Meet Claudia, our 2015 DM of the Year!

claudia

Claudia’s journey with Hardee’s began in 2012.  At the time, Claudia was managing 12 stores for KFC and was stretched thin.  She was always at work and didn’t have any time for her family, so she knew she needed a change.  Claudia had met Tony Parrish, our Regional VP for Heartland stores, long before while working for Wendy’s, and they had remained in touch.  She even considered Tony a mentor, so when things were not going well, she decided to call him and he brought her on with Hardee’s.  Claudia started as a GM so she would be able to have plenty of time at home.  Tony offered the DM position to her a few times, but she kept turning it down.  Finally, when interviews were coming around to fill the position, Claudia talked to her husband and he told her to go for it.  After interviewing with Tony and the other DM’s, Claudia was offered the position!

In her experience, she had only worked with Kansas stores, so the shift to Missouri was a challenging one.  If any of you have ever dealt with the Missouri Health Department, you know what I am talking about!  On her very first day as a DM, there was a surprise health inspection, which the store failed and was closed as a result.  Because Claudia always goes the extra mile, she got right to work, corrected all the issues , and the store reopened the next morning!  Through her time as DM, she has created a strong management team, even bringing on some old management friends from her past.  She has succeeded tremendously in her position and in a short time, rose to the top to claim the prize for DM of the year.  Way to go Claudia!

Claudia has been married to her husband, Edel for 16 years and they live in Kansas with their two children, Gavin, 13 and Erika, 7.  The Sanchez family loves anything and everything sports.  Gavin plays basketball, football and soccer, while Erika is a cheerleader and does gymnastics.  In their spare time you can find them playing any of these sports together as a family.  Edel and Claudia like to read together, take walks, and squeeze in a couple of dinner dates a month.  Claudia loves to spend as much time as possible with her family and appreciates their constant support of her career.

Some Interesting Facts About Claudia:

  • Astrological Sign: Libra
  • Favorite Color: Black & White
  • Favorite Food: All of them! She likes all food and is always happy to try something new.
  • Place She Would Most Like to Visit: Japan – she’s actually planning a trip as week speak!
  • Favorite Hobby: Sports
  • Childhood Dream Job: Attorney
  • Little Known Fact: Claudia grew up in a small town in Mexico until she was 18.  So small in fact that there were about 200 families and only 3 of them sent their children to school.  This is because the middle school was a 2 hour walk, each direction, every day, and Claudia walked it.  It was the only way for her to get an education, but it wasn’t easy!  They were chased by dogs, caught in rain storms, and sometimes had to wait for the rain water to subside so they could cross the river!  Her house had no electricity or water and she did not speak English until moving to Colorado.

Claudia, your story is both interesting and inspiring.  Thank you for sharing it with us!  We are glad you are part of our team.