Edward C. Droste

Last updated

Edward C. Droste (born April 22, 1951) is an American businessman. He is a co-founder of the Hooters restaurant chain and played a major role in various marketing initiatives that helped it to grow. Droste also co-founded several other restaurant chains, the resort management company Provident Resorts, and the marketing firm Provident Advertising and Marketing.

Contents

Early life and family

Droste is a native of Waverly, Iowa. Many of the other co-founders of Hooters were also from the Midwest, and according to Droste the casual dining atmosphere of neighborhood Midwestern restaurants was a major influence on the Hooters concept. [1]

Education and early career

In 1968 Droste was elected Iowa Boys State Governor. [2]

He graduated from Iowa State University in 1973, with a B.S. degree in Industrial Administration and Political Science. He was president of his graduating class, and was named National Top Alumnus of the Year for his fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon. He later dedicated a study hall in his name at Iowa State's business school. [3] [4]

However, Droste claims to have barely managed to earn a degree, with only a 2.3 average GPA. His grades deterred him from pursuing his hopes for a career in law. [5]

Immediately after graduating, in 1973, Droste moved to Florida to work for U.S. Home Corporation, quickly rising to Vice President of the management subsidiary of U.S. Home, the youngest person at that time to hold the position. [6] Droste oversaw property management for the company's high-rise condominiums in Florida's West Coast. [7]

Droste left U.S. Home in 1976 to start Bieder Management, which handled distressed property management for lenders and developers. His work took him around the country, where he saw many different kinds of bars and restaurants, informing his later career. [8]

Founding of Hooters

Droste and five partners opened the first Hooters restaurant in Clearwater, Florida, on October 4, 1983. In the early days, when the restaurant was suffering from limited traffic, Droste came up with several unorthodox advertising and public relations efforts. In one instance, Droste wore a chicken costume to draw customers, and also painted a Hooters sign on a partially-sunken boat. [9]

Droste is credited with shaping the Hooters persona by recruiting the first face of Hooters. Discovered in a Clearwater Beach bikini contest, Lynne Austin became the “Original Hooters Girl” and appeared on billboards as well as frequent radio show stops promoting the brand. [10]

He later submitted Austin's photo for promotional purposes to Playboy, and she was eventually selected as a Playboy Playmate in July 1986. Austin's appearance resulted in a huge spike in national awareness for the chain. [11]

Other ventures

Beider Management was later renamed Provident Resorts, which now manages several resorts throughout central and southern Florida. Through a subsidiary, Provident Advertising, Droste helped develop the restaurant chains Pete & Shorty's Tavern, [12] with two locations in Tampa Bay; and Adobe Gila's, [13] which currently has four locations in Florida and the Midwest. Droste and other partners also developed Splitsville, a luxury bowling lane with seven locations nationwide, including one at the Disney Springs resort in Orlando. [14]

Droste retains a stake in Provident Resorts and serves as chairman of the board.

Public service

Droste serves on a variety of nonprofit and community boards. He is the chairman of the board of the Foundation of the Moffitt Cancer Center, which oversees fundraising and development efforts for the center. [15] Moffitt, located in Tampa, Florida, is the 3rd largest cancer center in the country by number of patients seen.

Droste also serves on the Governor's Florida Prostate Cancer Advisory Council as a Patient Advocate, [16] and on the advisory board for the Pinellas County, Florida branch of Habitat for Humanity and also on the board of directors for the OutBack Bowl. [17]

In 2008, Droste and his wife Marsha received the Gayle Sierens Volunteer of the Year in Philanthropy Award. [18]

In addition to Iowa State, Ed and Marsha have dedicated “Droste Dens” at several other nonprofit locations including Moffitt Cancer Center [19] and the Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community in Waverly, Iowa. [20]

Personal life

Droste married Marsha Posey in May 2006. He proposed in 2005 at a Miami Swimsuit Pageant [21] in front of an audience of 2,000, under the pretext of presenting a “Manager of the Year” award. The proposal was also broadcast to 400 Hooters restaurants nationwide. [9]

Marsha Droste is a former Hooters Girl, though she and her husband met after she had left a Kentucky Hooters location to work for the Home Shopping Network in Florida. [21] Marsha founded and runs the gift company Forever Pillows. [22]

Droste is a close friend of Jon Gruden, former head coach of the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders and former ESPN analyst and coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Droste reportedly gave Gruden one of the original Hooters chicken masks as a gag gift due to Gruden's summer stint as a Hooters cook during his teens. [23]

Droste is related to Ed Droste, founder of the indie-rock band Grizzly Bear. [24] Droste is also well known in Buffalo New York, he has a fan club made after him called “Edward C Droste club”. The club goes to hooters every Saturday to praise Edward

Recognition

In 2004, the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce honored Droste with the “Mr. Clearwater” award for his service on behalf of the Clearwater community. [6]

In 2012, Droste was inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame. [25]

In 2014, Ed Droste was named a “Florida Icon” by Florida Trend Magazine. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinellas County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Pinellas County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107, which makes it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most densely populated county in Florida, with 3,491 residents per square mile. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clearwater is the county seat. St. Petersburg is the largest city in the county, as well as the largest city in Florida that is not a county seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa and north of St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 117,292. Clearwater is the county seat of Pinellas County and is the smallest of the three principal cities in the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metropolitan area, most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinellas Park, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Pinellas Park is a city located in central Pinellas County, United States. The population was 53,093 at the 2020 census. The city is the fourth largest city in Pinellas County. The city was incorporated in 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Pete Beach, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

St. Pete Beach is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida. Known as a tourist destination, St. Pete Beach was formed from the towns of Pass-a-Grille, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach and unincorporated Pinellas County. The population was 9,346 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooters</span> American restaurant chain

Hooters is the registered trademark used by two American restaurant chains: Hooters, Inc., based in Clearwater, Florida, and Hooters of America, Inc. based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by the private investment firm Nord Bay Capital. The Hooters name is a double entendre referring to both a North American slang term for women's breasts and the logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay area</span> Region in Florida, United States

The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 17th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with a population of 3,175,275 as of the 2020 U.S. Census.

Times Publishing Company is a newspaper and magazine publisher. Its flagship publication is the Tampa Bay Times, a daily newspaper serving the Tampa Bay area. It also publishes the business magazine Florida Trend and the daily newspaper tbt*.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute</span> Hospital in Florida, United States

Houston Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute is a nonprofit cancer treatment and research center located in Tampa, Florida. Established in 1981 by the Florida Legislature, the hospital opened in October 1986 on the University of South Florida's campus. Moffitt is one of two National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers based in Florida. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Moffitt Cancer Center as a top 30 cancer hospital in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Florida, USA

The Diocese of Saint Petersburg is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Tampa Bay region of Gulf Coast Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belleview-Biltmore Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Belleview-Biltmore Resort and Spa was a historic resort hotel located at 25 Belleview Boulevard in the town of Belleair, Florida, United States. The 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2) hotel structure was the last remaining grand historic hotel of its period in Florida that existed as a resort, and the only Henry Plant hotel still in operation when it closed in 2009. The building was noted for its architectural features, with its green sloped roof and white wood-sided exterior, and handcrafted woodwork and Tiffany glass inside. Constructed of native Florida heart pine wood, it was the second-largest occupied wooden structure in the United States after 1938; only the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego was larger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater High School</span> Public secondary school in Clearwater, Florida, United States

Clearwater High School (CHS) is a four-year public high school located in Clearwater, Florida, United States. It is part of the Pinellas County School System. The school mascot is a tornado, therefore students and faculty are known as the Tornadoes. Their colors are crimson and gray, which is also the name of their fight song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater Beach</span> Beach in Pinellas County, Florida

Clearwater Beach includes a resort area and a residential area on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County on the west-central coast of Florida. Located just west over the Intracoastal Waterway by way of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway from the rest of the city of Clearwater, Florida, of which it is part, Clearwater Beach is at a geographic latitude of 27.57 N and longitude 82.48 W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Restaurant</span> Restaurant in Tampa, Florida, United States

Lynn "L.D." Stewart is an American businessman. In 1983, he and five associates opened the first Hooters, Inc. restaurant in Clearwater, Florida. The collective Hooters brand has since expanded to more than 430 stores worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Florida's 13th congressional district special election</span>

A special election for Florida's 13th congressional district was held March 11, 2014, to elect a member of the United States House of Representatives, following the death of incumbent Republican Congressman Bill Young on October 18, 2013. Primary elections were held on January 14, 2014. Young, who had already announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2014, was re-elected in 2012 with 57 percent of the vote. With 100% of the precincts reporting, David Jolly was declared the winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. Lee Moffitt</span> American politician

Houston Lee Moffitt is an American politician and attorney. He served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 1982 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Gualtieri</span> American law enforcement officer

Robert A. "Bob" Gualtieri is an American law enforcement officer, lawyer, and politician who is serving as the 15th sheriff of Pinellas County, Florida. He previously served as Chief Deputy and General Counsel to PCSO under Sheriff Jim Coats. Gualtieri was appointed Sheriff by Governor Rick Scott in 2011 to succeed Coats. Gualtieri was elected to the office in his own right in 2012, and was re-elected in 2016. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Sunshine Mall was a single-level, enclosed shopping mall located in Clearwater, Florida, U.S. It was anchored by Phar-Mor and Office Depot. It was owned by New Haven, Connecticut based Fusco Property Management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Clearwater, Florida, municipal elections</span>

Clearwater, Florida, held a general election on March 17, 2020, to elect a mayor and two members of the city council. These elections coincided with the Democratic and Republican presidential preference primaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Welch</span> American politician

Kenneth T. Welch is an American politician serving as mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida. A member of the Democratic Party, Welch served on the county commission of Pinellas County, Florida. Welch is the city's first African-American mayor.

References

  1. ↑ "Ed Droste Interview". McClainJohnson.com. 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  2. ↑ Gruenewald, Adam. "W-SR student voted Boy's State Governor, earns trip to D.C." Community Newspaper Group. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  3. ↑ "Named Spaces". College of Business. 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  4. ↑ Writer, Josh Larson — Daily Staff. "Hooters time". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  5. ↑ "A conversation with Hooters co-founder Ed Droste". Tampa Bay Times. 2014-01-24. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  6. 1 2 "Ed Droste Bio" (PDF). Habitat for Humanity Pinellas County. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  7. ↑ "Edward C. Droste - Hooters Restaurants". www.famousinterview.ca. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  8. ↑ Houck, Jeff (5 October 2013). "Hooters founders share memories on 30th anniversary". The Tampa Tribune . Archived from the original on 2013-10-09. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  9. 1 2 "Hooters' most embarrassing moments over 30 years". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  10. ↑ "Hooters: A Case Study "This thing has incredible legs," an early investor said. Twenty years later, the restaurant chain has finally hit its stride. - September 1, 2003". archive.fortune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  11. ↑ "Hooters - The Original - The 80's". Hooters - The Original. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  12. ↑ "New Home". Pete and Shorty's. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  13. ↑ "Welcome". Adobe Gila's. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  14. ↑ "Splitsville | Reinventing America's Game". Splitsville. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  15. ↑ "Foundation Board of Directors". Moffitt Cancer Center. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  16. ↑ "Florida Prostate Cancer Advisory Council Members". prostatecanceradvisorycouncil.org. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  17. ↑ "Meet the Habitat for Humanity Team of Pinellas County". www.habitatpinellas.org. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  18. ↑ National Philanthropy Day. Tampa Bay Magazine. Jan–Feb 2009.
  19. ↑ "Moffitt Cancer Center Observes Fall Prevention Day With Free Event". Moffitt Cancer Center. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  20. ↑ "Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation | Bartels Retirement Community". bartelscommunity.org. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  21. 1 2 Crocker, Lizzie (2015-01-21). "Gray Suits And Orange Hotpants: Welcome to New Hooters NYC". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  22. ↑ "Hooters Co-Founder Marries ... Hooters? - Riehl World View". Riehl World View. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  23. ↑ floridacouncil (2012-03-09), Ed C. Droste, 2012 Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame Inductee , retrieved 2017-07-14
  24. ↑ "When Animals Attack - Nerve". www.nerve.com. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  25. ↑ "Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame Members" (PDF). Florida Council on Economic Education. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  26. ↑ "Ed Droste is a 'Florida Icon'". Florida Trend. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.