George W. Jenkins - Florida

Florida

About that time, a friend invited Jenkins to join him on a trip to visit family in Sarasota. They stopped in Gainesville, but Jenkins' 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' grocery experience in Atlanta, the man offered him a job. Jenkins accepted, intending to return to school in the Fall, but within a few weeks, 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, the state of Florida was reeling: 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, showed up at 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.