Jeff Liotard — an entrepreneur who believes giving back to the community is good business — is being inducted into the Manteca Hall of Fame.

The dinner and induction ceremonies for the Hall of Fame take place Saturday, May 10, at the Manteca Senior Center, 295 Cherry Lane. Tickets are $60 apiece and available at the Manteca Boys & Girls Club, 545 Alameda St., or by calling 239-KIDS.

Other members of the Class of 2014 are John Holbrook, government; Dr. Stephen Lin, health care; Steve Winter, education; and Manteca’s “Golden Girls” — Evelyn Allen, Betty Bergthold, Kathryn Lauriston, and Selma Wrigglesworth, at-large.

Liotard is being inducted for community service.

Liotard opened the Mt. Mike’s franchise 14 years ago at Louise Avenue and Main Street. He expanded to Weston Ranch, Angels Camp, and Lathrop while at the same time owning the Islander Tavern at western end of Woodward Avenue and a vending machine business. He eventually sold everything but the pizza stores in Manteca and Lathrop. Then in 2009 he opened two Chilaberries yogurt shops — one in the Stadium Retail Center and the other in Tracy.

Liotard worked 15 years for Simpson Paper in Ripon and also ran his own landscaping service plus an almond tree shaking business during harvest season.

Liotard has said doing well in business gives him the same rush he got playing for Ripon High football coach Tommy West in 1982 and 1983 as a lineman going both ways when West would roar his approval of a successful offensive block by telling Liotard he “opened a hole big enough for a Mack truck.”

Liotard has organized and participated in many community activities from sponsoring many youth athletic teams to feeding the hungry citizens in the community. He helped start and sponsored the annual “Thanksgiving in Manteca” event which provides over 1,500 meals to hungry citizens in Manteca, Lathrop and Ripon. For the past six years, Liotard has been the chairman of the annual Rotary “Super Bowl Omelet Breakfast”. This event raises money for Manteca Rotary’s high school scholarship program. Liotard is recognized as the “go to” guy when community service projects are initiated. 

In addition to his generous and active support of his community, his dedication and drive to making a better world sends him into Central America two or three times a year for eye glass clinics. This project has been going on for over eight years. Thousands of pairs of glasses have been provided for vision impaired people in Honduras by Liotard and his friend Dr. Fred Stelhorn. 

Liotard was recognized as the Rotarian of the year by the Manteca Rotary Club and was given the Mabel Brochinni Award by the Manteca Chamber of Commerce for his outstanding community service.