Greg Creed, the fast food man, has a few nuggets for QUT students

GREG Creed, the man in charge of some of the world’s biggest fast-food brands, popped into his old alma mater this week to talk to students about life at the top of a multi-billion dollar business.

Yum! Brands CEO Greg Creed.

GREG Creed, the man in charge of some of the world’s biggest fast-food brands, popped into his alma mater this week to talk to students about life at the top of a multi-billion dollar business. Creed, the chief executive of US-based global food giant Yum! Brands, was a guest at QUT’s MIT Innovation & Entrepreneurship Bootcamp where he discussed overseeing brands such as KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

Brisbane-raised Creed graduated with a business degree from what was then called the Queensland Institute of Technology in 1977, but left the city in 1978 to pursue a career firstly at Unilever and later at Taco Bell and Yum.

Creed tells your diarist he returns regularly to his home town where he still has close family. “This time I went from the depths of winter in Dallas to a heat wave here, but it’s always great to get back to Brisbane,” Creed says.

Creed, who was named QUT’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year a few years back, attended Macgregor State High School.

The Yum boss took time to visit Taco Bell’s new branch at Annerley and attend a KFC conference on the Gold Coast. At the QUT boot camp he was pitched several ideas from students, one of which he tells us he is interested in pursuing at Yum. Maybe a 12th secret herb and spice is on the cards?

HARD TIMES

ANOTHER victory of the big box retailer over the little guy. Mitre 10 New Farm is closing its doors today after about 30 years selling plants, screws, batteries and other hardware to a loyal group of customers.

The shop, then trading as a True Value outlet, was purchased by Bill Carlton 19 years ago and is now run by his daughter Julie Morris. Julie tells us times are increasingly tough in the retail sector leading to a decision not to renew the shop’s lease.

One of the nails in the coffin was the decision by Bunnings to build a four-level mega store on Breakfast Creek Road in Newstead. Julie says many of Mitre 10’s elderly customers will find it hard to find their way around such as huge shop.

“We were a real community store,” Julie says. “Our older customers used to come in and we would help them change their batteries.” Over the years the store also has attracted its fair share of characters. “Once a bloke turned up in his undies,” she says. “We never worked out what he wanted.”

BEAN THERE

IT’S a case of been there, done that for Queensland’s erstwhile coffee king Phillip Di Bella. The entrepreneur has resigned as chairman of the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s CBD economic development board after 10 years in the role. Initiatives driven by the group over the decade include a moratorium on infrastructure charges to encourage hotel developments, the introduction of free wifi, the CBD farmers’ market, the smoking-free mall and Christmas parades.

The 42-year-old said it was an honour “to contribute to Brisbane’s growth as a new world city” but it was time for a change. Di Bella is working as a consultant to companies including the Retail Food Group, which bought Di Bella Coffee for $47 million in 2014, as well as running a property and development group.

STOCK BUY

Raj Naran, chief executive of laboratory testing outfit ALS, has splurged just over $126,000 on increasing his stake in the company. Naran, who took over the top role last year, purchased 19,000 shares earlier this week for an average price of $6.68 per share. That brings his total stake to 47,173 ordinary shares not including performance rights. ALS shares closed yesterday at $6.79.