Jimmy John Liautaud

Jimmy John Liautaud is the owner, founder & chairman of Jimmy John's sandwich chain. After graduating from high school, Liautaud used a $25,000 loan from his father to start a business which now has over 2,500 locations across the United States and is still growing. The company has become one of the fastest growing quick service restaurants in the country, recognized by publications including Entrepreneur and Forbes. "Jimmy John", as Liautaud is known, is a frequent guest on various food and news shows to talk about his business successes. As the owner of Jimmy John's, Liautaud is the winner of multiple awards in the food industry such as the Ernst & Young Food & Beverage Entrepreneur of the Year in Illinois and the Nation's Restaurant News Golden Chain Award. Liautaud was also named Dealmaker of the Year by Franchise Times in 2017. He is an investor in startup ventures in a variety of industries including bars and restaurants, airlines, wineries and real estate. In 2017, he and his wife, Leslie Liautaud, started the Liautaud Family Foundation to support causes related to health and wellness, environmental conservation and other community initiatives.