THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE
"To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required.$"
Restaurant owner and operator Tina Lewis and her husband, Harold Lewis, have managed twenty McDonald’s restaurant franchises since 1987. Lewis met her husband met in 1972 while working in the airline industry. Harold was employed with United Airlines in management positions in the sales and human resources departments; Tina worked as a flight attendant and an in-flight services instructor with United Airlines and Continental Airlines.
In 1982, Lewis and her husband embarked on their first business venture when they purchased a Sir Speedy Printing franchise in Los Angeles. Lewis co-managed the business for four years and assisted in winning a printing contract with the U.S. Olympics Committee. They sold the Sir Speedy Printing franchise in 1986 and began the process of becoming McDonald’s restaurant franchise owners and operators. In 1987, Lewis and her husband established HRL Group, LLC and opened their first McDonald’s restaurant franchise in Sand Diego, California. From 1987 to 2011, HRL Group, LLC operated twenty McDonald’s restaurants.
Lewis has been a leader in the San Diego County McDonald’s Operators Association. As a community leader, she has contributed numerous hours and resources to a variety of community organizations and causes. In 1993, Lewis and her husband founded the African American Future Achievers Scholarship Program, which has awarded more than $550,000 to graduating high school seniors in the San Diego County. In addition, Lewis and her husband have provided scholarships through the Trumpet Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lewis is a member of the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation’s national speaker’s bureau, and the San Diego Chapter of The Links, Inc. She has also served on the board of directors for the Susan G. Komen Advocacy Alliance, and on the board of directors for the Scripps Polster Breast Center.
Lewis has received numerous awards for her leadership and community service including the California Legislature Assembly Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, the United Negro College Fund Frederick D. Patterson Award, the Urban League Equal Opportunity Award, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Economic Development Award. She also received the McDonald’s Corporation “Ronald Award” for Community Service, the McDonald’s Corporation NBMOA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2010 Women of Distinction Award.
Tina Lewis was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on November 22, 2013.