KFC leader wings into action to grow brand

0 Comments | USA TODAY, December, 2003 | by Bruce Horovitz

Just weeks into his tenure as KFC's president, Gregg Dedrick, 44 , found himself enmeshed in a controversy about new KFC ads that implied that KFC's fried chicken can help consumers diet. Even the Federal Trade Commission subpoenaed KFC about the ads. That's the least of Dedrick's problems. While much of the fast food world has enjoyed banner sales the past year, KFC has been lagging. A nation of increasingly health-conscious consumers won't equate fried chicken with healthy eating. Dedrick, it seems, is caught between a leg and a thigh bone. Maybe that's why, since being named president three months ago, he's granted no interviews -- until now. USA TODAY Money reporter Bruce Horovitz asked Dedrick the tough questions.

Q: Why have you declined all interviews until now?...