His chicken finger restaurant chain Raising Cane's brought in $3.7 billion in net sales last year, contributing significantly to his estimated net worth of $9.5 billion.
With cash flowing again, Graves made his payments and avoided selling any company equity, he says.
Graves: I remember watching on television from our location on Lee Drive [in Baton Rouge, Louisiana] when the levees broke.
At first, my American dream was: You can go out and start your own business, and you can make the business work, and that's a success.
Bring people into a great place to work that's a great place to grow.
Persons:
Todd Graves, Cane's, Graves, they're, you'd
Organizations:
CNBC, LSU, Forbes, Hurricane, Tyson Foods
Locations:
Louisiana, Orleans, New Orleans, Baton Rouge , Louisiana