Profile: Deborah Allen

• Undergraduate Degree, Business Management and Communications, Concordia University
• MBA Degree, Marquette University, 1997 EMBA Program

Deborah Allen has a message for everyone chasing a dream: "If you want something, go get it, because no one is going to hand it to you." And she should know. A 1997 graduate of the first Marquette University College of Business Executive MBA (EMBA) class, Debbie is the owner of nine Milwaukee-area McDonald's restaurants that are open 364 days a year.

A genuine self-made woman, Debbie's story begins back in the early 1980s when she worked for Wisconsin Gas (now part of WE Energies). She went to college part-time through the education program that Wisconsin Gas offered. It took her nearly six years to earn her bachelor's degree in business management and communications from Concordia University. After earning her degree, she was approached by a company vice president to create an internal consulting department that worked with business units to create business plans and improve their processes. It wasn't long in this very visible position that Debbie realized that she needed an advanced degree. "Part of my decision to go to Marquette to earn an MBA had to do with the high level, high profile position I was in. I needed to level the playing field and in order to earn the respect of some of my colleagues, I needed the credentials as well as the experience," she said.

The Executive MBA Experience
Debbie credits her classmates in the EMBA program for much of what she learned while in the program. "There was an extremely advanced level of knowledge in our class group which enhanced the quality of discussion and conversation. My classmates really raised the bar in every course." It was during her time in the EMBA program that she learned that the McDonald's corporation was looking for minority franchisees in Illinois and Wisconsin. After completing the EMBA program, she decided to attend a rigorous applicant program on nights and weekends that would prepare her to be a franchise owner. She did this while still maintaining her "day job." The 11-month process taught her everything about McDonald's from the ground up. Literally. "I learned how to mop a floor, make fries and eventually to run a restaurant!" She credits the tremendous and thorough training program for contributing to her success.

The first one
As soon as she finished her training, McDonald's had a store for her. Through what she explains as fate as well as the acquisition of Wisconsin Gas by WEPCO, Debbie chose the transition time of her current company as a perfect opportunity to take a chance of a lifetime. In July 1999, she acquired her first McDonald's restaurant on East Capital Drive in Milwaukee. In September of 2000, she purchased the second one. But that was just the beginning. The following September, she purchased the third and fourth McDonald's, all in Milwaukee, and in December 2001, she purchased the fifth one in Glendale. In February 2002, she sealed another significant and wonderful partnership in her life — she married another operator, Steve Allen.

Debbie and Steve are owners of the Mac Allen Partnership which now owns and operates nine McDonald's restaurants and employs more than 500 people. Today, Debbie manages both the back of house operations such as human resources and payroll and the day-to-day running of the restaurants. She is always available to help or train on the floor.

Her long-range plans include improving the quality, service and cleanliness in her existing restaurants, some of which are in very challenging parts of the city. "The urban stores are very profitable, but also very value and price sensitive as many of our customers are on fixed incomes." She and the consortium of other owners in the Central City Network (CCN) are sensitive to this and provide local marketing specials unique to their stores. She and other CCN operators in the area are dedicated to growing and serving their customer base and caring for their community, often donating thousands of dollars to a scholarship fund for local high school seniors. She is also personally devoted to training young people and helping them develop into successful workers and productive members of society. As local owners and operators, Debbie and Steve embrace the same ideals with which they were trained and educated. They are dedicated to creating a culture in which their employees can learn, advance and grow with customers who are well cared for. "We are a people-focused organization. It is people who make us successful."