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 Dave
Anderson, a Native American, is an enrolled member of the
Chippewa and Choctaw tribes and is the founder of Famous Dave’s
of America, recognized as one of the Hottest Restaurant Concept’s
in America by Nation’s Restaurant News. Dave is remarkably
unique in his food and his award-winning restaurants, widely
recognized for his extraordinary palate, devotion to detail,
and dedication to constant improvement. In Dave’s own
life, he has experienced frustration and bankruptcy as well
as tremendous success. He firmly believes God has had His
hand over his life. And, Dave believes if it weren’t
for other people giving him second chances he would not be
where he is today, having helped found three publicly traded
companies on Wall Street and creating over 18,000 new jobs.
He has been awarded a Bush Leadership Fellowship, received
a Master’s degree from Harvard University (without having
an undergraduate degree), and recognized as “Emerging
Entrepreneur of the Year” (in Minnesota and the Dakotas)
by Ernst & Young, NASDAQ and USA Today.
Today, Dave devotes himself to making a difference in his
community and in the lives of others less fortunate. As an
avid public speaker, he shares his optimism and inspiration
with youth groups and community organizations, stressing that
no matter how tough things may seem today, if you never give
up your dream and work hard, tomorrow's rewards will always
come. Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network recently recognized
Dave’s leadership development work with Native American
youth. Most recently, President Bush appointed Dave to the
President’s Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and
Universities
DAVID W. ANDERSON
FACT SHEET
• 1971 – Anderson starts first selling business
at age 18 and promptly fails.
• 1972 – Anderson start second business wholesaling
plants to florists in the Chicagoland area. By time he is
21, he secures all Chicagoland Sears stores and every major
retail florist account in Chicago and goes bankrupt in 1979.
• 1977 – Anderson participated in President Carter’s
Task Force to study “The Problems of Minorities in Small
Business,” and participated in round table discussions
sponsored by the Small Business Administration.
• 1979 – Anderson joined the sales force of a major
Fortune 500 company. In one year he took the last place territory
of 12 states to Number One by bringing in over $1,250,000
in sales the last 6 months of the year.
• 1982 – Anderson was hired to put together a team
responsible for turning losing businesses into profitable
and stable businesses for the Lac Courte Oreilles Chippewa
Reservation. Under his leadership, gross revenues were increased
from $3,9000,000 to $8,000,000. This effort was recognized
by President Reagan’s Commission on Indian Reservation
Economies.
• 1983 – Anderson was named to a National Task Force
on Reservation Gaming by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington,
D.C.
• 1983 – Anderson was appointed to The Council on
Minority Business Development for the State of Wisconsin.
• 1984 – Anderson was appointed to The Wisconsin
Council of Tourism.
• 1985 – Anderson was named a Bush Leadership Fellow
by the Bush Foundation, St. Paul, Minnesota, recognizing him
for a lifetime of outstanding achievement.
• June, 1986 – Anderson earned a Masters Degree
in Public Administration from Harvard University at the John
F. Kennedy School of Government.
(without having an undergraduate degree!).
• 1989 – Anderson formed a management and investment
company specializing in emerging gaming markets. In the March,
1997 issue of Fortune Magazine, this company was recognized
as “The Fastest Growing Company in America.”
• 1994 – Anderson helped found The Rainforest Cafe,
a highly successful restaurant company that was recognized
as one of the “Hottest Concepts in America.”
• 1994 – Pursuing his life-long passion, Anderson
opened his first Famous Dave’s BBQ Shack in Hayward,
Wisconsin, on Round Lake. The BBQ Shacks are reminiscent of
the old- fashioned BBQ joints popular across the country 50
years ago, featuring slow-smoked ribs along with Dave’s
own secret BBQ sauces. The restaurant was an instant success,
serving up to 8000 people a week in a town of only 1800!
• October 1995 – Famous Dave’s BBQ was awarded
the Blue Ribbon “Best BBQ Sauce in America” in the
mild-sauce division at the prestigious American Royal International
Barbecue Contest. In December, Mpls. St. Paul Magazine named
Famous Dave’s BBQ Shack “Best Barbecue Joint”
in the Twin Cities.
• October 1996 – Famous Dave’s of America,
Inc. announced its Initial Public Offering, opening at $6.25
on the NASDAQ market.
• May 1997 – Nations Restaurant News recognized
Famous Dave’s restaurants as one of the “Hottest
Concepts in America” for originality, and innovation
in menu, décor, service, as well as strong consumer
approval.
• June 1997 – Ernst & Young, sponsored by NASDAQ
and USA Today, recognized Dave Anderson as Minnesota and Dakota’s
Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. The Entrepreneur of the
Year program honors and recognizes entrepreneurs who have
demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success through
innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment
to their business and community
• March 1998 – Anderson named Restaurateur of the
Year by Mpls. St. Paul Magazine.
• April 1998 – Zig Ziglar, world-renowned motivational
speaker and author of “See You at the Top,” dedicated
his “Success for Dummies” book to Dave Anderson.
“Success for Dummies” is one of a series of the
highly successful “Dummies” books by IDG Books Worldwide,
Inc. Dave’s “Against All Odds” life story is
featured in this best selling book.
• January 1999 – The Anderson Family established
The LifeSkills Center for Leadership with a $1,400,000 gift.
This fund was created to help disadvantaged Native American
Children.
• March 1999 – Famous Dave’s recognized for
being in the “Top 10” restaurants out of the “Super
1000” restaurants in Minnesota! Mpls/St. Paul Magazine
• March 1999 – Anderson’s new cookbook, “Famous
Dave’s Backroads & Sidestreets”, was released
with all proceeds being donated to help disadvantaged Native
American children.
• December 1999– “Famous Dave’s Backroads
& Sidestreets” wins the National Barbecue Associations
“Award of Excellence” for being the “Best New
Barbecue/Grill Cookbook!”
• May 2000 – Dave’s success story of overcoming
major adversities and failures is featured by New York Times
best selling author on leadership, John C. Maxwell in his
newest book “Failing Forward”
• November 2000 – Famous Dave’s awarded “Top
Gun” by the Neighborhood Marketing Institute for aggressive
in-store marketing at the 2000 Marketing War College. 1999
to 2000 in-store marketing efforts resulted in 47% increase
in sales, 8.5% average increase in comparable store sales,
and an overall 300% increase in profits.
• March 2001 – Founds the LifeSkills Center for
Leadership. Using his 30 years of research, Dave creates a
life-changing program for at-risk youth and young adults.
• January 10 2002 – Honored as an Olympic Torch
carrier for the 2002 Winter Olympics held at Salt Lake City,
Utah.
• February 2, 2002- Receives the Odyssey Award by Big
Brothers Big Sisters for significant contributions to his
profession and the community either as mentors or in service
to youth.
• April 1, 2002 – Dave receives Oprah’s Angel
Network Award and a $25,000 grant from Oprah for continuing
leadership development work with at-risk Native American youth.
• July 3, 2002- – President Bush appoints Dave to
the President’s Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges
and Universities
• May, 2003 – Dave receives Nightingale-Conant coveted
“Acres of Diamonds” Award in recognition of his
personal commitment for helping others find their own “Acres
of Diamonds!”
BOARD MEMBERSHIPS
• Founder and Chairman, Famous Dave’s of America
• Boardmember, Minnesota Teen Challenge
OTHER AFFILIATIONS
• Member of the Choctaw/Chippewa Indian tribes, and an
enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Lake Superior Band
of Ojibwa of northwest Wisconsin.
• Harvard University’s Native American Program,
Advisory Council
• Executive Mentor, Carlson School of Business MBA Program,
University of Minnesota
• Board Member Lac Courte Oreilles Boy and Girls Club,
Hayward, Wisconsin
• Member of the National Speaker’s Association of
America
• International Association of Culinary Professionals
Honors, Awards & Recognition
Few restaurants in history have achieved as much recognition
in a few short years as Famous Dave’s of America
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