40 Years Reflection: Covelli Praises the People of the Valley

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Forty years ago, as the Mahoning Valley reeled from the closure of its steel mills, Covelli Enterprises worked to give customers a break.

“We were actually very fortunate that business was still doing well,” says Sam Covelli, owner/operator, who was operating the company’s McDonald’s restaurants at the time. “And we were still growing… We’re proud of that. We’d like to think it’s the way we ran our restaurants, too. We always wanted to try to give customers what they wanted.”

Covelli Enterprises kept its standards high as it tried to help customers during those tough times with specials and promotions. People in the Valley know value, he says.

“It’s a great  community. They’re smart. They know what’s right. And they know where value is. And you have to prove it every day,” Covelli says.

Covelli worked in the business with his father, Albert, who died in 2014. He witnessed many changes in the community, the economy and consumer tastes over the course of his career.

The Mahoning Valley restaurant industry was booming with restaurants full each evening before the mills shut down. “You know what? The people in this area are survivors. And they overcame it,” he says.

One thing Covelli credits for his company’s success is its treatment of people. He learned that from his father.

 “I’ve never asked anybody to do anything I wouldn’t do myself, whether it’s cleaning restrooms in our stores – I show them how,” Covelli says. “That’s the way our company thinks…We all work together.”

Covelli Enterprises no longer owns McDonald’s locations. Today it’s the largest Panera Bread franchisee with 300 locations across eight states.

The company also owns O’Charley’s and Dairy Queen restaurants and most recently opened an Oath Pizza franchise on the Ohio Turnpike. And it plans to open more than 100 Caribou Coffee stores throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Another evolution Covelli has witnessed is the collaboration of elected and appointed individuals to accomplish goals. Covelli, a member of the Western Reserve Port Authority Board, says it didn’t used to be that way.

“… Now you have the chamber [headquarters] right next to the [Western Reserve] Port Authority,” he says. “They’re working together every day. All the politicians are on board now.” That’s led to state officials taking notice, Covelli says, pointing to frequent visits by Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

Pictured at top: Sam Covelli introduces McDonald’s new breakfast biscuits in an advertisement that ran in 1986.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.