George Washington Jenkins took a chance and left his secure job as a Piggly Wiggly manager and started his own store in Winter Haven in 1930. He named his first store Publix.
Since then the chain he founded has grown to 1,297 stores. The company is owned by descendants of “Mr. George” and its thousands of employees.
Your checkout clerk and bag person are probably stockholders. Many of us old time Floridians have actually met Mr. George.