NEXT STOP ... THE PRESIDENCY!

Herman Cain is running for president. He's not a career politician (in fact, he has never held political office). He's known as a pizza guy, but there's a lot more to him. He's also a computer guy, a banker guy and a rocket scientist guy.

Here's his bio:

Bachelor's degree in mathematics.

Master's degree in computer science.

Mathematician for the Navy, where he worked on missile ballistics (making him a rocket scientist).

Computer systems analyst for Coca-Cola.

Vice president of Corporate Data Systems and Services for Pillsbury (this is the top of the ladder in the computer world, being in charge of information systems for a major corporation).

All this was achieved before reaching age 35. Since he reached the top of the information systems world, he has changed careers!

Cain became a business manager. He took charge of Pillsbury's 400 Burger King restaurants in the Philadelphia area, which were the company's poorest performers in the country. He spent the first nine months learning the business from the ground up, cooking hamburger and, yes, cleaning toilets. After three years he had turned them into the company's best performers.

Then Cain was asked by Pillsbury to take charge of their Godfather's Pizza chain (which was on the verge of bankruptcy). He made it profitable in 14 months.

In 1988 he led a buyout of the Godfather's Pizza chain. He was now the owner of a restaurant chain. Again he reached the top of the ladder of another industry.

Cain also was chairman of the National Restaurant Association during this time. This is a group that interacts with government on behalf of the restaurant industry, and it gave him political experience from the nonpolitician side.

Having reached the top of a second industry, he changed careers again!

Cain went to work for the Federal Reserve Banking System, advising it on how monetary policy changes would affect American businesses.

He worked his way up to the chairmanship of a regional Federal Reserve bank. This is only one step below the chairmanship of the entire Federal Reserve System (the top banking position in the country). This position allowed him to see how monetary policy is made from the inside, and to understand the political forces that affect the monetary system.

After reaching the top of the banking industry, he changed careers for a fourth time!

Cain then started to write and speak on leadership. His books include "Speak as a Leader," "CEO of Self," "Leadership is Common Sense" and "They Think You're Stupid."

Around 2007 — after a remarkable 40-year career — he started hosting a radio show on WSB in Atlanta (the largest talk radio station in the country).

He did all this starting from rock bottom (his father was a chauffeur and his mother was a maid). When you add up his accomplishments in his life — including reaching the top of three unrelated industries: information systems, business management and banking — Herman Cain may have the most impressive resume of anyone who has run for the presidency in the last half-century.

Bill Rhodes lives in San Angelo.
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/oct/05/cain-may-be-our-best-bet-as-a-presidential/

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