We are all touched in some way by the services FedEx provides or in the corporation’s involvement with the Mid-South and across the country.
We’ve likely received an overnight delivery that came to us via FedEx, went to a Memphis Grizzlies game inside FedEx Forum or possibly will attend a Memphis Tigers football game at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, being renovated in large part by a $50 million donation from the FedEx Corporation.
We see the trucks and vans on our roads, we see their airplanes flying overhead. We either know someone who works for, or has worked for FedEx at some point. FedEx is firmly interwoven into our lives and lifestyle and the Mid-South would be a much different place were it not for the company Fred W. Smith started in 1971 as Federal Express.
So, when Smith died Saturday, June 21 at the age of 80, his passing meant the Mid-South had lost one of its biggest supporters, someone who would be willing to step up and provide for most anything that would of benefit for the region he called home. His company’s mark is either purposefully or subtly imprinted on much that is the Mid-South today.
One person who knew Smith well and worked closely with him for almost four decades was current Olive Branch Mayor Ken Adams. He was with FedEx Express for 38 years, eventually retiring as Corporate Security Director.
Ken Adams with Fred Smith of FedEx. (Courtesy photo)
“In my position, I spent a considerable amount of time with and around Chairman Fred Smith and attribute many of my business successes and accomplishments in local government to his leadership principles,” Adams said this week to DeSoto County News.
Smith’s leadership philosophy was summarized in three words: People, Service, Profit, meaning that if you treat employees with dignity and respect, better service is the result and that leads to profitability.
“His never ending drive, passion for success, and love of his company was exemplary,” said Adams. “While executives of other large corporations were strategizing and planning for the next year, Fred Smith was strategically preparing for years and even decades into the future. He was an American business icon and revolutionized the transportation sector globally.”
Adams called Smith “the best mentor any leader could ask for.” He said Smith’s love of family, the U.S. Marines, those who serve all military branches, and people from all walks of life were embedded in his DNA. Smith served in the Marines during the Vietnam conflict between 1966-1970.
Adams told of instances where Smith “paid it forward.” For instance, Smith would observe military veterans groups dining at restaurants and would pay their bill discreetly, “advising the restaurant manager not to tell the group who paid the tab.” There were also families that Smith learned could not pay their medical bill and he would cover those medical expenses.
“These items were as important to him as the multimillion dollar donations he generously provided to numerous causes,” Adams said. “Chairman Smith knew the names of the lowest level employees and treated them with as much respect as he treated the executives in the boardroom.”
The mayor said a large amount of economic development for DeSoto County, the Mid-South and the nation were a direct result of Smith’s contributions.
“He will be remembered worldwide and my heart and prayers go to his family and closest friends,” Adams said.
