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Our Principals > John D. Harkey, Jr.
John Harkey is the Chairman and CEO of holding company Consolidated Restaurant Companies, Inc. (CRC) and operating company Consolidated Restaurant Operations, Inc. (CRO - www.croinc.com). CRC owns and CRO operates more than 85, and franchises more than 25, full-service, casual-dining restaurants located in 12 states, Great Britain and the United Arab Emirates. CRO employs more than 5,000 full and part-time employees. CRO has been named the 70th largest private company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (home to more than 16 "Fortune 500" companies and 4.8 million residents). CRO's brands include Cantina Laredo, III Forks Steakhouse, Cool River Cafe, Silver Fox Steakhouse, El Chico, Good Eats and Lucky's Cafe. CRO serves more than 14 million meals annually.
Looking to the future, CRO's goal is to continue growing at the fastest pace possible without ever compromising its guests' satisfaction. Harkey is responsible within CRC/CRO for, among other things, (1) overseeing their direction and operations, (2) identifying their growth opportunities, (3) structuring and negotiating their debt and equity financing, (4) representing them in both public and private capital markets, (5) working with them to develop new restaurants in new and existing CRC/CRO markets and (6) formulating and implementing their strategic objectives.
Further, Harkey has over 25 years of experience as a private investor concentrating in the acquisition, consolidation and management of both public and private companies. He has also merged, acquired and/or operated companies in a variety of other industries including wholesale healthcare products, wholesale farm and ranch products, petrochemical services, self-storage warehousing, ATM processing services, telecommunications and software development.
Further, Cracken and Harkey own and operate Cracken, Harkey & Co., L.L.C. (CH - www.crackenharkey.com [make this a live link to home page]), which is a Dallas-based, private-equity firm that invests in public and private companies.
Harkey serves, or served, on the Board of Directors and Audit Committees of Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ:LEAP), Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE), Loral Space & Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:LORL), Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.C.(NYSE:ETP), Emisphere Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:EMIS) and the Board of Directors for the Baylor Health Care System Foundation. Further, he serves, or served, on the President's Development Council of Howard Payne University, the Executive Board of Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is a former member of the Young Presidents' Organization.
Harkey obtained a B.B.A. with honors in finance and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. from Stanford University School of Business.
He was raised in Brownwood, Texas, he is a fourth (4th) generation Texas cattle rancher and he and his father maintain an active cattle operation in Katemcy, Texas. Harkey lives today in Dallas, Texas.