Derrick Taylor owns and operates several McDonald’s restaurants in the Chicagoland area, employing over 500 community members, serves as a Board Member on Gift of Hope Community Foundation’s Board of Directors and for the past two years, he has served as the Honorary Chairperson of the annual Gift of Hope Community Foundation Golf Outing.
Mr. Taylor began his career as a Service Engineer with Oldsmobile Automotive Company in Lansing, Mich. He returned to Chicago and worked for the City of Chicago for fourteen years, later serving as Assistant Commissioner for O’Hare International Airport.
Mr. Taylor is currently the President of the Black McDonald’s Operators Association of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana and has held positions as Vice President and Public Relations Chair of the Black McDonald’s Operators Association of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. He serves as a Board Member of the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association and the Illinois Restaurant Association, and is a Committee Member of the African American Consumer Market.
Mr. Taylor is very active within the communities in which he operates his McDonald’s restaurants, supports numerous outreach programs, schools, and organizations as a volunteer and donor. Mr. Taylor has received awards and recognition for his community advocacy, including the Cirilo McSween Award, the Chicago Defender’s Men of Excellence recognition and the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association Community Service Award. He was inducted into the Illinois Black Hall of Fame in 2022.
Mr. Taylor, a Chicago native, attended Percy L. Julian High School. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Automotive Technology and Business Management from Southern Illinois University, and spent time as a free agent for the National Football League’s Denver Broncos.
