At Inspire Brands, our greatest resource is our people. Guided by our values and behaviors, we strive to be a company that embraces inclusion and diversity in gender, race, sexual orientation, background, and perspective.

In 2021, we rolled out People First @ Inspire, an initiative to ensure we attract, develop, and retain the best possible talent. Part of the People First initiative is Upward Mobility in Restaurant Operations, which involves showcasing team member success stories across our family of brands.

Today, we’re highlighting Matthew Tenore, Senior Manager for New Franchisee Learning for Dunkin’ in Boston, MA.

How long have you been in the restaurant industry and how did you get started?

I’ve been in the restaurant industry for almost 16 years. . My first job in the business was in high school – I just applied to a few local Dunkin’ restaurants and started as a team member there with a franchisee.

What do you believe in and how are you working to achieve it?

The sky is the limit and in order to achieve anything we want, it’s really important to surround myself with people who not only challenge and push me, but also bring different perspectives to the team so we’re all successful.

What is the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

The most important leadership lesson that I’ve learned is being authentic and building trust within your team and those who your work with, like cross-functional partners. Putting people first is crucial. We talk about “people first” in many different aspects and I think any time you can do that, you build loyalty and you continue to create that trust with people.

Watch the video below to learn more about Matthew.

This story is part of an ongoing series that highlights the stories of our team members and their career growth as part of People First @ Inspire.