George W. Jenkins

George Washington Jenkins Jr. (September 29, 1907 – April 8, 1996) was an American businessman who founded Publix Super Markets.

In the 1920s, the local cotton fields were decimated by the boll weevil, prompting Jenkins's father to move his business to Atlanta where people had money to buy groceries.

Young Jenkins stayed behind to sell the remaining inventory and finish high school.

In 1924, he also moved to Atlanta and enrolled at Georgia Tech, going to classes at night, and working days.

Jenkins never returned to complete his academic education at Georgia Tech.

Jenkins tried a series of jobs, including cab driver (he quit on the first day after getting stiffed for a fare), selling shoes (too slow), selling candy bars on consignment (nobody purchased them), and delivering grocery orders for his father's store.

For reasons unknown, he never worked at his father's store to learn the business.

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.

After four months, Jenkins was not convinced that the grocery business would become his vocation, so he accepted a job selling real estate; he sold one house, collecting a substantial commission.

However, his boss was convinced that a fortune could be made in the south Florida land boom.

They made plans for the trip, but the wife of his boss refused to go, so Jenkins went by himself.

About that time, a friend invited Jenkins to join him on a trip to visit family in Sarasota.

They stopped in Gainesville, but Jenkins's sister had left on a family visit herself, so the friend took him on to Tampa, where Jenkins knew a man who managed a laundry.

That friend encouraged Jenkins to stay the week and—while viewing the sights—they visited another man who owned more than a dozen Piggly Wiggly markets.

After learning of Jenkins's grocery experience in Atlanta, the man offered him a job.

Jenkins accepted, intending to return to school in the fall.

Within a few weeks, however, his boss was so impressed that Jenkins was promoted to manage the store in St. Petersburg and school was postponed.

By keeping his store well-stocked and clean, Jenkins saw his sales more than quadruple in less than a year.

He was transferred to the company's largest store in Winter Haven, which he managed for four years.

In 1930, Florida was reeling following the real estate bubble burst in 1925, followed by the 1926 Miami hurricane, the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane, and the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

The chain's owner was forced to sell his stores, which were purchased by a businessman in Atlanta.

The new owner chose not to visit his new property, so Jenkins decided to visit him to talk about the future.

Jenkins drove to Atlanta, visited the man's office, introduced himself to the secretary, and asked to see the owner.

The response was that the owner was not available due to a critical business consultation, but Jenkins could hear the owner talking on the telephone about his golf game.

Enraged, Jenkins returned to Winter Haven and began plotting a strategy.

He decided to open his own store and compete directly with the new owner.

Jenkins began his retail career modestly as a stocker at a Piggly Wiggly.

After a few months he became the manager.

Jenkins began coming up with ideas on how to improve the store, but he was demeaned by the store's owner.

In 1930, Jenkins quit his manager position to start Publix Food Store right next to the Piggly Wiggly.

Although the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, Jenkins incorporated Publix Food Stores in 1930 with 30 shares, each valued at $100.

He kept 13 for himself and sold four to friends.

The butcher and assistant manager at Piggly Wiggly each purchased another four shares, raising $1,200 to supplement Jenkins's savings of $1,300.

He and five employees opened a new market next door to his former employer.

The chain fought back, bringing in a handsome and charming manager from Miami who supposedly garnered all the customers wherever he went.

The two stores began a series of one-upmanships, where the Piggly Wiggly store would offer a shopping premium and Jenkins's Publix would offer something better.

As of 2016, the employee-owned, privately held corporation included 1,100 stores in the Southeastern United States with 170,000 employees and sales of $32 billion.

Jenkins was known as "the state's largest commercial employer and head of a chain of stores that was a leader in introducing many innovations, including electric-eye doors and frozen food cases".

Jenkins was born in Warm Springs, Georgia, and his family owned a general store in the community of Harris City, Georgia, catering primarily to farmers.