Every business owner who regards his company passionately – and what owner doesn't feel that way about his enterprise? – wants to make his business a lasting success and leave a positive legacy behind. After all, what's a personal legacy if not a summing up of the best of one's life work?
The legacy I want to leave behind, beyond a successful, enduring Taco well into the future, is to be regarded as a businessman who gave back – gave back to his employees and associates and to the community here in Rhode Island. That's what I do.
At Taco, we regard our employees as our most important asset and No. 1 priority. We would never have been a successful company without them, nor will we be tomorrow. So we give back by providing training and educational opportunities for them free of charge. Taco employees can earn their citizenship, master English as a second language, or take classes to earn their GED, undergraduate degree or even an MBA through Taco.
Giving back to the community, which all of us are a part of, is also a priority. We believe it is our responsibility to help those who help others. The Taco/White Family Foundation works to do just that, and we are able to make gifts to Rhode Island nonprofits in the areas of the arts/music, education, health care, community service and the environment because of the daily contributions our employees make to keep us profitable.
Helping people better themselves is the best legacy anyone can leave behind. •
