Why This Franchisee Became an Advocate for Transgender Job Seekers
El Pollo Loco franchisee Michaela Mendelsohn is helping transgender employees build a successful future.
When Michaela Mendelsohn began her gender transition in 2006, she had advantages most trans people don’t. As CEO of Los Angeles-based Pollo West Corp., one of the largest of , a chicken brand based in Southern California and the Southwest, she was able to disappear for a year. She worked from home with a small group of close colleagues while she underwent hormone at a Christmas party for her 600 employees and family, a female manager stood up and yelled, “You go, girl!” Afterward, Mendelsohn spent hours receiving hugs from friends.
