Andrew Puzder: 5 things to know about Trump's Labor pick

President-elect Donald J. Trump announced Thursday his intent to nominate Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, as secretary of the Department of Labor.

“Andy will fight to make American workers safer and more prosperous by enforcing fair occupational safety standards and ensuring workers receive the benefits they deserve, and he will save small businesses from the crushing burdens of unnecessary regulations that are stunting job growth and suppressing wages," Trump said in a statement.

Trump taps fast food exec Andy Puzder for Labor secretary

5 things to know about Andrew Puzder

1.  He's a lawyer who graduated from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. Puzder was a corporate trial lawyer from 1984 to 1991 before making his name as a corporate turnaround specialist. He helped Carl's Jr. founder Carl Karcher avoid bankruptcy and keep a stake in CKE Restaurant Holdings Inc. in a sale Puzder arranged. Puzder would later turn around the company and make it profitable again after the acquisition of the company that owned Hardee's restaurants put CKE Restaurant Holdings Inc.'s $700 million in debt.

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2. Puzder has been vocal about his opposition to raising the minimum wage, and has spoken out about the country's labor force and the economy. He's often called for regulatory reform. Puzder recently co-authored the book, Job Creation: How It Really Works and Why Government Doesn’t Understand It.

3. During Trump's presidential campaign, Puzder praised the candidate's tax plan as “pro-growth” and called his populist message “refreshing." Puzder raised money for the Trump campaign and was a senior economic adviser.

4. He was an economic adviser and spokesman for Mitt Romney's campaign for president in 2012. He also contributed to Romney's book released in 2011, Believe in America, Mitt Romney’s Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth. Romney is considered a top contender for secretary of State.

5. CKE defied conventional advertising and marketing tactics recently when the company decided to focus on larger burgers and what some saw as controversial ads for Carl's Jr. featuring scantily-clad women. "I like our ads. I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it's very American," Puzder said in a 2015 interview with Entrepreneur magazine.

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