September 29th is a big day at Publix as we celebrate Mr. George (Founder of Publix) Birthday! I have been with Publix since 2018. It has been a ride in the last 5 years. The opportunities I have at Publix is a blessing. I’m currently a Grocery Team Leader for almost a year and a half. Here’s a blog post from Publix.
If you work at Publix, you know Sept. 29 is a day to celebrate — it’s Mr. George’s birthday! Here at Publix, we affectionately call it Mr. George Day.
The Publix story began on Sept. 6, 1930, when George Jenkins opened the first Publix in Winter Haven, Florida. His mission was to be there for all associates and customers and give back to the community — parts of our culture that continue today.
“Mr. George believed in treating people with dignity and respect, and he wanted his associates to share their ideas and feel valued,” said Vice President of Human Resources Marcy Benton. “With Publix, he created a company that rewarded hard work and provided growth opportunities, knowing that the rest would take care of itself.”
In 93 years, we have grown from 1 store to more than 1,300 and employ over 250,000 associates — accomplishments Mr. George would likely be particularly proud of.
Mr. George Day gives associates an opportunity to learn about why our founder’s philosophies are the blueprint from which the Publix culture was built and how each of us plays a part in writing the next chapters of our company’s history.
“Mr. George’s principles live in all of us,” added Marcy. “We will continue to build on what he began and know that his values will guide us in Publix’s mission to be the premier quality food retailer in the world.”
Here’s my journey with Publix. After moving to Florida in 2016, I started my career at Universal Orlando Resort as a full-time merchandise stocker. A few months later, I picked up a part time job with Keebler as Merchandiser Service Rep (subsidiary company from Kellogg). Within a few months later, I was offered full time with Keelber and I stepped down to part time with Universal. Shortly after, Kellogg announced the change of structure which led to being laid off.
Another opportunity came quickly and I went on board with Nabisco as a part time. After several months trying to get full time with Nabsico, one of the store managers at the Publix that I normally serviced offered me a full time job without an interview. Of course, I accepted it. The rest is history. I have worked at 3 different Publix stores. I left Universal Orlando Resort in 2021 due to the schedule conflicts between both jobs and my desire to move up with Publix. April 2022, I moved up to Grocery Team Leader. I have been a Grocery Clerk, Frozen Clerk, Diary Clerk, and now Grocery Team Leader.
I’m grateful that Publix accepted me as an individual without having to look at Deafness as a barrier. I’m striving to go hard and show Deaf can do anything with little accommodation needed. I’m excited to see what’s next with Publix for me and for everyone.
