Business Career
Following his 13-month stint as the only "Designated Runner" in Major League history, Washington joined the professional Track & Field circuit and remained in competition until 1976.
In 1980, he moved from the Detroit area to Rochester, NY where he opened an inner-city McDonald's Family Restaurant. He added his second local McDonald's franchise seven months later, and in 1986 he opened a McDonald's in suburban Pittsford, NY. He acquired a total of five Rochester-area McDonald's franchises and became one of the nation's most successful African-American restaurateurs.
Washington was Co-Chairman of the Small Business Committee of the United Way, and was active in the Urban League of Rochester. Washington was named to the New York State Athletic Commission in 1990. In 1992, he became the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Buffalo, NY branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and later was named Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
In 1998, Washington purchased most of the Youngstown, Ohio area McDonald's franchises from Sam Covelli, once the largest McDonalds franchise owner in the United States.
In 2005, he founded the Youngstown Steelhounds minor league hockey franchise, becoming one of the first African-American owners of a professional hockey league team.
Washington currently resides in the Youngstown suburb of Boardman, OH with his wife and children.
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Famous quotes containing the words business and/or career:
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