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Like a lot of young people, one of Matthew Schoenberg's first jobs was at a Burger King restaurant.
"They had the best food and working there I got free food," he said.
Today, he works behind a much larger Burger King counter, of sorts, and can still get all the free food he wants. Schoenberg is the president and CEO of San Ramon-based Sydran Services LLC, which owns 261 Burger King franchises, primarily along the Gulf Coast and in California.
Becoming the head of the nation's thirdlargest Burger King franchisee - a $323.4 million business - hasnt been a quick order for Schoenberg. In the 1980s he was vice president of real estate and acquisitions for the American Hospital Management Corp. in Miami. He then formed Fort Schoenberg Properties, a developer of shopping centers and condominiums in Coral Gables, Fla. Six years later, he found another new career.
"The opportunity came up to buy 14 Burger Kings in California and given my real...