Community Bank of Elmhurst Celebrates Anniversary With Jimmy John's Founder

Jimmy John’s is known for its “freaky fast” delivery, but on Thursday, Jimmy John’s Founder and CEO James 'Jimmy John' Liautaud was a few minutes delayed to a 20th Anniversary celebration for the Community Bank of Elmhurst. 

Liautaud was the featured speaker at a luncheon held at the bank, 330 W. Butterfield Road. More than 100 members of the Elmhurst business community were on hand for the event, including Mayor Steve Morley. Those in attendance dined on Jimmy John’s boxed lunches.

Elmhurst Community Bank was founded in 1993 with the goal of putting people back into banking. What began with a “temporary facility” and a bank in a trailer is now a bank with roughly $160 million in assets, said Bank President and CEO Richard W. Reichart in introductory remarks.

Elmhurst Community Bank Chairman of the Board William C. Gooch Jr. is personal friends with Liautaud. Both men have homes in the exclusive Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo. To celebrate the bank’s big anniversary, Gooch called on his friend.

“People asked how did you get him up here,” Gooch said. “We’re friends. Jimmy has taken me back and forth in his plane, we’ve become really good friends. When I asked, I said, ‘I have a favor to ask.’ The answer was, ‘Yes. What do you want.’”

Liautaud, who has been in the media in the past for his vocal opposition to the Affordable Health Care Act and his big game hunting, spoke to the crowd about his rise from slacker student growing up in Cary to wealthy business owner. He explained how he was second to last in his high school graduating class and was given the choice of going into the Army or starting a business.

He chose to start a business on a shoestring budget. The first day his sandwich shop was open, Liautaud said no customers came in, so to try and build business, he began to take samples out to customers. The sampling worked and continues as a marketing tool to this day. 

The company, headquartered in Champaign, has 1,680 stores in 45 states across the country, he said.

“We open a new store every day,” Liautaud said.