KFC IS REAL FAMILY BUSINESS FOR HARRIS CLAN

Colonel Harland Sanders was still delivering his "finger-lickin' good" slogan for Kentucky Fried Chicken when the Harris family sold its first drumstick.

Family patriarch Lloyd Harris opened one of Missouri's first KFC operations Sept. 1, 1965 in Cape Girardeau. The family ran 13 stores before trimming the number to five in recent years.

The Jackson operation dates back to June 10, 1976 -- just weeks before America's gigantic Bicentennial celebration.

The Jackson and Cape stores are now under the direction of Kevin Harris, general manager, while Paula Meyhew manages the Jackson location.

"Paula does a wonderful job," Harris said. "Until the last four years it was a fairly mediocre operation. Its sales have doubled during the past four years."

Despite ongoing concern about the health facet in fried foods (which has led the franchise to change its moniker to "KFC") and increased competition, KFC's sales have continued to increase during the last decade.

"We've had steady growth of five to six percent each year," Harris said.

Harris has also had to overcome Internet rumors of "genetically-altered chicken" being used at KFC restaurants. He sharply refutes the notion, explaining that the chicken comes from Gold-Kist and must pass KFC specs, which are higher than USDA requirements.

"It comes pre-marinated and has a shelf life of seven days," he said. "But it sure doesn't last seven days. We move it pretty fast."

Harris noted that the new sandwiches being marketed by KFC will eventually make it to the Southeast Missouri stores.

"They will come," he said. "Just not tomorrow."

Instead he wants to see how the sandwiches do in other locations before investing in any in Jackson.

The business has been a family business "from day one," in Harris' words. His father, Lloyd, is still involved at 74, traveling some 70 ,000 miles a year to check on the stores - still listed as his franchises.

Harris' brother Randy has been in the business 28 years, running the Dexter operation. Kevin, a computer technician for Ross Perot, joined the clan in 1993.

Currently the Jackson operation employs 14 to 16 people, including five to six "core" full-time employees.

While the popularity of chicken continues to be high, profits are tighter than when the Colonel and Lloyd Harris were tossing chickens.

"Profits are moving downward," Harris said. "You have to work a lot harder to make your budgets. When Dad started all you had to do was stick up a sign, turn on the stove and have a cigar box for the money.

Lloyd Harris met the Colonel in 1962 while working at Hart's Bakery in Memphis. Sanders, who began franchising operations in 1952, offered him franchise rights to all of Southeast Missouri. An Advance native, Harris accepted.

"He took it, but worked for the Memphis franchise to learn the business," Kevin said. "He wound up running 19 stores in that area."

Finally, in 1965 -- a year after Sanders had sold the franchise (although he remained as public spokesman), Harris took advantage of his Southeast Missouri rights. The rest, as the Colonel himself could attest, is history.