James Valentine, owner and CEO of J & D Shop Systems Inc., dba Cousins Subs
Name: James Valentine
Title: Owner; CEO
Company: J & D Shop Systems Inc. dba Cousins Subs
Company address: 17900 Bluemound Rd., Brookfield, WI
Company web site: www.cousinssubs.com
Industry: restaurants
Education: Some technical college courses
Family: "My wife and I together have seven children, and most of them have joined us in the family business of owning and operating six Cousins Subs restaurants. My wife, Leah Valentine, is vice president of the business and handles the financial/administrative side of things along with my daughter, Leah Daane. Leah’s husband Jeff Daane runs our Bluemound Rd. store in Brookfield. I have a son, Jason Valentine, that is supervisor over all the stores. I have two teenage kids that are close to working in the stores, they are Jacob and Rachel. I also have two sons Josh, and Adam who moved on in life with other careers. Last but not least is my youngest daughter, Sophia who just turned 2 in October. My wife and I have been blessed with 4 grandchildren and we have two more on the way!"
Hobbies and Interests: "I enjoy almost all sports, but especially Marquette basketball. I also love doing things with my family and just being at home, interacting with the kids and grandchildren. We love playing board and card games."
Favorite book and/or movie: "My favorite book is ‘The Remarkable Wisdom of Solomon’ by Henry M. Morris. My favorite movie is ‘Fireproof.’"
Favorite musician/band: 4 Him
Favorite place to visit/vacation: "We spend time in Wisconsin Dells annually. It is a local place that all can enjoy. We love to camp as a family and we make a point to visit our state parks every summer."
Favorite local restaurant: “Carrabba’s Italian Grill – it’s the best."
Words to live by: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
What is your core philosophy for doing business? "In all things do them with excellence. Put the needs of others ahead of yours and you will also be blessed in the process."
Who is your role model and why? “Ronald Reagan. He was a man of integrity, he loved his family and wasn’t afraid to show it. He also handled himself with honor and reverence. He loved the great USA and dedicated many years of his life to it."
What was the funniest thing that has ever happened to you? "We had a situation last year at a big catering event with about 5000 people. One of our family members noticed an SUV that was parked in a tow away zone with its keys in the ignition. The SUV looked identical to our supervisor’s so they decided to move the car for him thinking they were just helping out. After moving it to the parking lot they went inside to give our supervisor his keys back and let him know they moved it. He looked down at the keys and said, ‘Those aren’t my keys and that wasn’t my SUV!’ Well my family member’s face turned white and they flew out the door to put the SUV back before the real owner came out. We all got a good laugh out of it!"
