, there was never any doubt that we would be taken care of.”
Artis, who takes pride in patterning herself in the mode of her mother, worked very hard to balance her career and her family, but ultimately she chose to leave Direct TV and find a job that allowed her to spend more time with her family.
“The travel wasn’t going to work, it was too far and it was taking its toll,” said Artis. “I had promised my kids and my husband that I would find a job within a 14 mile radius and I’d be able to get back and forth [from work].
Artis found a job working in the corporate office of a national restaurant chain, which was located just 10 miles away from her house, and cut her commute down dramatically.
“I could get to and from work in about 14 to 15 minutes,” said Artis. “I was able to get to my kids’ events and get home to be a good mom and be a good wife and still be a career woman because I was determined to be a career woman. I worked too hard in school, so I was going to juggle both. That’s what my mom did so I wasn’t going to do anything shy of that.”
Artis started off as a regional marketing manager and then became part of the company’s international marketing team that launched new locations in Latin America, as the company expanded into Mexico and Central America. Artis later became part of the menu and product marketing team, where they oversaw what goes on the menu, national promotions and efforts to drive traffic to restaurants.
Artis’ interest in Chick-Fil-A grew out of connection with the values of the company and their willingness to connect with the communities that they serve. For Artis, who has a passion for giving back to the community and helping youth, the opportunity to work in an environment that allows her to follow that passion was a significant factor that drew her towards company.
“The opportunity for Chick-Fil-A was more of a personal growth opportunity, where I aligned with the values that this brand stands behind from the perspective of connecting with the community and being a part of more than just a restaurant,” said Artis, who, along with her husband, Greg, served as a volunteer track coach before relocating to Seattle.
“Chick-Fil-A really allows me that opportunity to be the professional, work, you know, have that career, but in that career is my community service,” she continued. “I don’t have to separate the two any more. They are now one for me.”
Despite that connection, it wasn’t until Artis’ oldest son was gearing up for college when she decided to finally apply to become a franchise owner at Chick-Fil-A. According to Artis, her son, who has a GPA over 4.0 and could get into any college he wanted, but was overcome by a fear of failure, as expectations from friends and family grew about which school he should attend. With the prospect of acquiring a Chick-Fil-A franchise being equally, if not more, rigorous and intense than applying and getting accepted into some of the top colleges and universities in the country, Artis chose to not only apply for a franchise, but to use the opportunity to teach her son a life lesson in the process – you only fail if you fail to try.
With over 27,000 applicants for Chick-Fil-A franchises per year, and less than 100 of them selected to receive a franchise the likelihood of Artis receiving a franchise, based on numbers alone, was slim but attainable.
“Here was this opportunity with an application process that is just as stringent, just as competitive as college,” Artis said. “I thought well let me just try and what’s going to happen is when Chick-Fil-A says ‘No’ to me, I’m going to pick myself up and dust myself off and I’m going to say ‘See son, you can just try again. Reset your focus, get back into the game, you are never defeated.’ That was my whole plan.”
“I was going to get a no, and I was going to teach a valuable lesson that my world does not come to an end, and you just keep going,” she added.
That plan never materialized as Artis kept making it further and further along in the process. However, she made sure that her son was with her every step of the way. If she was preparing for meetings, answering questionnaires, writing essays, participating in teleconferences she made sure he was around to see how she handled it.
“I took him along the journey,” said Artis. “He got to see that first hand, which I think, in hindsight, is a very valuable lesson for a young person in high school to see.”
Fast forward to today and Artis along with her husband are hard at work making sure that customers leave their restaurant with an enjoyable dining experience. While Chick-Fil-A has a policy that only allows for one owner of a franchise, they recognize that the operator is part of a family unit that must be on the same page in order to be successful.
In the case of Greg Artis, the transition that his wife has made from the corporate world to becoming an entrepreneur is an extension of the philosophies and values that they both share – something that neither of them takes for granted.
“Stewardship has to do with whatever has been placed in your hands, elevating that to a higher status, and that’s all Valerie has ever done,” says Greg. “She’s always wanted to be an entrepreneur from ever since I met her back in college. It was just a matter of finding something that was going to mirror that part of herself and Chick-Fil-A embodies that same spirit.”
“I think one of the things that we were taught early on was to be steadfast and committed to whatever you put your hand to,” Greg continued. “For us that has played out with that sense of purpose in service to others.”
“We don’t make everyone happy, but we work really hard to get everyone a good experience,” he added.
Even though they are new to the area, the Artis’ look forward to having the same commitment to the community and giving back as they had in Pasadena.
“I didn’t come to Chick-Fil-A to make millions,” said Artis. “It wasn’t about the dollars and cents. It was about doing what I already do. I love being involved in community whether I was volunteering or coaching.”
“I’ve always said it’s ok to color outside of the lines,” says Artis. “You don’t have to be locked into what people think of you or what they expect of you. It’s what you expect of yourself and how far you are willing to push yourself to get there. “
