George W. Jenkins
American Businessman and
philanthropist
George Jenkins was born in Warm Springs, Georgia on
September 29, 1907. His father owned a general store
in the community of Harris City, Georgia were young
George started working at the age of twelve. He
began as a clerk for Piggly Wiggly stores and after
eight weeks, was sent to replace a manager who was
recovering from an illness. From that point on, his job
was temporary manager at all the owner's stores.
On Sept. 6, 1930, George
Jenkins opened his first store,
called Publix Food Store, in
Winter Haven, Florida. In 1935,
as the economy was
improving, he opened a
second location across town.
He closed these first two stores
to open his dream store, the
first Publix Super Market, on
Nov. 8, 1940. It would grow to
become the largest
supermarket chain and private
employer in Florida, with 739
locations in the state alone.
Jenkins established the George
W. Jenkins Foundation in 1966
to improve Publix communities.
After Jenkins' death, the
foundation's name became
Publix Super Markets Charities.
Jenkins' daughter, Carol
Jenkins Barnett, serves as its
president. In addition to local
charities, the corporation
supports five national
campaigns: Special Olympics,
March of Dimes, Children's
Miracle Network, United Way
of America, and Food for All.
Publix soon became the
nations ninth largest grocery
chain.
The George Jenkins Arena in
the Lakeland Center opened
in 1974 as a multipurpose
entertainment facility with
seating for 10,000. George W.
Jenkins High School, in
Lakeland, was named in his
honor in 1993. Jenkins
received the Horatio Alger
Award in 2007, and was
inducted into the Junior
Achievement U.S. Business Hall
of Fame in 2009. The state of
Florida named him a Great
Floridian in 2011, and the
Florida Independent Business
Association named him a
"Florida Business Legend" for
September, 2011.
George Jenkins has inspired me to want to succeed
and learn by my mistakes. I have learned that giving
out of the goodness of your heart is a major benefit.
He once asked, “If you hadn't given away so much,
how much do you think you would be worth today?”
Without hesitation, he replied, “Probably nothing.”
George Jenkins has become a role modal in my life.
He is a true business legend.
Works Cited
"George W. Jenkins." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Oct. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Jenkins>.
"History." Corporate Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
<http://corporate.publix.com/about-publix/culture/history>.
Kennedy, Kyle. "Longtime Companies Took Root in Polk." TheLedger.com. N.p., 6 Feb. 2011.
Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.theledger.com/article/20110206/POLK150TH/102065038/0/search?tc=
ar>.