Our Story

One of the greatest lessons one can learn in life is the concept of Interdependency.  No one person can accomplish anything alone.  We all need each other.  Life is about seeking counsel from mentors and then turning around and being a mentor to someone as well. Realizing that I have not become the business person that I am today without the help of many mentors along the way, I have named the company after my mentors.

The “C” in CSK is for Cook, my grandfather Sherwin Cook and My father Michael Cook Sr. They brought me in to the family business at age 16 and helped me to get my start.

1. Sherwin Cook was a successful entrepreneur for over 50 years. He started out working in Management and Supervision for a chain of Dairy Stores in Ohio. In 1968 he purchased a Franchise with Arby’s Restaurants in Lynchburg Virginia.  For the next 30 years he built a successful company that included 13 Arby’s and 2 Burger King Franchises along with residential and commercial rental properties.  He did this by investing in the lives of the people that worked for him.  Throughout his time as a multiple restaurant owner, he gave much of his time, talents, and treasure to local churches, and nonprofit organizations that have ministry outreach throughout the world.  I had the privilege of working with him for the last 10 years that he owned the Arby’s franchises, and he taught me a lot about the intersection of people and profits.  Sherwin never did completely retire. After selling the restaurant franchises in 1999, he still maintained an office where he managed some of his rental properties and oversaw a foundation that invests in charitable work.  In his final years I shared office space with him, and I had the opportunity to assist him with his endeavors.  He finished his earthly journey in the summer of 2016 but leaves a legacy of family members that continue his “higher standard of giving” through the T. Sherwin Cook Foundation. 

Michael Cook Sr. helped his father and mother open their first Arby’s restaurant.  As a senior in High school and was very instrumental in the expansion to other cities in Virginia and North Carolina.  In 1999 after working for 30 years in the restaurant business, Sherwin wanted to retire and offered the business to my dad.  But my dad and his wife Sue had been taking short term missions trips to China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, India and Nepal since 1991. Over the years, Nepal became their favorite place. Their hearts were drawn to the children’s homes and their relationships with the children and their caregivers deepened.  Because of this Michael decided to sell the business to devote full time to missions work.  In 2003 after partnering with several Mission agencies, they established Allow the Children, (www.allowthechildren.org) a 501 C-3 Organization dedicated to answering the cry of the lost and helpless children of the world.  One of the greatest lessons in Business I learned from my dad can be summed up in my Life’s Motto from Winston Churchill – “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

The “S” in CSK is for Shirey,

Eugene Shirey was one of the most humble and honest men I have ever come in contact with.  He served as the maintenance man at the Christian School I attended when he could have had other jobs making more.  Gene didn’t just want a place to work, but a place to serve others and invest in their lives.  He later went to work with the owner of the local McDonald’s franchises who shared similar values with my grandfather regarding people and profits.  His boss decided to sell the business to be more involved in missions work and Gene came to work with us at the Arby’s restaurants.  It was there that I was able to see his humility and integrity first hand.  He never just came to fix something but always offered words of encouragement to those working around him at the time.  The quality of work he did and his display of humility of putting others before himself gave testimony of the faith he had in God. 

After my dad sold the Arby’s business, I had the privilege of working with Gene managing rental properties for my dad and grandfather.  Gene took every opportunity that we worked together to encourage me to operate a business with integrity because we wanted God’s blessing on all that we did.  He was one of the first examples I ever saw of someone who brings their faith to work when most reserve it only for home and church.  I not only try to model this in my business, but seek to teach others to do the same. 

In 2001 my dad was beginning to increase his involvement in missions and decided to turn his rental properties over to another company to manage.  Gene went to work for the son of the McDonald’s franchisee that he worked for before who was now expanding his own operations.  On July 29, 2002 at the age of 55, Gene was killed while working on a high voltage electrical unit.  At the funeral home visitation I was humbled to see the line of people that stretched out the door down the entire length of the building, and in to the parking lot. I learned many things from Gene, but his death taught me one of the greatest lessons, that you can live on even after you are gone through the lives you have invested in.

The “K” in CSK is for Knowles

John Knowles has been a mentor to me since 1996.  He was the IT manager for a large company with offices all over the country, but consistently made time for his family, church, and investing in the lives of others.  He invited me to sit down and talk right after we first met.  Looking back it was one of the first “coaching” sessions I ever experienced.  He was interested in what my mission in life was not only professionally, but personally.  He has a unique way of finding someone’s gifts, encouraging them to think outside the box for ways use those gifts, and then inspiring them to go get involved somewhere that there is a need.  I have partnered with him in many ministry opportunities including prison visitation and a short term mission trip to Jamaica where we took a team to build a house for a deaf school.  I continue to call on John whenever I am in need of wise counsel.  He was the best man at my wedding July 29, 2006 and continues to be a great mentor and a dear friend.