How Jane Grote Abell has a positive impact on every life she touches

Kent Clapp CEO Leadership Award Finalist
Jane Grote Abell
chairman
Donatos Pizza
www.donatos.com | (614) 416-7700
Jane Grote Abell was just a young girl when she started working in her father’s pizza shop, the first store in the company known today as Donatos Pizza. It was on Thurman Avenue, where Abell saw the way her family treated customers and learned to do the same.
It was the way she served people then, and it’s the way she serves and leads people today. Donatos provides a safe place for youngsters who are 14 or 15 years old to get a first experience in the working world. Abell ensures that it is also a great place to bring your family for pizza and a great place to call a part of your community.
“When we hire a 16-year-old, we want to make sure that that mom and dad feel good about the place that their teen is going to work,” Abell says.
It is with employees that she has the deepest interaction, and it is there where she can make the biggest impact on someone’s life. She takes the time to sit down with associates who are having a tough time outside of work and helps them work through the struggles.
Outside of the restaurant, Abell serves on numerous boards and works tirelessly to build and support programs that make a positive difference in the lives of her neighbors. It is through these efforts that she serves as a role model for girls, women and anyone who wants to be a positive influence in their community.
As Abell says, “Values aren’t the soft stuff.” They are the foundational element for everything Donatos does.