Who is Chad Barnett?
Chad Barnett is the President of Foods 2000, Inc. who was born in Texas, but fell in love with Phoenix, now calling the Valley his home.
What is Chad Barnett’s story?
Chad’s and his wife Jenna moved to Phoenix in 1997 for his work, and they instantly fell in love with Arizona. Within a few years, Chad met Rick Ueable, who owned about a dozen Subway franchisees in Arizona. He and his partner were looking for someone to assist in operations management, and since Chad and his wife fell in love with the Valley – he jumped at the opportunity. Over the past 15 years, Chad has worked with Rick and his parter to expand their business (Foods 2000, Inc) to 41 Subway locations and counting.
But, Chad’s life really changed in 2005 when he joined another organization that Rick was involved with, Partners in Action. The nonprofit focuses on developing and funding orphanages, soup kitchens and women’s shelters in more than 20 under-developed countries worldwide. Chad joined Rick on a charitable trip in East Africa to lend a helping hand. The trip included stops to provide aid to women and children in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. While Chad says he is certainly proud of the help they provide, he’d be lying if he didn’t say that he needed Africa and those great kids more than they need him by a longshot.
Similarly eager to help kids right here in Arizona, Chad began volunteering with Subway Kids & Sports of Arizona (SKS) about 10 years ago. The organization focuses on providing sports equipment, uniforms, registration fees and access to major sporting events for kids who might not otherwise be able to participate. The group was wholly conceived and launched by local Subway franchisees and their partners, which is unique to Arizona.
In addition to raising money to provide grants to nonprofits in Arizona serving children each year, SKS has a signature program called Cycle for Success. Through the program, SKS visits schools and rewards children with new bikes, helmets, locks and a Subway-catered party for doing random acts of kindness that might otherwise go unnoticed. When they go into the schools, the kids are so happy and grateful – Chad says it makes him wish he could give a bike to every single kid in the school. It’s definitely an event he looks forward to every month. Their partner on this is the Be Kind People Project, who share a similar mission to SKS in that they want to help children.
Chad also belongs to a men’s group of like-minded entrepreneurs, the Camelback Society. While they all have causes they personally support, they wanted to do something collectively to inspire and impact local kids. They had heard of Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin, which is the largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America, and thought Phoenix would be a perfect place for a similar program.
So, they got to work on the first-ever Arizona Children’s Business Fair in 2015 and just had a successful second fair this past February. The one-day event gives kids the opportunity to spread their entrepreneurial wings by creating a product or service and eventually launching the business at the fair. They worked with kids on product ideas, development and even strategies to pitch their product to customers – both of Chad’s daughters have participated in it the past two years!
Chad says, “It’s my goal to be able to help kids use their gifts and talents the best way they can to grow and help others. Of all things, I have sandwiches to thank for a lot of the good I am able to do these days, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Chad Barnett’s future dream?
Chad’s dream is to see his children grow as well as become successful and happy. Chad has a son who is 14, a daughter who is 11 and his youngest daughter who is nine. At this stage, Chad says you could call him a chauffeur. Whether it’s choir rehearsals, dance recitals or football practice, Chad loves being able to see his children participate in things they enjoy and looks forward to what the future holds for them.
On the business side, Chad is looking forward to seeing how Subway continually grows and improves it products.
Chad says, “In March, Subway rolled out with Rotisserie-Style Chicken, which is 100 percent breast-meat, raised without antibiotics. It’s a game changer for those who love a crave-able, better for you chicken sandwich! We are also officially offering Simply LAYS®, which simply put, have no artificial flavors or preservatives as well as Simply Beverages®, which are never sweetened, concentrated or frozen. It also really validates Subway’s commitment to fresh and healthy options, so I couldn’t be more excited about seeing the brand continue to debut fresh, new products.”
What makes Chad Barnett fabulous?
Chad said he thinks it’s pretty fabulous when he sees people helping other people out.
“There are so many people with talents, so when they use it for the greater good, then they are doing well in my book,” Chad says. “I work with a lot of talented, hard-working people, and look up to all of the great work they do in the community.”
Chad clearly exemplifies all of these things with his devotion to giving back to the community. He sets a great example for others.
Chad Barnett’s favorite quote?
“You always choose what you want the most.”
Chad says, “this has always resonated with me. We may face many different kinds of obstacles in life. It’s important to understand that life doesn’t always give us what we want, so we have to work hard to follow our dreams, and whatever we’re faced, we have to remain upbeat and positive.”
