In the early ’70s, Denny Lynch and five of his fellow writers sat in the Lantern newsroom watching the clock. The game was simple: The last one to file his story wins. If you file too early, you lose; too late, you miss the deadline. It was a journalist’s spin on the game of chicken.
“The Lantern editors probably don’t like the fact that we played that game, but it worked for us. … Anything to keep the edge, keep the excitement going. That game really did sharpen our skills,” said Lynch, now a senior vice president of Wendy’s.
Lynch has worked for the world’s third-largest hamburger fast food chain for 29 years, acting as its spokesman, directing crisis management functions and working side by side with the late Dave Thomas, Wendy’s iconic founder.
His success in the field of communication did not go unnoticed by the School of Communication, which will honor him as its 2008 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. The award is reserved for the most superior Ohio State graduates who have given back considerably to the community. Lynch will receive the award May 1 at the Undergraduate Scholarship and Awards Ceremony.
“We are thrilled to be able to bestow the Alumnus of the Year Award on Denny Lynch,” said Carroll Glynn, director of the School of Communication. “It is an honor to have an alumnus of this stature in our community. His success, while an individual achievement, also reflects positively on the school and the school’s programs.”
Lynch began his studies at OSU as a math major, soon dabbling in economics, English and political science until his girlfriend at the time pulled him into journalism, a serendipitous move that would put him on track to a lifetime career.
After graduating from OSU with a journalism degree in 1975 and working a pastiche of writing jobs that did not pan out, Lynch took the job of managing the marketing for a Columbus tennis tournament – of which Wendy’s was a sponsor. Wendy’s liked his work and offered him a public relations job that his stomach urged him to take. “If they make a hamburger this good, maybe it’s a good company to work for,” he said.
Lynch soon met Dave Thomas, who asked him to write a speech. “So I wrote a speech about a hamburger, because he didn’t tell me anything differently,” he said. His informal speech about why he liked hamburgers won him over with Thomas, who asked Lynch to write for him. Together, the two traveled the country for 20 years. Along the way, Lynch managed the successful Dave Thomas marketing campaign and assisted with the writing and publishing of Thomas’ bestselling books.
Lynch was also instrumental in the establishment of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, founded by Thomas, himself an adoptee. Wendy’s President David Karam cites the organization, which recently celebrated placing its 950th foster child in a home, as one of Lynch’s “crowning achievements,” and Lynch described the experience of using his profession to further the cause “incredibly gratifying.”
“Denny played the very important role in making the cause of adoption not only Dave’s cause but Wendy’s cause. And Wendy’s, for years now, has celebrated the cause of adoption,” Karam said.
One of Lynch’s most prominent contributions to Wendy’s was his development of a crisis management system, which was put to the ultimate test in March 2005 when a California Wendy’s restaurant made headlines because a woman claimed to have found a finger in her bowl of chili.
Lynch took the reins in navigating the resulting public relations nightmare to prove Wendy’s innocence. Battling aggressive media coverage and a wary public, Wendy’s fought the accusations. “We could have written a check and walked away and we didn’t,” Lynch said. Wendy’s was able to prove the accusations false and send the perpetrators to jail in the landmark consumer fraud case.
“We’re elated that Denny has received this kind of recognition,” Karam said. “His ability to steward the brand through one crisis after another over the years has been remarkable.”
Lynch said a prerequisite for success in communication is being “first and foremost – resourceful.”
“How do you go find the answer? How do you go find a way to get the job done?” Lynch said. “The ability to learn persuasive communications is an art, and that talent will feed your career for as long as you want to work.”
Lynch has been a guest speaker at the School of Communication, talking to communication classes about his experiences in crisis management, an area in which Wendy’s has set an example after winning the California consumer fraud case.
“I like to pose the problem and then get the students to suggest approaches. I don’t ask them for the answer, but I ask them for the approach,” he said.
Lynch lives in Dublin, Ohio, with his wife and two children, both recent graduates of OSU. His favorite Wendy’s menu item? “A double-cheese ketchup mustard.” And, no, he does not dip his fries in his frosty.
Mark Kotowski can be reached at [email protected].
