BY John Dunn
Waffle House President Walt Ehmer doesn't give much credibility to the notion of a secret to success.
Instead, Waffle House management looks to two degrees of separation, said Ehmer, IE 89, the luncheon speaker at the Georgia Tech Alumni Career Conference on March 28.
"The basic premise is there is no 'big thing,'" he explained. "It is just a series of small, simple things done day in and day out, week in and week out, that add up over time to make a difference.
"There is no big significant event. It's the equivalent of compounding interest. Any one day won't make one bit of difference whether it is in your plus column or minus column. It's those series of things added up over time that create opportunities. When I think of the secret of success, I think it's slight separation on a daily basis."
Ehmer joined Waffle House in 1992. He was named director of purchasing in 1996 and steadily climbed the ladder, becoming vice president for finance and then chief financial officer. He was named president in 2006.
Waffle House was one of more than 120 companies recruiting alumni and graduating seniors at the Career Conference. About 1,000 alumni participated in the daylong event.
"I think the most critical thing you can do in choosing a career is — if you want to make a long career out of it like I do — find a winning team to play for because then everything else falls into place. That gives you a platform to develop yourself and your reputation and your personal career from there."
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