Brigham Young University's Center for Entrepreneurship has named Leon W. "Pete" Harman, best known for his development of Kentucky Fried Chicken, as the recipient of the 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The award recognizes a successful entrepreneur who demonstrates exceptional leadership and high moral and ethical standards.A native of Granger, Utah, Harman's interest in restaurants began in 1941 when he bought a small restaurant in Salt Lake City called the "Do Drop Inn" for $700.
His life changed forever when Harlan Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken also known as Colonel Sanders, came to him 10 years later with the idea of cooking chicken with 11 herbs and spices. Soon after that, the two opened the world's first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant - not in Kentucky, but in Salt Lake City.