Hern graduated from Dover High School and Arkansas Tech University in 1986 before working at Rockwell International while pursuing a PhD in astronautical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.[1] He received his MBA from University of Arkansas, Little Rock in 1999.[2]
Career
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After the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, Hern had difficulty finding a job, and became a McDonald's franchisee. He bought his first McDonald's in North Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1997. He sold the North Little Rock franchise in 1999 to move to Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he bought two franchises. He expanded his business to 18 franchises in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area.[1]