"I'm not normally a vindictive man, but this time I'm going to get those sons-of-bitches" (Kroc). Ray Kroc was an abnormally hardworking and intuitive man. He had the epitome of a can-do attitude when it came to his work. An innovator at heart, his attitude and one unique quirk put McDonald's on the map-figuratively and literally. Earlier in his career he opened around 19 franchises in suburban Illinois. From each franchise he turned in about 1.9% gross profit from each of them, plus full profits from the original. A problem arose though; Kroc couldn't make nearly as much money as needed from the small profits. Soon, Kroc met Harry Sonnenborne. This relationship was instrumental in the further success and domination of the McDonald's name. Sonnenborne taught something unrelated to the food buisness; he taught real estate. Using this new found knowledge of selling and buying real estate, he spread the McDonald's name throughout 44 states through over 700 different restaurants by the year 1965. This mass spread of Kroc's fast food formula turned more than few heads. Later that year, McDonald's was the first fast food establishment to go public. The stocks rose and the success continued and has been maintained: careful branding, outreach through establishment, and an ever-growing workforce kept McDonald's at it's peak.