JACK RUSHALL
The MID-COUNTY MEMO

East Portland resident Ollie Lund celebrates with granddaughter Sara Wiggins at his recent retirement party marking his more than 55 years owning and operating many Portland area McDonald’s franchises. COURTESY OLLIE LUND

East Portland resident Ollie Lund celebrates with granddaughter Sara Wiggins at his recent retirement party marking his more than 55 years owning and operating many Portland area McDonald’s franchises.
COURTESY OLLIE LUND

As Little Big Burger and Killer Burger multiply their Yelp dots around Portland, let us not forget Stumptown’s—and the Pacific Northwest’s—original burger chain: McDonald’s. Indeed, the man responsible for the first McDonald’s in the Pacific Northwest was of a different time, a time where early marketers of cow byproducts were just as experienced in milking the cows themselves.

Recently, Oliver (tenderly known as “Ollie”) W. Lund’s retirement from a 55-year career as a McDonald’s Corporation franchise owner attracted nearly 100 people at Riverside Country Club in honor of his services to the community. Lund has served over 43 million customers and employed more than 14,000 workers.

“It was a nice way to depart and say farewell to all the folks you’ve known and worked with,” said Lund. “They contributed immensely to my success.”

An 81-year-old resident of the Argay Terrace neighborhood in east Portland, Lund first brought 15¢ hamburgers to the corner of Northeast 122nd and Glisan in 1960. It was McDonald’s 117th overall location, which still operates today. Lund is celebrated for his unprecedented devotion, but his origins are as inspirational as his occupational stamina.

Like many influential business leaders, Lund was a product of poverty. Born in 1928, Lund was the youngest of twelve children who were raised among an additional seven grandchildren. As one might imagine, Lund was often hungry, frequently relying on two pieces of bread for nourishment throughout the school day.

“It was not a comfortable situation,” said Lund. “We grew up in Marquette, Mich., which was virgin city with no industry of significance.”

Still, Lund’s Finnish-immigrant father set a positive early example of managing the voices of many employees at once. “He started chopping down trees and sending those to the appropriate spots,” explained Lund. “At one point, he had 300 men working for him.”

A prototypical member of the greatest generation, Lund joined the navy after finishing school. Here, he displayed his characteristic dedication, staying involved with the navy for twenty years. Lund was a sailor but also dabbled in the niche of navy journalism, handling publicity.

But the question remains: how did a sailor-turned-journalist end up in the burger world?

“When you’re in the service, you’re always thinking about what you’re going to do next,” expressed Lund.

With a little help from eight navy friends (most of whom were stationed at Great Lakes Naval Station in Waukegan, Ill.), Lund toyed with the idea of a second career. The food industry appealed to Lund and company after they noticed abnormally long lines at local McDonald’s locations. Hoping to capitalize on this witnessed success, the unlikely team considered opening their own McDonald’s restaurant, but not everybody was optimistic.

In September 1967, five of Ollie Lund’s eight partners pose for a picture. They are, from left, Jack Zavaski, Albert Krivy, John Ortman, W.C. “Pat” Gilbert, Lund, and Albert Kerslake. In 1960, they opened the first McDonald’s in the Pacific Northwest on Glisan Street at Northeast 122nd Avenue. COURTESY OLLIE LUND

In September 1967, five of Ollie Lund’s eight partners pose for a picture. They are, from left, Jack Zavaski, Albert Krivy, John Ortman, W.C. “Pat” Gilbert, Lund, and Albert Kerslake.
In 1960, they opened the first McDonald’s in the Pacific Northwest on Glisan Street at Northeast 122nd Avenue.
COURTESY OLLIE LUND

Lund noted that each individual sailor needed to pledge about $4,000 upon investing in their first McDonald’s restaurant. In the late 1950s, this was cause for panic.

“The loan officer’s mouth dropped and he said, ‘You want to borrow $50,000 to sell 15-cent hamburgers?’” explained Lund with a big smile. “He thought this was very unusual, but he gave it to us.”

In planning their first store, Lund says that Ray Kroc—the man credited with the initial fiscal ascension of McDonald’s—offered the sailors a franchise somewhere in New York, but they resisted and opted for a restaurant in Portland, OR, instead. Lund and his later achievements are mentioned in Kroc’s book “Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald’s.”

Portland’s first McDonald’s location at 551 N.E. 122nd Ave. was designed to open in 1959 but was stalled due to the Steel Strike. When the Glisan location opened in 1960, it was the same year that the All-American Meal was added to McDonald’s menu, debuting at 45 cents. As Portlanders marveled at its first pair of golden arches, Lund and his fellow entrepreneurs began to taste a profit.

“It was a gutsy move to make,” said W. C. “Pat” Gilbert, one of the eight sailors who doubled as Lund’s business partners. “But we never dreamed we would be involved with something like this. At the time, McDonalds was only three years old.”

Buoyed by success, Lund and his partners expanded their businesses, opening new locations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Their company called Careers Inc. would go on to own six total McDonald’s in the Portland area.

Even as Lund’s business partners began to depart from the company, Lund’s various regional locations continued to be markedly high ranked in terms of production.

“I had the top three restaurants (in Gresham, Sandy and Tanasbourne) out of a couple hundred stores in the Pacific Northwest, which I thought was pretty significant,” said Lund. “When you acknowledge the fact that you achieved what you set out to do, that efficiency means happiness.”

Lund poses with longtime employees Duane Clark and Megan Richards at his retirement party. In his 55-year career, Lund employed more than 14,000 people. COURTESY OLLIE LUND

Lund poses with longtime employees Duane Clark and Megan Richards at his retirement party. In his 55-year career, Lund employed more than 14,000 people.
COURTESY OLLIE LUND

Gilbert agreed with Lund’s perseverance. “Ollie was on his own, with his own company and his own restaurant, from 1975 on.”

The method in which Lund ran his business for decades differs sharply from the style of over 360,000 international McDonalds locations operating today. The original McDonalds menu offered 12 items ranging in price from 15 cents to 39 cents. Now, there are over a hundred variations of food items.

“Nowadays, it’s tough to run a McDonald’s,” confirmed Lund. “And everything’s computerized now. Technology has changed things. It’s very different.”

In retrospect, Lund has few regrets in terms of how he has handled his successful career. Instead, he turns to his roots.

Lund wished that he had spent more time helping his mother milk cows on their farmstead, years before he oversaw the serving of commercial milkshakes. Lund’s mother suffered from arthritis and had ten to 11 cows to tend to.

In his older years, Lund now faces his own health-related challenges that tested his working life.

“They asked me to work for five more years,” said Lund. “And I said ‘You know, I would love to, but there are too many physical barriers with old age in this last chapter.’”

Fortunately, Lund’s business will stay in the family—for now. Though his wife passed away in 2006, one of his four daughters owns and operates four of his McDonalds restaurants.

Lund shares a joke with State Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson in 2013. Conscious of the importance of political support, Lund gave elected legislators frequent tours of his facilities. STAFF/2013

Lund shares a joke with State Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson in 2013. Conscious of the importance of political support, Lund gave elected legislators frequent tours of his facilities.
STAFF/2013

And though he is no longer personally involved with the distribution of Quarter Pounders with Cheese, Lund continues to give back to the Portland community. As an avid supporter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Portland, Lund has pledged many donations over the years. It was Lund’s idea to place canisters in locations to raise money for the charity’s program. In addition, Lund is a longtime member the Northeast Portland Club of Rotary International.

A fruitful man, Lund remains optimistic in his retirement. “I don’t have any realistic goals; I’m just trying to enjoy life as much as I can.”