John Mackey
Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Whole Foods Market
Friday, April 5, 2013

On the April episode of KERA’s CEO, host Lee Cullum talks with John Mackey, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, about early challenges the company faced bringing the natural foods supermarket concept to a skeptical public. The natural foods supermarket now boasts over $11 billion in annual sales and close to 350 stores spanning North America and the U.K. Learn how a devastating flood nearly washed away the original Austin, Texas, location along with the company’s future. Mackey also talks about his call for a new age of corporate leadership based on a higher purpose.

Full video:

About John Mackey:

John Mackey, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, has led the natural and organic grocer as it has grown from a single store in Austin, Texas, founded in 1978, to an $11 billion Fortune 300 company, and a top U.S. supermarket with more than 340 stores and 70,000 Team Members worldwide. While devoting his career to helping shoppers satisfy their lifestyle needs with high quality natural and organic foods, Mackey has also focused on building a more conscious way of doing business. For 15 consecutive years, FORTUNE magazine has included Whole Foods Market on its “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Mackey has been the visionary for many successful programs at the core of Whole Foods Market. He has been recognized for his work over the years by being named Ernst&Young’s “United States Entrepreneur of the Year,” Institutional Investor’s “Best CEO in America,” Barron’s “World’s Best CEO,” MarketWatch’s “CEO of the Year,” FORTUNE’s “Businessperson of the Year,” and Esquire’s “Most Inspiring CEO,” among many others.
 
CEO is sponsored by Executive Education at the Naveen School of Management, The University of Texas at Dallas, Hodges Capital Management and Sewell Automotive Companies. More information about Whole Foods Market can be found at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/.